House design and build in Kenya, for owners at home and abroad

What design and build means with us

Many owners hire a designer, then a builder, then a joiner, and spend the project carrying messages between them. Design-build puts those people under one contract. We design the home, price it, build it, fit it and furnish it, so that one firm answers for the result. New homes are drawn with independent consultant architects, and every trade, from gypsum and stone to plumbing, electrics, glass and security, reports to one project manager.

How a design-build project runs

1. Consultation. A site walk or video call about the land or shell, the budget band and the timeline.
2. Design and 3D. Concepts, 3D visualisation, material boards and shop drawings for every piece of cabinetry.
3. Priced BoQ. A bill of quantities you can check line by line, ready for your bank if you are financing.
4. Build. One project manager, all trades, dated weekly photo and video reports and a fixed weekly call.
5. Handover. Snag list, styling, a care manual for every finish, and a retention held until you are satisfied.

Delivery runs on 3, 6 or 12-month packages. The 12-month design-and-build runs from approved drawings to keys: structure, services, interiors, landscaping and furniture. For a finished shell, the 3-month fit-out or 6-month full interior may be all you need.

Build a house in Kenya from abroad

Most of our clients live in the USA, Canada, Germany or Australia. The safeguards are simple and written into the contract. Payments follow independently valued progress on site, never ahead of it: a typical schedule releases funds at mobilisation, substructure, superstructure, roof and services first fix, finishes and practical completion, with a 10% retention held until the defects period ends. You receive dated photo and video reports every week and a fixed weekly call in your time zone.

Our article on building in Kenya from abroad sets out the fraud patterns to watch for and the safeguards that block them. In Kakamega, a daughter living abroad built a five-bedroom house for her parents and coordinated the interiors with us over WhatsApp.

Materials, joinery and finishes

Kitchens, wardrobes and vanities come from our own workshop, in solid Kenyan hardwoods or premium boards, drawn to the millimetre and fitted by the makers. Finishes, tile and stone, and the specification for every material are agreed in writing, so that nothing is substituted. See our bespoke kitchen cabinets for how the workshop works.

What a house costs to build in Kenya

The cost of building a house in Kenya is usually the first question, and the honest answer depends on size, finish and location. In our building cost calculator, a new build in Nairobi uses KES 58,000 to 68,000 per m² at Standard, KES 98,000 to 122,000 at Luxury and KES 145,000 to 190,000 at Premium, VAT included. Choose your size, floors and location to see the range for your own home. The exact number always comes from a priced bill of quantities, not from a calculator.

Who it suits

• Owners with land or a shell who want one accountable firm from drawings to keys.
• Kenyans abroad who cannot be on site and need evidence they can check.
• Families building a maisonette or villa, and owners renovating a whole home.
• Homeowners financing the build, who need a priced bill of quantities.

Timing and the rains

Groundworks prefer dry weather, while joinery and interiors suit the short rains. Signing in January leaves time to mobilise for a dry-season start. Read planning your build around Kenya’s rains for the reasoning. Many clients abroad are home in December, which is a good moment to walk the site and sign off designs in person.

Where we build, and what to prepare

We are based in Eldoret and build across the North Rift, Western Kenya and the Nairobi region. Before your consultation, gather the plot or shell details, approved drawings if you have them, a budget band and your preferred call times. Our cost calculator gives a first estimate for a new build, fit-out or renovation.