The Nairobi County Permit Game: How We Get Your Building Approved in 45 Days (While Others Wait 6 Months)
I’m gonna be honest here: I’ve watched brilliant architects lose brilliant clients because someone underestimated the paperwork war in Nairobi. You can have the most beautiful design for your Kilimani penthouse or your Ruiru warehouse, but if you don’t understand how approvals really work at City Hall, your project becomes a permanent resident in bureaucratic […]
Why We Say No to Perfect Plots: The Infrastructure Risk Map Every Nairobi Builder Should Have
We’ve ever turned down a project that was quite a fortune. The land was stunning—panoramic views, perfect access roads, all necessary approvals in place. Our engineers recommended against it anyway. Not because of soil quality or zoning issues. Because of a government document most contractors never read. Nairobi’s infrastructure expansion is accelerating faster than most […]
Allan’s Hands: Why Your Home’s Perfect Corners Start With Our Masons’ Morning Ritual
Allan arrives at our Ruiru training yard at 5:47 AM. Always. Rain or shine. Before his first cup of chai, he runs his fingers along yesterday’s practice wall. Not checking for cracks—he’s feeling for rhythm. For the memory in his hands. Most construction companies in Kenya hire laborers by the project. We grow craftsmen. And […]
Why Your Concrete in Nairobi Isn’t Just Concrete (And Why Your House Depends on It)
Let me tell you something most contractors won’t admit over chai at the site office: that grey stuff you see being poured everywhere? It’s not just concrete. Not really. And in Kenya’s brutal climate, treating it like generic concrete is how buildings start cracking before the paint dries. I’ve watched too many developers in Runda, […]
The Architecture of Choice: Building Homes That Guide Us Towards Better Living
The Compound That Feels Right In today’s article we’re gonna have to remember an estate or a gated community we once visited that just felt… different. The kids were outside playing, neighbours were chatting by a shaded bench, and there was a quiet, almost unnoticed sense of order. No one was yelling about parked cars, […]
Beyond the AC Unit: How We’re Building Homes in Garissa That Work with the Sun, Not Against It
The Oven-Like Living Room You know the feeling if you’ve ever been in Garissa, Wajir, or even parts of Machakos on a fierce afternoon. You walk into a house built with the same concrete block and iron sheet roof as anywhere else. The windows are shut tight against the dust and heat. The air conditioner […]
Building for Baba and Mama: Designing Kenyan Homes That Remember When You Forget
The Silent Struggle in the Sitting Room Let’s picture a familiar Sunday afternoon in a lovely home in Ngong or anywhere in Kenya. The family is gathered, the television is on. Grandma slowly stands up from the sofa to go to the kitchen. Her hand reaches out, almost instinctively, to grip the back of an […]
Building Your Shamba Smart: The Lanny Builders’ Phased Masterplan for Generational Wealth
The Half-Built Dream House We’ve all seen it, haven’t we? You drive out to the family land in Ruiru, Kitengela, or somewhere off the Kangundo Road. There’s the main house, standing proud. Then, just a few metres away, there’s the “temporary” iron-sheet kitchen that has become permanent. Next to it, a makeshift mkokoteni-style structure storing […]
From Nuisance to Network: Designing the Kenyan Home Around the Boda Boda Hustle
The Unseen Driveway Guest If you have a home in any growing Kenyan suburb—think Kitengela, Ruaka, or parts of Ngong—you know this scene all too well. It’s early morning, and the distinct sputter of a motorcycle echoes outside your gate. Your boda boda guy, trusted and reliable, is already waiting. But where does he wait? […]
Rethinking the Kenyan Perimeter Wall: Can We Feel Safe Without Living in a Fortress
The Great Wall Paradox Let’s be honest, if you drive through the estates of Nairobi, from Kileleshwa to the leafy suburbs of Karen, or even the newer developments off Thika Road, one thing defines our architecture more than anything else: the wall. And not just any wall. We’re talking about the 7-foot, 8-foot, sometimes 10-foot […]