Cost of roofing a 3 bedroom house in Kenya

Building a home usually happen in steps, these steps include budgeting for each part of the house. In this article, we are going to look at the cost of one of the most important parts of the house, which is, the roof. In particular, we will cover the cost of roofing a 3 bedroom house in Kenya, this will include factors to consider when putting up the roof and tips to get the best quality.

Roof skeleton of a 3 bedroom house in Kenya  

The cost

NOTE: The cost given below is just an average, the actual cost will vary from house to house depending on various factors that we will look at below.

When roofing a standard three-bedroom house in Kenya, the cost will start from Ksh 250,00 for a hip roof design. This is for a 3 bedroom with at least the following rooms which are also standard sized: Entry porch, lounge, dining, kitchen, pantry, master ensuite bedroom, common shower and common toilet.

Hip roof design.

Factor affecting the cost of roofing a 3 bedroom house in Kenya

When it comes to roofing, the prices on the final quotation will shift depending on various factors. Let’s learn about them and see how we can manage them to fit our particular budget.

Roof design

Before you start your construction, the first step should be to get the right design for your dream home. When doing this, the roof will be among the major parts you will focus on. You should keep in mind that the design you choose will also affect the cost.

There are different designs and roof styles that you can choose for a three-bedroom house. Below is a look at them and how they influence cost:

• Hip roof– this is one of the most commonly preferred roof designs in modern residential houses. With the design, more timber is needed for the roof skeleton, the amount used on timber will hence be slightly higher as compared to the other forms below.
• Gamble roof- the design usually involves the shorter sides of the building being raised up to the roof ridge. This means that if you are using building stones, you will require more of them plus sand and cement for the gambles.

• Flat roof design- just like the name goes, this is a slightly pitched roof that appears to be flat. It is a simple form of roofing and can be cost-effective as compared to the above two methods especially when it is not a concrete slab one.

Materials

By far, the material you use will also affect the cost you will incur when putting up the roof. The roof has different parts, each part will also have its own materials and different types of materials can be used too.

Below are the main parts of the roof and materials that can be used to give different costs on the same house:

• Skeleton- the roof skeleton will have different parts, they include; wallplate, tiebeams, ridge beam, purlins, kingpost and struts. The most common material used for the skeleton in Kenya is timber, depending on the size and weight of the roof the skeleton is to carry the timber sizes will defer. Alternatively, one can use steel metal bars for the roof skeleton.
• Joinery- depending on the material that will be on the skeleton, different materials for joining purposes. For timber, nails apply while for steel, welding is done.
• Roof covering- just like in the above parts, the covering which is the topmost part can be made on different materials. The most common covering in use in Kenya is iron sheets, the type of iron sheets you choose will affect the cost, for example, pre-painted iron sheets are costly than none painted ones. You can also use other materials such as roof tiles.

• Finishing– from the paint, fascia boards to ceiling, the materials you will use when doing your roofing will affect the final price.

Labor

Labor is another item that will determine the final price. It will however depend on the design and the materials used for construction. Also, different professions(fundi) might be needed with regard to your particular roof, for example, for a timber roof, a carpenter is the right person to engage but in steel, one requires a welder.

The average amount for labor is usually about 6% of the materials costs.

Other factors

There are many more factors that will affect the cost of roofing. For example, if you want to collect rainwater, it will mean that you will have to incur the cost of buying and installing the right stuff for water correction. Another case is the change of construction cost in different areas. Also, if one has own timber, it means that the cost will be lower as compared to buying.

The roof is a very important part of your house when trying to get the best cost, one should not compromise the quality by taking shortcuts to avoid extra costs. You should also use an experienced professional for the installation job.

We wish you all the best as you get a roof over your head, we also hope that this article was helpful. Cheers!!