Experience so far on my project;

1. The moment the neighbourhood heard someone is breaking ground "soon" all manner of hangers on, milkers and con men in the area came looking for a juicy kill. Heard it all...everything from "pay me to plant and water your Kei Apple/Kayaba seedlings daily" to "pay me to chunga your gate lest thugs (most likely the same people offering the protection service) come at night and rip it off while you are asleep in Nairobi!" Then there are the water vendors. Every couple of hours they come by asking if you need water for anything, and their prices for the same are also inflated. And since our stima is not connected, stima extortionists next door who want as much as 3k for a few days of using theirs for welding works. Biggest lesson I have learned is to say no to all these vultures. Nothing bad has happened to me 'so far' from being firm about this.

2. You learn so much about an area simply by being on site daily. Jiranis come by when they see you working on your project, and if you are friendly enough, they will give you info you never would have imagined about the history of the plot and area. And if they have already built, insights on what to do and not to do. It also pays to be humble and establish rapport with them, no matter what their station is in life from the highest to the lowest. If they view you as an urban snob, that's how your gates and fixtures potea in a flash.

3. I reiterate that house construction is not rocket science my friends. Being on site with the foreman and fundis for three hours can teach you more than those complex sounding architects notes can in a decade on a small project (maisonette or bungalow). There is a certain calm joy and satisfaction in watching your dream home go up block by block. Especially if the design is coming up exactly as you had wanted it.

4. Also got a great tip about planting your fruit trees early and "mini-fencing" them to make it absolutely clear to the fundis not to interefere with them. That way by the time the house is done, the matundas might already start dropping from the trees like the garden of Eden.

5. It pays to be hands on kabisa and to buy ONLY the materials requisite for that day alone. My policy is nothing extra remains on site; to ward off temptation for thugs, thieves and even the fundis themselves. Doing things this way also helps you accurately track what is going into the house.

6. On tracking; I track every penny on a spreadsheet which is extremely helpful. I am already seeing huge variances in terms of what the BOQ is saying and what I am paying. Ati 3k for clearing bushes? With a slasher and a full afternoon, one can easily get that done by themselves. Plus its a free workout that keeps you trim and fit. I am saving a boatload on such things which should see my overall costs drop significantly once done

7. Don't tangaza all plans, even to the fundis, for example telling them you have all the money intact for the entire project. Otherwise they will assume you have 10m neatly sitting in the bank and will want to take a whack at it shilling by shilling. Even if you have the money, let them know you only have enough for one stage (eg foundation) and the rest you will have to "save/tafuta later." This I have found gives you good leverage in negotiating down prices as the fundis are always looking for work. Down days are not good days for them, so it is in their interest that your project goes on even if it means they lower their fees for you to keep the project moving.

Otherwise everything has been smooth so far. Will update in about 3 months time about how far the project has reached and what challenges I will have encountered by then.

Where is he based?send me his contacts,chakacrafts at gmail dot com

. Somewhat accurate. 20 bob a mtungi may sound low to you, but remember that during construction, low sounding per unit costs add up very fast when you are buying hundreds and hundreds of the same. A nail for example costs next to zero until you have to buy two sacks of it.

tafadhali here josephonyangoxx@gmail.com

@Garana.. Hapa huwes saidika. That one takes but never gives. You are better off milking a stone