I wanted to build home before I could settle down

My name is Daniel Muwanguzi and currently I hold the position of marketing executive in Lion’s Den Productions limited, an events company based in Mutungo.

Upon completion of my course at university, I determined from within that I was not going to involve myself in any serious relationship unless if I had set up an apartment of my own which could comfortably shelter both my prospective wife and myself. The only challenge though was that I hardly had a clue as to how I was going to start construction, let alone purchasing the land where the structure was to be erected.

Peripatetic settling
All through 2003 up until 2007, I kept moving from one household to the other. Interestingly though, all the households I moved into didn’t go further than Kireka. The main reason was because in all of them, I paid no bill since I was staying with uncles and aunts who suited the bills.

My breakthrough however came in early 2007 when upon sharing the idea of building a house with my mother, she offered to fully fund the project. She said that for as long as she was still alive, there was no way she would live to see her only son struggle his way to the top.
In the fall of 2007, we contracted an engineer friend who designed the house plan for a fee half of what I could have been charged in case it was someone else. I then had to come to terms with my mother concerning which place we were going to buy land from, of which Mutungo was agreed upon. We purchased a fair enough chunk of land at about Shs15m from a private individual who to my judgment seemed so desperate for money at the time.

Actual construction begins
By early 2010, we were done with laying down the foundation and now actual building had to begin. We got a number of well built youths around the neighborhood who helped ferry the bricks from the trucks down to the building site. I personally did the managerial work. I always went to town to purchase the building material and made sure it reached safe to its destination. It was only about six months down the road and we were done with the ground floor, but since we couldn’t wait to shift into our new house, together with my other cousins, we opted to enter in the then yet to be completed house before even completion of the second floor.

At some point in time, we were forced to borrow ten million from Stanbic bank just so we could deal with the finishing of the house, inclusive of tiling the floors. And by 2012, most of the work was done, however before this year ends, its part of the plan that everything shall be ultimately worked upon.

Technical challenges
Most of the challenges throughout the process were pretty much technical. I remember when after the garage had been constructed, we had to destroy the floor so that it can be re-done, this time with a lot more dexterity. Previously, the floor was raised which made it difficult for small cars to get in since they were low. The trick therefore was on how to make it lower so that it can cater for both the raised cars and the low ones.

Then also, there were the workers who made it their duty to always pick a bag of cement or two every late in the evening. This further increased the construction costs. But, none the less, thanks to my mother’s support, we trailed through.

The Apartment
One and I think the main reason as to why we chose this particular area is because of its neighborhood. There is maximum security in the vicinity not at least with people like Kagina staying just next to our gate. However, in person, most adorable of all things about the house is the special prayer room on the first floor. It is quite enough to help me concentrate while praying since it’s more like separate from the main house.

Very important lessons learned
All through the tussle and hustle however, I’ve got to learn that patience is key in constructing a house of your taste. One needs to sieve out the best material and that takes time.
As told to Daniel Mukisa