Prime
Building a two-in-one house
Know the purpose of building a two in one house and seek professional help. PHOTOs courtesy of Paul Tiboti
What you need to know:
- The two in one house offers total privacy but easy access should the need arise.
- Experts take us through what it takes to build this house.
What defines a two-in-one house is the vertical or horizontal separation of a house structure; it is designed for two families living side by side but separated by a wall.
However, few people have used the plan to build residential homes because it comes with heavy costs. However, for someone with limited space, this is an option to consider.
In 2000, Vincent Wabwire 60 wanted to live with his children but also wanted privacy. When he bought land in Kiwatule, he decided to build a two-in-one house that would allow his family to live close to each other but also independently.
“I knew this way I would save money and be able to put up a long-lasting structure. Even after leaving home, my children would have a place to come back to knowing that they would have their privacy ,” says Wabwire.
What to consider
Wabwire says since the two-in-one house is a fairly new trend in Uganda, he faced difficulty finding an engineer to actualise his dream.
Paul Tiboti, a civil engineer, says you should examine your current home and carry out a site analysis. If you already have a structure in place, determine why you would want to change the plan to a two-in-one. The answers will give you an insight into what to put down as startups and will help you draw an exclusive budget for your house.
Samson Egessa, a civil engineer says you should ensure the engineer you have zeroed in on is genuine. He says some plan drawers camouflage as certified engineers and you should watch out for these.
“Make sure the engineer you consult has a permanent address and can be easily located in case something goes wrong,” Egessa advises.
The budget
Paul Tiboti says the engineer you hire should draw a plan that is within your budget.
“Keep your building plan small to prevent you from having a backlog of work. You should also avoid complexity in drawings especially when it comes to the roof. Roofing materials are currently pricey and if you draw an expensive plan, you might be constrained along the way,” says Tiboti.
Egessa tips that a building with few walls will save you a lot of money. Musa Habibu, who built a two-in-one house, says he chose to separate the two houses using a sliding door instead of a wall and this helped him to save money.
“I used the money saved to furnish my house and was able to move into my new home within a short time,” says Habibu.
Material
According to Egesa, choosing your building materials carefully will save you a lot of money. He also tips on buying from whole sellers rather than retailers.
“If you find one material is beyond your budget, look for its alternative. It will be cheaper but will still do the job,” says Egessa.
Tiboti says you should hire different experts for each phase of the job. This is because when you employ the same person, they sometimes tend to put the prices high. He says one engineer might be good at drawing a plan but weak at actualising it. “So, look for different experts and find each one’s strength,” says Tiboti.
Mixing materials
For one to build a strong house, it is important that the client’s engineer among other tasks pays attention to the mixing, placing and curing of concrete to ensure that the specified grades and ratios are achieved.
Locally, people mix concrete on the ground which leads to concrete containing impurities such as loose soil, organic matter which actually affects the strength of concrete. To avoid this, one can hire a concrete mixer which will also increase the speed of concrete production on site. The two engineers advise that for a strong building, consult your structural engineer before mixing the materials.
