How to build attached houses in phases

You can build the four apartments in the ground plan above in phases as long as you plan for it before you start construction. Illustration by Julius Eryenyu Jojo.

If you plan to build several housing units in phases, you need to work closely with your architect so that they draw a plan that will suit your desire.

Building in phases is a perfect solution for anyone who is building attached and semi-attached housing units. This system is especially suitable for developers who don’t have a consistent or adequate cash flow to build all the apartments they desire at a go.

Choices to consider
Planning. It’s important to have a general picture of how much the entire project will cost and also the cost of each phase. Design. It’s important to use design and plans that will enable you to build in phases, as certain designs may be costly to develop in phases.

Roofing. The roof should be designed such that each apartment has its own roof, and if the plot is on a slope, it’s even more advantageous, as the problem will be easily checked by stepping the roof.
Location. It’s better to build the first phase apartment in a location which will have minimal interruption that future phases may cause.

Advantages
Upon completion of the first phase, the developer or owner will be furnished with a lot of information, which will come in handy in subsequent phases. Any remaining materials can be kept for use on future phases, and this helps to clearly estimate what is needed to complete the remaining phases.

Cost estimate
It’s important to note that the estimates given below, are simply intended to highlight a few aspects and therefore don’t cover the building in its entirety. All estimates are based on one apartment and the cost of each phase ranges between Shs35m to about Shs60m.

Area of each apartment is approx 90 square metres

• Walls. Including the foundation will cost approximately Shs12m
• Roofing. It will cost approximately Shs10m.
• Floor tiles. These will cost approximately Shs4.5m.
• Doors. These include two metallic and four timber doors and they will cost approximately Shs4m.
• Windows. These include five casement windows which will cost approximately Shs2m.