THE DIAMOND HOUSE PLAN COSTS BREAKDOWN

THE DIAMOND HOUSE PLAN COSTS BREAKDOWN
INTRODUCTION

From DIAMOND HOUSE FLAT ROOF

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.

The Diamond House Plan designed by a4architect.com offers the most efficient eco-friendly utility available for construction of houses in Kenya based on ‘GREEN ARCHITECTURE’.

From HAITI HOUSE FLAT ROOF

This is due to the Diamond House© construction technology that uses a holistic approach in maximizing efficiency and reduction of overall construction cost.

All main elements in a building, namely foundation, walling, roofing, windows and doors and finishes have been carefully designed and the most efficient method of construction for each element selected.
Use of this Diamond House© Plan methodology has achieved a major savings in terms of overall construction cost.
DIAMOND HOUSE PITCHED ROOF VERSION

NAIROBI CITY COUNCIL COST ESTIMATES

According to the Nairobi City Council planning department, construction cost per square meter is at KES 22,000 for a low to middle cost house. This means that the Diamond House© Plan house would cost KES 22,000X45m2=KES990, 000.
The same house constructed using the Diamond House© Plan technology will cost approximately KES 14,800X 45M2=KES 666,000.
This represents a KES 324,000 savings to the house owner. This is approximately 40% of savings achieved through efficient use of building technology.

DIAMOND HOUSE FLAT ROOF VERSION

COST OF Diamond House© PLANS

The cost of the Diamond House© Plan is derived from CAP 525 of the Laws of Kenya.
See a copy of CAP 525 ARCHITECTS AND QUANTITY SURVEYORS OF KENYA ACT here
http://www.kenyalaw.org/klr/index.php

ARCHITECTURAL COSTS CALCULATIONS

The total estimated cost of constructing the Diamond House© PHASE 1 is KES 666,000.
Fees breakdown as per CAP 525 of the Laws of Kenya is broken down as follows:

Inception- 0%- 0
Outline proposals- 1%- 6660
Scheme design- 1.5%- 9990
Detailed Design- 2%- 13320
Tender action to completion- 1.5%- 9990

The Scheme design is valued at KES 9,990.

Other services such as Detailed design [KES 13,320], tender action and construction supervision [KES 9,990] are charged as shown above.
Site visits are charged depending on the site location from CBD in tandem to the AA of Kenya transport rates.
After the scheme design stage, the next stages i.e. Detailed Design and Tender action to completion are necessary for the customer to benefit from the full consultancy service whereby the Diamond House© construction technology is used to further reduce the overall construction cost.
LOCAL AUTHORITY APPROVALS
The Local Authority require that all constructions in Kenya are approved. To conform with this, a copy of the mutation plan or site plan or survey plan of the plot which shows the plot dimensions is required to be submitted to www.a4architect.com. This copy can be scanned and emailed or can be delivered physically. On receipt of this, www.a4architect.com will then produce signed drawings and Architectural practice registration certificates to be submitted to the Local Authority for approval.

TENDER ACTION AND CONSTRUCTION SUPERVISION

To realize the low construction costs as described in the Diamond House©, the procurement of construction services is recommended to be labor based. The house owner is advised to enter into contract with a local labor-based contractor who will supply labor only. The house owner then works with a nearby hardware shop who will then supply materials to the site as per the materials breakdown.
This method will save the house owner and will help reduce the cost of construction to a manageable level.

PAYMENT METHODS.

Payment can be through Paypal, Mpesa , bank-to bank transfer, cheque or in cash.

Architect Francis Gichuhi Kamau
+254721410684
info@a4architect.com
www.a4architect.com