Make colonial bungalows appealing to millennials

Houses like cars are subject to trends. Every year architects come up with new trends that make previous ones obsolete. In Uganda’s home rental market today, renters prefer the latest models. It usually does not matter whether the property has been kept in pristine condition or not, as long as it was built in the 1990s or 1980s, the renters, who are majorly young people, do not particularly aspire to live in it. And even when they get interested, they are often only willing to pay much lower rent than the house is worth. Which explains why many owners of old colonial-style bungalows are stuck with their properties.

To further complicate the problem, these old beauties are mostly found on Kampala’s original seven hills and older suburbs that were already habited before Kampala’s rapid expansion of the 2000s. These areas have seen astronomical property value appreciation over the last 20 years, making it almost impossible for any homeowner to earn rental income that is commensurate with the property value.

These old homes are usually relatively smaller (three bedrooms) yet they sit on large plots of land (100 X100ft or bigger). While the renter may focus on the house itself to determine how much they are willing to pay, the landlord feels unfairly cheated because he determines the rates on the overall value of the property (land and house).

History

It may seem petty for renters to shun older homes but according to experts, there are good reasons for the phenomenon.

Metallic plumbing

These older homes were built in the era when all plumbing pipes were metallic. Because of this, the water at the tap or the shower is unusually slower and frustrating because of rust build inside the pipes.

This makes showers less enjoyable, and you know how some people take their bathrooms seriously. But this is only part of the problem. If the problem is advance, the water is contaminated by a bad odour and rust particles. Metal water pipes are prone to corrosion which often results in leakages.

Minimal natural light

Older houses have smaller, outdated windows that do not allow enough natural light into the interior. This makes the house very dark in times of power outage.

“Because of this, the houses tend to have a permanent dark appearance, almost as if it is haunted,” jokes Alex Magara, a broker in Lubowa, another place with such houses.

Fewer bedrooms

These homes, while they appear very large, usually they have very few bedrooms. A 1990s three-bedroom house will often appear as if it is a five-bedroom house from outside. This, according to experts, tends to underwhelm renters. They often reason that if the house is going to be big, it should at least have as many bedrooms as one would hope for.

Boring fixtures

One of the reasons that older homes are shunned by renters is the boring fixtures they often come with, according to Magara. The old style bathtub is one of those things that most contemporary renters do not like.

“They usually prefer the closet shower as it offers more benefits. It uses less water and is easier to clean. Plus it is modern and trendy,” Magara says.

The other big hindrance for these homes in the old style mass capacity water heater, according to James Odongo, a property broker in Naalya. He says renters dread that heater because they feel it is not energy efficient and will cost them too much in electric bills.

The question is, how can a home owner get the right amount of rental income from an old colonial bungalow in a market that is not willing to pay the rent worth the property?

From abandonment to motel

Aggrey Nshekanabo, a hotelier, first made the decision to create a Motel in an old bungalow in 2013 after staying at an inn in the UK that occupied an 18th century home.

He was so inspired by the idea that when he came back home, he started wondering why we do not treat older properties with the respect they deserve if only for historical reasons.

He had seen how patrons came from far and wide and paid handsomely to eat and stay at these inns for sentimental reasons, and he believed this would work back home.

He warmed to the idea that a house can transport you to an era in the past and preserve old ideas for posterity. Nshekanabo imagined that an old colonial-style house around Kampala or Entebbe might be given a new lease of life by being turned into a motel.

“I was determined to replicate everything I had seen, hoping there would be somebody out there to appreciate my efforts. And I have a supportive partner who is willing to accommodate my crazy dreams. She was able to make sense of my dreams and give them life,” he says.

He adds, “When we were looking for space for the motel, I noticed an old-fashioned house in Naalya that I knew would suit our purpose. When I talked to the landlord, to my pleasant surprise, he told me that his house had been without tenants for nearly six months. He was stuck with a property that was becoming too expensive to maintain,” Nshekanabo says.

Although the property is spacious, it only has three self-contained bedrooms, which is a plus when you plan on turning it into a motel. The hotelier later built one extra cottage in the garden.

Making it work

The house sits on a 100X100ft plot, with a parking lot in front and a garden at the back. All of this space must be maintained by the tenant, but ordinary tenants would balk at spending an extra Shs100,000 every month on a yard that brings them no income.

But what a regular tenant dreads, a motel owner might relish. As soon as Nshekanabo occupied the house, he turned the back yard into a leafy and green haven. He planted trees, flowers and grass to make it more of a “showroom” for garden plants and flowers.

“So we started investing in potted plants, lining them all along the balconies and the garden. When a visitor sees a plant that he loves, he is allowed to pay for it so he can go back home with it,” he says.

Modification

While his plan was to keep the house as untouched as possible in keeping with his vision, he knew that some things had to change.

“The plumbing system, the electric system, and all the functionalities of this house, even the architectural design is typical of the old National Housing homes and older colonial bungalows in Kampala and Entebbe. While I did my best to keep the house untouched, things such as the plumbing had to change.

“We replaced the metallic pipes because they are prone to rust and have poor water pressure. And because, of course, it was built for home use and not for the numbers that Naalya Motel has. Now we have a bit of numbers. So, we have changed now is the plumbing. Then there were, of course, old model heaters but we installed one modern one,” he says.

Adding value

There is a growing preference among online influencers, film makers and musicians for older homes, which they feature in their videos and photos.  This indicates that there is a nostalgic value for such homes. Although experts recommend upgrading the home, they advise being cautious about what is upgraded and the extent of the upgrade. 

Slight upgrades add more value to the property than complete renovation. Repairs are inevitable in most homes. To make them more appealing to younger renters these homes may require small-scale fixes. Common areas that may need to be repaired include the front porch, roof, floors and walls. If possible, pick the areas that can benefit from being modernised.

The kitchen

 For example nobody wants to cook from an old fashioned kitchen. Many old homes tended to position their kitchens tucked away in the rear of the home.

In the era of open plan living, these small and narrow spaces, do not compare well to the light-filled kitchen of today. One way to add value to your home is to create more space in the kitchen, big enough for the open-plan kitchen and family room most renters want. You can also make the space feel bigger by maximising natural light, by adding an entire wall of glass overlooking the garden, or a skylight.

Add storage

One unpopular common feature of older homes is lack of inbuilt storage. Although the rooms are spacious none of them have cabinets or closets. Many renters today expect to find inbuilt storage in rentals. This is another vital upgrade that can be added to the home without altering its original style. 

Wiring

It is important to upgrade the wiring of the home to increase energy efficiency that is essential for modern living.

If a house has not been rewired in more than 25 years, it is likely to need modernising to bring it up to modern safety standards and ensure the home is equipped for today’s increased electricity usage. You might require rewiring the entire home and add more power sockets to every room.