The Price of Ignoring Professional Design: Why ‘Just Draw Me a Simple Plan’ Ends in Tears
In Kenya, when a friend says they’re about to build, the next thing they’ll probably say is, “Natafuta mtu tu anidrawie ka-plan.” Sounds simple, right? Just a small sketch, a two-bedroom layout, maybe a kitchen outside—it doesn’t need to be fancy. But what starts as a shortcut often ends in disaster. “Just draw me a […]
How Poor Site Supervision Leads to Millions in Wasted Materials (and How to Stop It)
Picture this: you walk onto your building site after a few days away. Sand you paid for has disappeared. Steel bars are scattered and bent. The tiles you imported? Cracked—because they were dumped carelessly in the rain. This isn’t an accident. It’s a consequence of poor site supervision. It happens all the time in Kenya. […]
Why Your Fundi Isn’t a Project Manager—and the Costly Difference You Should Know
In Kenya, we love a good fundi. They build our homes, fix our walls, install our tiles, and patch up our roofs. They’re skilled, hardworking, and resourceful. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: most fundis aren’t project managers—and asking them to be one is setting yourself (and your project) up for costly chaos. A fundi’s job […]
The Hidden Costs of Building in Kenya That No One Talks About (But You’ll Pay Anyway)
Building your own home in Kenya is a dream many pursue—but few anticipate just how many “invisible” costs come crawling in once construction begins. The figures you scribbled in your notebook or entered into that Excel sheet? They probably only reflect about 70% of what you’ll end up spending. These hidden costs don’t make headlines, […]
From Mabati to Marble: Tracing the Evolution of Kenyan Home Finishes (And What It Says About You)
Walk into a newly built home in Nairobi, Eldoret, or even Nyeri today, and you’re likely to find imported tiles, quartz countertops, suspended ceilings, and LED lighting strips. But ask your parents—or take a stroll through homes built in the ’80s—and you’ll find a different story: mabati roofing sheets, chipboard ceilings, terrazzo floors, and green […]
Red Soil vs. Black Cotton Soil: The Untold Story Behind Your House’s Foundation
Before you dream of floor tiles or ceiling designs, there’s a silent influencer you should understand—the soil beneath your home. In Kenya, the two most common types of soil that construction projects deal with are red soil and black cotton soil. They may seem like just colour variations, but they behave very differently, especially when […]
Why Your Dream Home Fails on Paper: Common Architectural Design Missteps Kenyans Overlook
You’ve saved up. You’ve bought land. You even have an architect. So why do some dream homes still turn into real-life regrets? Many Kenyans find out—painfully—that poor architectural planning can lead to everything from structural headaches to living spaces that just don’t feel right. Here’s the kicker: most of these mistakes are avoidable. Before the […]
Could Kenya’s Skyscraper Craze Lead to a Ghost City Scenario?
As a construction worker in Kenya, I’ve seen Nairobi’s skyline change faster than most people can keep up. New skyscrapers seem to sprout from the ground overnight, with cranes dotting the city like some kind of urban forest. But amidst all this vertical growth, one question lingers in my mind: Are we building for tomorrow, […]
The Business of Demolition: Who Profits When Buildings Collapse?
I’m a Kenyan construction worker, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned in this industry, it’s that nothing happens by accident—especially not collapsed buildings. When a structure crumbles, the news cameras come, the government makes noise, and people shake their heads in disbelief. But behind the scenes, there’s a well-oiled machine waiting to cash in. […]
The False Promise of “Made in Kenya” Construction Materials
I have worked in the Kenyan construction sector long enough to know one thing—whenever a contractor says, “We are using local materials,” it’s either a lie or a warning that trouble is coming. The government keeps preaching the gospel of Buy Kenya, Build Kenya, but on the ground, where bricks hit mortar, things are different. […]