It is possible to achieve a great home design on a low budget. To achieve this, a lot must be invested in the architectural design. A good example is the Allan Donovan House in Kitengela, which is designed with a West African concept on a mental flat roof with pigeonholes on the parapet wall.

Another example is Hacienda Eco City Development in Mombasa, which coincidentally is also designed in a West African/Islamic architectural concept with a flat roof and parapet lockers.

The Presidential State Lodge in Sagana, Nyeri is also a magnificent piece of architecture that has used architectural design to achieve greatness without necessarily using very expensive materials. It is a simple rectangular house with hipped roofs and low aluminum casement windows.

Technological uses also affect the budget. Newer, lighter-weight roofing materials like stone-coated steel shingles save the number of wood joists used to support the roof.

The choice of foundation type will also affect costs. Properties like Jericho in the Eastlands area were built on a raft-like foundation that is very inexpensive to install. The ground floor slab rests on small-sized beams that are placed on the ground so that no excavations or foundation enclosures are carried out.

In the superstructure walls, within the Nairobi area, masonry stone is readily available and therefore inexpensive. A cost-effective way to achieve elegance is to have the stones hand-dressed in a pattern to your liking. Handcrafted stones add character to your home and will save you in terms of upkeep as they are virtually maintenance free.

Prefab houses are slowly entering the Kenyan market. These houses are the solution to affordable housing in developed economies like the US, China and Europe and it is a matter of time until they find their niche in Kenya.

In conclusion, proper architectural design and use of technology can greatly reduce the cost of building your home.