5 STEPS TO CONSTRUCTING YOUR DREAM HOUSE .
THE DIAMOND HOUSE PLAN : 2 BEDROOMED:
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INTRODUCTION
The Diamond house plan is inspired by the Botswana Diamonds and was designed by www.a4architect.com to offer the most efficient housing solutions to the people of Haiti after the 2010 earthquake.
The Diamond House is made of materials readily available in every hardware shop in Kenya. The efficiency is attained through unique architectural design and construction technology.
The walls are made of the usual masonry quarry stone or interlocking stabilized soil blocks,roofs made of the usual iron sheets, doors from the usual wood door Kenyan manufacturers and window frames from the usual aluminum/Louvre systems.
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| From DIAMOND HOUSE FLAT ROOF |
THE DIAMOND HOUSE PLAN©.
Origin of the name.
The Diamond house plan design is inspired by the Botswana Diamonds and was designed by www.a4architect.com to offer the most efficient housing solutions to the people of Haiti after the 2010 earthquake.
The Diamond House is made of materials readily available in every hardware shop in Kenya. The efficiency is attained through unique architectural design and construction technology.
The walls are made of the usual masonry quarry stone or interlocking stabilized soil blocks,roofs made of the usual iron sheets, doors from the usual wood door Kenyan manufacturers and window frames from the usual aluminum/Louvre systems.
PAYMENTS
To purchase the Diamond House Plans, click here for further explanation and cost breakdown.
2 BEDROOMED VERSION FRONT VIEW
DIAMOND HOUSE PLAN© PHASED RESIDENTIAL HOUSE CONSTRUCTION.
DIAMOND HOUSE PITCHED ROOF VERSION
This is whereby the architect has designed the Diamond house plan in such a manner that the house occupants can continue adding more rooms in future as their needs increase.
The house starts with 2 bedrooms which can easily be added to become 3 bedroomed .
See the house below designed by www.a4architect.com for more information.
DIAMOND HOUSE FLAT ROOF VERSION
As the family size grows, the house also grows concurrently.
This architectural design aids greatly in planning for the future.
The beauty about this design is the fact that one can start with the low priced 2 bedroomed house. After a period of time as the space need increases, the 3 bedroomed unit is added .
In this design, the occupant pays for the exact space that they require in that if the occupant only requires just 2 bedrooms for the time being, that’s the only space they pay for.
In the era of the 21st Century, its important that consumers make decisions that avoid unnecessary waste of money and resources .
HOW TO REDUCE CONSTRUCTION COST BY OVER 100% AND STILL MAINTAIN HIGH QUALITY:DIAMOND HOUSE PLAN:
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| From Haiti House Plan |
PART 1:SUBSTRUCTURE :FOUNDATIONS
Construction material cost has been steadily increasing over the years.
5 years ago[2006], the average construction cost in Nairobi for a medium –priced building was KES 15,000 per square meter.
Currently,[2011] this cost has increased by 68% to an average of KES 22,000 per square meter for the same.
The trend does not seem to be slowing down any time soon.
Therefore, we need to think outside the box to keep costs low and still maintain the same or oven higher quality of construction.
This can be achieved by using ingenious methods of cost-cutting from the foundation stage through to the finishes.
FOUNDATION
On average, foundation costs approximately 10% of the total cost of construction.
The main works in a foundation are
1.excavation
2.Reinforced concrete works[foundation footing and ground floor slab]
3.Masonry walling to ground floor level
Reinforced concrete works
This consists of concrete reinforced with twisted steel.
A cubic meter of concrete on average takes 7 bags of cement and will cost a minimum of KES 8,000.
A cubic meter of masonry stone consists of 75 stones of 300mm long by 200mm wide. Each stone costs an average of KES 25. This estimates to approximately KES 25 X 75= KES 1,875.
This is approximately 75% cheaper than concrete.
The reinforced concrete foundation footing can be replaced with masonry walling to achieve this great saving.
Ground Floor slab.
On average, a reinforced concrete ground floor slab costs KES 1,200 per square meter.
Masonry walling laid horizontally can replace this slab. A square meter of masonry walling using masonry stones costs KES 400. Add KES 100 for cement plaster and labour and this brings it to KES 500 per square meter. This constitutes a savings of nearly 45%.
Old colonial houses built in the early 1900s in Kenya utilized these cost-cutting methods and are still standing to date.
A good example is the Officer’s Mess at the National Youth Service Bahati Farm in Nyandarua.
Another excellent example is the Hyrax Hill tourist site office at Nakuru town pictured below.
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| From Window design |
The foundation footing and floor slab is made of masonry walling and it still stands to date, nearly 100 years from the day it was constructed.
Conclusion.
With the use of masonry to replace reinforced concrete on foundation footing [75% savings] and ground floor slab [45% savings], this will greatly save on the overall foundation construction costs.
PART 2: SUPERSTRUCTURE[Walling, Doors, Windows, Roof]
The Diamond House type has been designed by www.a4architect.com to reduce over 200% of construction costs in the superstructure[walling, windows, doors, roof].
Waling.
Internal walling is designed to carefully reduce the costs of internal wall plaster through design. In each room, the machine-cut stone walling is plastered on only two sides. The other two sides are keyed and left natural or painted to come up with a rough texture that matches well with the overall interior decor of the house. This automatically reduces over 50 % of internal wall finishes mainly plaster and paint.
The 2 bedroom Diamond House Plan has approximately 100 square meters of internal wall surface. If half of the surface is unplastered , this will result to a savings of KES 10,000.
If half the internal wall surface is not painted, this will result to a further savings of KES 10,000.
This is a classic example of using interior design as a tool for saving costs since a room looks better when some surface is of a different texture and colour form another.
Wall to Ceiling Height.
A high wall height means that there is more surface area for walling, plaster and paint. The Haiti House Plan has a 2.4meter wall to ceiling height. This helps to reduce any unnecessary wall height hence bringing the costs significantly down.This results to a 20% reduction in the costs of walling, plaster and paint.
Windows.
Window costs have been reduced by using the louvre window system.
A 1meter squared louvre system wil cost up to KES 2,000 including labour.
A foot length of 6 inches thick louvre glass 5mm thick goes for KES 50 . A Pair of louvre blades go for KES 80. The Haiti house plan windows are approximately 1 meter squared in size. With the louvre system on half the length, this will be 75 KES x 7 pieces for glass =KES 525. For the window louvre system, this will be KES 80 per pair x 7 = KES 560. The total will be KES 1085 plus fixed glass KES 350 =KES 1435.Add 20 % for labour and transport to site =KES 1722.
This represents over 60 % reduction on costs compared to using the common steel casement windows.
Doors.
Use of colour to articulate the flush door frames and leafs will go a long way in saving costs. The overall colour scheme of white versus black can be used to articulate the door opening with the door leaf painted white with a black door frame.
A standard flush door costs KES 1800 plus KES 900 for the frame =KES 2700.
Roof.
The Diamond house design employs a ‘flat’ roof as a design and also to reduce costs. The flatter a roof is, the less the surface area that it covers.
The roof slope of 6 degrees looks flat to the eye but is in fact 6 degrees in slope so as to drain the water to the gutter system.
This design makes the Diamond house plan look unique and results to over 50% in roof costs saving.
The Diamond house design has a roof covering 45 square meters.
The flat roof also ensures that there is less timber for roof support since the walling will support the main roof trusses hence a further savings on roof timber costs.
Using gauge 30 roofing sheets which retail at KES 260 per square meter or gauge 32 roofing sheets retailing at KES 215 per square meters, the roofing costs will be KES 260 X 45M2 =KES 11,700 for gauge 30 and KES 9675 for gauge 32 which is lighter.
CONSTRUCTION COSTS BREAKDOWN:DIAMOND HOUSE PLAN-2 BEDROOMED VERSION
PROPOSED RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT :DIAMOND HOUSE,2 BEDROOMED
www.a4architect.com
APPROXIMATE BILLS OF QUANTITIES
GROUND FLOOR
Bill No. 1
SUBSTRUCTURES
(ALL PROVISIONAL)
Excavate foundation trench depth not exceeding 1.5m commencing from reduced levels m3 43 200 8600
Excavate pit depth not exceeding 1.5m commencing from reduced levels m3 45 200 9000
Extra over excavations for excavation in soft rock m3 10 1670 16700
Return, fill and ram selected excavated material around foundations. m3 45 130 5850
Load and cart away surplus excavated material from site m3 45 360 16200
30mm Thick murram blinding to surfaces of hardcore m2 45 80 3600
Chemical anti-termite treatment executed complete by an approved specialist under a ten (10) year guarantee to surfaces of blinded hardcore m2 45 250 11250
Natural coursed stone obtained from an approved quarry, jointed and bedded in cement and sand (1:3) mortar
200mm Thick walling FOOTING m2 64 835 53440
200mm Thick walling m2 64 835 53440
200mm Thick walling SLAB m2 45 835 37575
12mm Cement and sand (1:3)render on stone or concrete plinths m2 21 200 4200
Prepare and apply two coats black bituminous paint to rendered concrete or stone surfaces m2 21 300 6300
Total Carried to Summary 226,155.00
Bill No.2
SUPERSTRUCTURE WALLING
200mm Thick approved local quarry machine-cut load bearing natural stone walling bedded and jointed in cement and sand (1:3) mortar m2 80 1169 93520
Approved horizontal damp proof course to B.S. 743 laid under walling (measured nett – no allowance made for laps) including leveling bed
200mm Wide m 50 140 7000
Precast concrete (1:2:4) bedded, jointed and pointed in gauged mortar
200 x 200mm Lintel reinforced with and including 2No. 12mm mild steel rods m 5 580 2900
Total Carried to summary at end 103,420.00
Bill No.3
WINDOWS
250 x 50mm Thick precast concrete (1:2:4) sunk, weathered and throated window cill cast in convenient lengths, reinforced as necessary, bedded, jointed and pointed in gauged mortar and finished smooth on all exposed surfaces m 10 420 4200
Prime Grade Wrot mahogany or equal and approved hardwood
125 x 12mm Weather or window board with two labours plugged m 10 334 3340
Pelmet boxes in prime grade wrot mahogany as before
50x25mm Bearer plugged m 10 100 1000
150x25mm Pelmet top fixed to bearer m 10 300 3000
150x25mm Pelmet fascia with three labours fixed to top m 10 300 3000
150x25mm Thick,150mm long pelmet end with three labours No 10 50 500
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Note: All windows with openable frames at top to have mild steel hood with a 30mm gap infilled with mosquito gauze.
Supply, assemble and fix the following purpose-made steel Louvre window systems including glass
Window size 1000 x 1500mm overall No. 4 3000 12000
Window size 500 x 1500mm overall No. 4 1500 6000
Total Carried to summary at end 33,040.00
Bill No.4
DOORS
Wrot Mahogany framed frames and finishings
40 x 125mm Beading with one labour m 40 334 13360
20 x 40mm Moulded glazing bead m 40 180 7200
15 x 15mm Moulded quadrant. m 40 30 1200
15 x 32mm Moulded architrave. m 40 180 7200
50 x 200mm Frame with one labour plugged. m 40 334 13360
External door No. 1 10000 10000
45mm (Finished) flush doors to B.S. 459 Part 2 faced both sides with external quality plywood and hardwood lipped on all edges
Door size 900 x 2100mm overall comprising 1 No. opening leaf No. 4 3300 13200
Glazing
Approved quality ordinary clear sheet glass and glazing to timber with beads (measured separately)
6mm Thick in panes not exceeding 0.10 square metres m2 1 1000 1000
Supply and fix the following ironmongery to timber as per “Union” catalogue or other equal and approved
100mm Pressed stainless steel butt hinge Prs 5.0 200 1000
Two lever mortice door lock complete with pair of stainless steel furniture and complete with pair of keys No. 4 1670 6680
Three lever mortice door lock complete with pair of stainless steel furniture and complete with pair of keys No. 1 2000 2000
Rubber door stop fixed to concrete floor, or masonry walling with and including 38mm rawl bolt No. 4 300 1200
Prepare and apply one coat “Crown” or equal and approved aluminium wood primer before fixing on backs of wood surfaces in contact with masonry, concrete or plaster girth exceeding 200 but not exceeding 300mm m 40 30 1200
Prepare stain to approval with timber guard and apply three coats matt “Crown Tuffseal” or other equal and approved polyurethane varnish to woodwork to be executed by an approved sub-contractor
Surfaces girth exceeding 200mm but not exceeding 300mm m 40 90 3600
General surfaces of woodwork m2 20 300 6000
Prepare, prime with “Crown Two Pack” or equal and approved zinc plumbate primer and paint one undercoat and two gloss finishing coats of “Crown Solo Ultra Super Gloss” or equal and approved oil paint on metal work generally m2 10 300 3000
Total Carried to summary at end 91,200.00
Bill No. 5
ROOF STRUCTURE, COVERING, RAINWATER GOODS AND FINISHES
The following in Grade 1 structural timbers, sawn cypress pressure impregnated as described
The following in 5No. double pitch roof trusses with nailed connections, 4.50m span and 1500mm rise including hoisting and fixing 2.700m metres above finished floor level
50 x 150mm Rafters m 50 350 17500
50 x 150mm Struts m 7 350 2450
50 x 150mm Tie beams m 50 350 17500
—– End of Trusses —–
The following in Grade 1 structural timbers, sawn cypress pressure impregnated as described
50 x 150mm Common rafters (Provisional) m 7 350 2450
50 x 150mm Hip rafter (Provisional) m 6 350 2100
50 x 150mm Purlin (Provisional) m 7 350 2450
50 x 150mm Ridge m 7 350 2450
75 x 150mm Wall plate fixed to concrete or block wall with and including hoop iron fixing cramps at 450mm centres. m 50 350 17500
——————
25 x 300mm Wrot, treated cypress fascia or barge board m 12 350 4200
Roof Covering
steel roofing sheets Gauge 30 m2 45 500 22500
Half round approved ridge to match roofing sheets m 7 250 1750
Rain water gutter m 14 700 9800
Eaves
12 x 100mm Tongued and grooved wrot cypress eaves boarding nailed to brandering (measured separately) m2 10 950 9500
50 x 50mm Sawn cypress brandering m 60 200 12000
Total Carried to summary at end 124,150.00
Bill No.6
EXTERNAL FINISHES
Extra over machine cut stone walling for pointing in neat shallow recessed vertical and horizontal joints m2 51 200 10200
12mm Thick external cement and sand (1:4) rendering finished with wood float m2 5 300 1500
Prepare and apply three coats white-wash externally to masonry stone surfaces m2 51 300 15300
Total Carried to Summary 27,000.00
Bill No.7
FLOOR FINISHES
Cement and sand (1:3) screed trowelled hard and smooth with steel trowel
40mm Thick bed m2 45 450 20250
32mm Thick bed to receive ceramic tiles m2 45 400 18000
20mm Skirting 125mm high with rounded top edge and coved angle at junction with paving. m 100 60 6000
300 x 300 x 8mm Approved glazed ceramic floor tiles fixed with an approved adhesive on screed floor including pointing with matching coloured cement m2 45 2000 90000
Total Carried to summary at end 134,250.00
Bill No.8
INTERNAL WALL FINISHES
12mm (minimum) Two coat lime plaster comprising 9mm first coat of cement and sand (1:4) and 3mm second coat of cement and sand lime putty on walls finished smooth with a steel trowel on concrete or stone walls m2 100 300 30000
150 x 150 x 6mm Coloured ceramic wall tiles fixed to backing (measured separately) with an approved adhesive on walls and pointed with coloured anti-fungal cement m2 10 2000 20000
The whole of the following to be executed by an approved sub-contractor
Prepare and apply one undercoat and three coats of “Crown Solo” or equal and approved plastic emulsion paint on plastered walls internally m2 100 300 30000
Total Carried to Summary 80,000.00
Bill No. 9
CEILING FINISHES
Ply wood Ceiling board m2 45 650 29250
The whole of the following to be executed by an approved sub-contractor
Prepare and apply one undercoat and three coats of “Crown Solo” or equal and approved plastic emulsion paint on plastered soffits internally m2 45 300 13500
Ditto but to timber surfaces not exceeding 100mm girth m 80 30 2400
Total Carried to Summary 45,150.00
Bill No. 10
SANITARY FITTINGS
Supply and fix only the following sanitary fittings as supplied by “Doshi” or equal and approved complete with all necessary unions, taps cistern and traps and shall include all connections to cold and hot water, waste fittings and fixing to blockwork
1200 x 500mm Double Bowl, Double Drainer Stainless steel sink fixed to Concrete worktop complete with 32mm chromium plated waste fittings brass with seal and cleaning eye 13mm pillar tap and blanking cap plug and chain stay No. 1 8350 8350
White vitreous wash hand basin size 580x425mm complete with 32mm chromium plated waste fittings brass with seal and cleaning eye 13mm pillar tap and blanking cap plug and chain stay No 1 5000 5000
Low level wash down white vitreous china low level WC suite comprising of pan, ‘P’ trap, ceramic seat and cover, ceramic cistern and all necessary fixing to reinforced concrete slab No 1 8350 8350
Approved quality ceramic wall-mounted toilet roll holder to match tilework No 1 835 835
Approved quality ceramic wall-mounted soap tray to match tilework No 1 835 835
Chrome plated towel rail 600mm long complete with mounting accessories. No 1 835 835
Total Carried to Summary 24,205.00
MAIN SUMMARY
1 Substructures 226,155.00
2 Superstructure walling 103,420.00
3 Windows 33,040.00
4 Doors 91,200.00
5 Roof 124,150.00
6 External finishes 27,000.00
7 Floor Finishes 134,250.00
8 Wall Finishes 80,000.00
9 Ceiling Finishes 45,150.00
10 Sanitary Fittings 24,205.00
11 PROVISIONAL SUMS[wiring, Septic tank-plastic] 100,000.00
Sub Total 988,570.00
Total Estimate 988,570.00
5 STEPS:
1. Acquire your land
You can check online for available land in your areas of choice anywhere in Kenya. Common plot sizes in Kenya are 33 feet by 66 feet, 50 feet by 100 feet[1/8th acre], 100 feet by 100 feet[1/4 acre], half acre and 1 acre sizes.
Land prices vary depending on location. Areas further from the city such as Estern Bypass, Ruiru, Kitengela, Athi River,Kiserian ,Limuru,Thika, Katani land price is much lower than areas around the City.
2. Choose a house plan here www.a4architect.com
This house design is flexible in that you can start with the 2 bedroomed version and once your family size grows, add extra rooms while still maintaining the same design to make the unit a 3 bedroomed house.
This house plan has also utilized a concerted effort to reduced construction costs on all elements used in the construction of a house, all the way from foundation until the final finishes of the house.
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| From Haiti House Plan |
3. Finance:Construction Loan or Personal Savings.
Once you have selected the Haiti house design and have secured land, we arrange construction loan documentation[Approved Plans,Land Ownership Document, Personal or Company details, Bills of Quantities, Feasibility study and Business Plan] and introduce you to Construction finance banks of your choice : Banks fund construction projects with the land on which the house will be located and the building being constructed forming the collateral hence easier to get financing.
4. Employ a Building Contractor.
For simple residential houses, a labour contract is most desirable. This is whereby the house owner gets into a contract with a specialized builder for labour only. The house owner supplies all materials needed and the builder supplies labour .The contract can be divided in stages such as foundation, walling, roofing, doors, windows e.t.c to enable ease of administration.
5. Construction process supervision to completion.
Once the house owner has signed a contract with the builder, the construction commences with the supervision of an architect to ensure that the project runs smoothly. Once completion is complete, a completion certificate is issued by the architect to enable the relevant Local Authority prepare an Occupation Certificate to legally mark the house as fit for human habitation.
Arch. F. Gichuhi. B.Arch.U.o.N.
info@a4architect.com
721410684
CURRENT CONSTRUCTION COST RATES
http://ujenzibora.com/nahinga/?p=1203
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