building, security & architecture supplement

7/27/2019 Building, Security & Architecture Supplement

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/building-security-architecture-supplement 1/16

22 Km tarred on Blantyre-Zomba Road—P4Window into quantity surveying—P8

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prope

—P16



Special pullout the nation 25 july 2013uilding, Security

& Architecture

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Human beings initially livedin caves and under treesfor shelter. This was before

civilisation. The coming in of civilisation

marked a new philosophy in theliving of human beings. Differentelements must come together beforea human community develops to thelevel of sophistication commonlyreferred to as civilisation.

The first is the existence of settlements classified as towns orcities. This requires food productionto be efficient enough for a largeminority of the community tobe engaged in more specialisedactivities, such as the creation of imposing buildings or works of art;the practice of skilled warfare, andabove all the administration of acentralised bureaucracy capable of running the machinery of state.

In this essay, we will dwell onbuildings, as the main productof civilisation. In architecture,construction, engineering, realestate development and technology.

The term building refers to anyhuman-made structure used orintended for supporting or shelteringany use or continuous occupancy.

It may also refer to an act of construction (i. e. the activity of building) and can be defined in

Building a secure Mala

Buildings serve different n

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many aspects as a civil engineeringstructure such as a house, worshipcentre or a factory for instance, thathas a foundation, wall, a roof andother things, that protect humanbeings and their properties fromdirect harsh effectS of weather suchas rain, wind and sun.

Buildings come in a wide amountof shapes and functions, and havebeen adapted throughout historyfor a number of factors, frombuilding materials available, toweather conditions, to land prices,ground conditions, specific uses andaesthetic reasons.

Buildings serve several needs of society, primarily as shelter fromweather and as general living spaceto provide privacy, store belongingsand to comfortably live and work.

As a shelter, a building representsa physical division of the humanhabitat (a place of comfort and safety)and the outside (a place that at timesmay be harsh and harmful).

Buildings have also become objectsor canvases of artistic expression. Inrecent years, interest in sustainableplanning and building practiceshas also become part of the designprocess of many new buildings.

Types of buildingsBuilding types may range from

one-room wood-framed, masonry,or adobe dwellings to multi-milliondollar high-rise buildings able tohouse thousands of people.

Increasing settlement density inbuildings (and smaller distancesbetween buildings) is usually aresponse to high ground pricesresulting from many people wantingto live close to work for instance.Major types of buildings may beclassified due to usage.

Uses of buildingsResidentialResidential buildings are called

houses or homes, though buildingscontaining large numbers of separate

B

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dwelling units aapartment buildinblocks to differen‘individual’ houses

Houses may also(semi-detached), inall but two of the hoeither side.

Apartments maycourtyards or as resurrounded by a pivarying sizes.

Building, Security& Architecture



Special pullout the nation 25 july 2013 Building, Se

& Archit3

uses which were built as adwelling may later be dividedpartments or bedsitters. Theylso be converted to anotherch as an office or a shop.

mmercial mmercial buildings are thosere built for commercial use;re mostly used as offices.

ustrial or factoryustrial or factory buildingse ones that are constructedavy machinery works. Theseange from a motor workshop,es, production units and many

king at different types and

of buildings, care has to bewhen constructing each, tosafety for the inhabitants and

operty.have evidenced different

ws in the recent past on these of buildings in differenties such as Ghana, Tanzania,ven our own case of Kips ini.se incidences should act ase-up call to authorities andunities at large on the type of ngs we are constructing. The

of the building matters. Theyo be done by well qualifiedsionals.building contractors also have

competent as the durability of

uildings will depend on they of workmanship. To avoidtragedies, it is necessary toe qualified personnel.

rk of Town or City planningafety and security is to bed on the buildings constructed,is need for all building plansapproved by the town/city

ng.s has been the major challengee low standard of buildingsst owners tend to change thethat were approved, withoutg approval on the changed

me people even change thethe planned building thereby

gering the inhabitants. Forle a building that has beened as a residential buildingker in strength to cater to a

y.

rk of professionalsding and construction involvesof work and investigations

ding on the size, type and usebuilding.

vertheless, site conditionigation is of paramounttance in as far as building

and durability isrned.conditions are weather and

l conditions including groundtable. Some soil conditions

are detrimental to constructionof buildings. Expansive soils suchas cotton clay expand so much in

the presence of water and contractsubstantially when dry.

The volumetric changes lead tocracking of buildings constructedon such soils. Solutions include soilremoval and replacement with wellcompacted gravel. Alternatively,deeper foundations using piles orstub columns to suitable strata canbe employed.

Weather conditions of the areawill also determine the type of building or roofing style to endurethe wind conditions. This calls forthe need to consult professionalswhen constructing buildings.

Abiding by the lawMalawi has a lot of laws on how

and where to build. There are places that are

marked no for buildings, and

these include road reserve areas,those that are under electricitypower lines, on high-pressuresupply water pipes and on top of secured places.

It is a must that professionals areconsulted and plans approved bytown/ city planners. With all theseknown, most people still choose touse shortcuts risking their lives orthe lives of the inhabitants.

Some laws are there but they arenot well known by citizens, and thelaw enforcers are weak to enforcethem, leading to chaotic situationswithin the towns.

Again, the fight against corruptionmay well help curb the problemsat hand; a society where qualified

professionals work to securetheir professionalism without anyinterference.

Building materials There are different types of

building materials and the commonlyused are cement, sand, burnt bricks,concrete blocks, stabilised soilbricks and many others.

Building materials also affectthe strength of each building andthese are also chosen dependingon the site condition. However,due to ignorance and negligence,people choose any material for anybuilding and at any site and thisalso endangers the security of thebuildings constructed.

Building a secure Malawiis possible but needs a lot of coordination and collaboration

from both governcommunities.

Every citizen has

to ensure that builat all times and the be done to build a s1. Always use the

from the town o2. Must consult

(structural engengineers, elecmechanical engand, dependingbuilding, geolomay be inconstructing a b

3. Never construcland; road electricity linepressure supply

4. Resist and corruption. n

Buildings should ensure safeBuilding and

construction

supplement,

page 2

Government of




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Works on the re-constructionof the Blantyre-ZombaRoad are progressing well

total of about 22 kilometresready been surfaced and, Roads Authority (RA)

c relations officer, Portiaga, has said.said the amount of workdone per month has

ased so much and that thisly to increase further in the

ng months since long sectionsalready been prepared foring.

e reconstruction startedril 16 2012 by contractorEngil, Portugal’s biggest

ruction firm.e project is being fundedy by the African Development(AfDB) and the Governmentlawi at an estimated totalf K9.32 billion.

DB has pumped in K5.97n whereas K3.35 billion isgovernment. According tohis comprises K5.4 billionvil works, K177.9 millionsign review and supervisiones, K89.5 million forility studies of the Ntcheu-ano-Neno-Mwanza Road3.6 billion for audit services,afety, capacity building,ensation/ resettlement,onmental and social

2 kilometres tarred on ZA-BT roaNDA TWEA

f reporter

management activities.Kajanga said there are three

teams working on differentsections of the 60-kilometrestretch.

“One is working fromChiradzulu Turn-off throughKachere to Maselema Roundabout. The second team is the one whichstarted works from Chiradzulu Turn-off going towards Namadziand the other team started byconstructing the Namadzi Bridgeand is now continuing with workstowards Zomba City,” she said.

She added that the contractorhas re-affirmed that with thisstrategic approach, it will be

possible to meet the March 2014deadline.

Once construction is complete,Kajanga observed that therewill be easy and all year roundaccess to markets and other socialamenities for people between thetwo cities.

“There will also be comfortableand quality travel as there will beno dust and bumps on the road.

“Travel time between Zombaand Limbe will be reduced. It willbe cheaper to travel between thetwo cities. Vehicle operating costswill also be reduced,” she said.

As construction works arein progress, she also observed

that there will also be increasedeconomic activities of peoplealong the road due to increaseddisposable income from peoplewho have been employed on theproject.

But there are a number of challenges encountered at theconstruction project, according toKajanga, including vandalism of road signs.

“The contractor had to replacetemporary road signs that hadbeen put along the road as well ason the diversions three times ina week. It is believed that thesewooden road signs are mostlybeing used for firewood.

“The contractor complaining aboutmaterials and diescommunities werecommencement ofthis is no longer thsaid.

There other numcurrently under coaccording to Kajanof these include ChChiringa; Zomba-JChitakale; LumbadMzimba–Mzarangwmention a few.

Road transport hsocio-economic benweight of the road within the economnot only in quantitalso in economic te

source of wealth, ein terms of supporteconomic activities

The developmenespecially road tranof the key featuresyears as it has facilhas allowed impromovement of peopit has contributed of barriers and ledbetter standard of

But when transpare deficient in teror reliability, they economic cost sucmissed opportunittransportation redinefficient transpo

costsn

A bridge under construction along

Road construction work in progress

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Most parts of Blantyre smellbecause of broken seweragesystems, dump sites and

ntrolled drainage systems I view as a forgotten part of isation.

e city is expanding rapidlyhouses too close apart posing

t challenge to drainage.e idea of building multistoryand hostels to cater for aer of newly married andts which if adopted woulde house congestion is out

e dream in Malawi. This canbe addressed if we adoptstainable urban drainage

m.sustainable urban drainage

m is designed to reduce thetial impact of new and existingopments with respect toe water drainage discharges.term sustainable drainage

m is sometimes used.reasing urbanisation hasd problems with increased

flooding after rain. As areasegetation are replaced bymeable concrete, tarmac or

d areas, they lose their abilityorb rainwater.s rain is directed into surface

drainage systems instead,overloading them and causings. A god example is whatns at Chichiri roundabout as aof Keza House development.ginally the term Sustainable

n Drainage System (Suds)bed the UK approachustainable urban drainagems.ese developments may notsarily be in “urban” areas,hus the “urban” part of Suds

Using Suds to get rid of sten

is now usually dropped to reduceconfusion.

Other countries have similarapproaches in place using adifferent terminology such as bestmanagement practice (BMP) andlow-impact development in theUnited States and water-sensitiveurban design in Australia .

The idea behind Suds is to tryto replicate natural systems thatuse cost effective solutions withlow environmental impact to drainaway dirty and surface water run-off through collection, storage,and cleaning before allowing it tobe released slowly back into the

environment, such as into watercourses.

This is to counter the effects of conventional drainage systems thatoften allow for flooding, pollutionof the environment – with theresultant harm to wildlife – andcontamination of groundwatersources used to provide drinkingwater. The paradigm of Sudssolutions should be that of a systemthat is easy to manage, requiringlittle or no energy input (exceptfrom environmental sources suchas sunlight), resilient to use, andbeing environmentally as well asaesthetically attractive.

Examples of this type of systemare reed beds and other wetlandhabitats that collect, store, and filterdirty water along with providing ahabitat for wildlife.

Suds use a number of techniquesincluding source control;permeable paving such as perviousconcrete; storm water detention;storm water infiltration and evapo-transpiration, from a green roof forexample.

A common misconception of Suds is that they reduce floodingon the development site.

In fact the Suds system isdesigned to reduce the impact

ald anthony

anGa

nEEr

that the surface system of one sisites. For instanceis a problem in mas Mudi Bridge atChirimba industriRiver from Kwaand others.

Paving or builcan result in flashappens when flsewer exceed its

overflows. The Suds syminimise or elimfrom the site, thimpact, the idea development sitSuds then urbanwould be less of a

Unlike traditionwater drainage sysalso help to protground water qual

The modern drainage in urbana catchment’s dynamics. Suds solutions to the water drainage areas.

The requiremento reduce net flthat Suds are behave component application. The Agency strongly ruse of Suds.

The incrementaSuds in developma significant imborough-wide flooalso have other blong term cost savamenities.

We advise allconsider implemPlanning for Sudsat an early stage toeffectiveness and e

Some of the stagnant water that causes the stench in Blantyre

P H O T O G R A P H : n A T i O n l

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Sustainable drainage systems could ad




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tity surveyors (QS)ometimes known as

construction economists,measurement engineersand cost engineers, amongothers.

Broadly speaking, QSare cost consultants for the

construction industry andlately, the ship building

industry as well. They depict building

projects in the form of wordsand figures. The idea behindthis is to produce an informedconstruction estimate and

uniformity of informationwhen contractors are called

on to tender for a project. The QS training and

experience qualifies themto advise on the costs, size,procurement methods,arbitrate on construction

contracts disputes andfeasibility of construction

projects.Further to that, QS

advise on cost planning andpreparation of budgets. Theyare experts in contractualarrangements, construction

tendering and contractnegotiation.

In many constructioncontracts disputes, they standas experts witnesses in a courtof law. They prepare contractdocuments and exercise costcontrol during the designand construction period.QS services also extend toreplacement valuation for fireinsurance claims.

Investment in realestate requires expert costadvice from QS in orderfor a building to meet thefunctional, dimensional andtechnological requirementsfor which it was designed.

In addition to that it shouldbe built within cost, time andquality requirements withoutcomprising aesthetics. Dueto their superior estimatingskills they are seen as panaceato construction contractorswhen obtaining constructionproject through tendering. These are generally someof the traditional servicesundertaken by QS, amongothers.

In recent times, QS serviceshave evolved dramaticallyto wider areas of expertisein managing sophisticatedprocurement processes,fast track projects and costcontrol.

This evolution has comeabout due to changes inconstruction markets,clients’ needs, research andthe advent of informationtechnology.

The new aspects of QSservices range from projectmanagement, whole life

costing, value n g i n e e r iconstructionand facilitieamong othe

In whole

are involvethe cost effebuilding wit

They risks, timstrategy, opmaintenancesuitability o

While managemenanalysis thalternative constructionbe used onproject. Thecosts withouthe quality In facilities mare involvedof providimaintainingand improvexisting infr

A study(2007) oncompetenciea QS is thebe an excellproject man

This is beof its trainintechnology, accounting, and cost among othwork forclient as a ctime emplinstitutions,palastatals, universities,public secto

*The authothe Polytechn

Built Environof Land EconSurveying

Window into quantity surveyingRick chilipunde

patRick

mbadza *

ributors

Khambadza: Quantity surveyors are c




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hemspec South Africahas established aubsidiary companycountry which will

eping a wide rangeovative, high qualityand coating products.emspec Malawied manager, Cuthbertchi-Phiri said that theany is providing a goode to the local market,d by a very goodct and competitive.e offer a wide rangeovative, high qualityand coating productsfferent applications include decorative,trial, wood finish,

motive and roadng,” he said.

e company is currentlyoting peach paint, Mkulichi-Phiri says is

for the house.e have found peacha beautiful colour soe trying to promote recommend it forounge and bedroomse of its outlook.

Chemspec peach paint,

warming up the room

NDA TWEA

fRepoRteR

Not many are selling thisproduct; people are quiteused to all the other colours.We have all the othercolours available and we canalso tint any colours,” hesaid.

Mkulichi-Phiri said so far,they have received positivefeedback from the public interms of sales and inquiriesand those that have alreadytried the product haveappreciated its quality.

He further said that whilethe company aims to keepits prices competitive, it alsoendeavours to maintain itsproduct reputation for high

quality.“We stock quality paintfor all users, from entrylevel to upmarket paints.Our top range paints carrya guarantee of 10 yearsif applied as per user

instructions. Our product isinternationally renowned,”he said.

He assured the publicof good customer serviceand ambiance, productadvice backed by a goodproduct and competitiveprices.

“We will also endeavourto keep sufficient stocks tomeet demand at all times,”he said.

Chemspec is one of Africa’s largest coatingscompanies manufacturingand distributing acomprehensive range of high technology industrial,

decorative and automotivepaint systems. Chemspechas a solid 55 year trackrecord within the paintindustry internationally andnow has operations in thecountry. n Some of Chemspec’s p




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abitat for HumanityMalawi (HFHM) believesthat provision of shelter isay of eliminating poverty

mproving the lives of ns and other vulnerable

en.tatement from Habitatumanity Malawi indicatests HIV and Aids impactation project focuses onr and some complimentaryentions so as to help therable in society to cope withsily.rgely due to the HIVids pandemic, Malawimated to have over onen orphans and otherrable children (OVC). Therenumber of responses toate the impact of HIV andon OVC by government andorganisations,” reads the

ment in part.urther points out that thesenses, among others, focusucation, health, nutrition,

Habitat for humanity:

providing affordable shelt

stopher JimuRepoRteR

water and sanitation, birthregistrations, social-safety-nets.

HFHM constructs two, threeor four roomed houses forvulnerable families according totheir sizes.

A family of up to threemembers receives a two-roomedhouse, while one with four toseven members receives a three-roomed house. A family of eightmembers and above on the other

hand, receives a four-roomedhouse.In addition, each family is

provided with a ventilatedimproved pit-latrine (VIP) to

improve sanitation and hygiene. The cost of building the

houses varies according to size,according to HFHM.

Currently a four-roomed housecosts K1.2m on average; whichincludes building materials,transportation, skilled labour andmonitoring.

To date, HFHM hasconstructed 146 houses forvulnerable families (or 584

individual OVCs) in Mulanje,Salima, Lilongwe, Ngabu,Blantyre and Mzuzu withfunding from various donors andpartnerships with other local

organizations.“This year alone we anticipate

building for 79 families,” readsthe HFHM report.

HFHM’s OVC programmestarted in 2009 with projects inBlantyre, Traditional Authority(T/A) Machinjiri; T/As Jumaand Mthiramanja in Mulanje; T/A Ngabu in Chikhwawa; T/A Tsabango in Lilongwe ; T/AKalonga in Salima and Masasa

in Mzuzu. The overall goal of the OVCprogramme is to improve theliving conditions of orphansand other vulnerable children

and reduce their vthrough the constdecent, durable hoprovision of otherservices.

Among other chrising cost in buil(cement and iron continued to affec

In 2010 one OVcost K400 000 busame house costs

organisation wantto consider removbuilding materialsfor construction fvulnerable groups

yng nw: It is moreng to move into a home thatot been used before.

al avng: Since everythingw, you save on maintenance

or at least two to three years.

gn a y nd: home is designed to suit youretic taste. You do not spendonal funds redoing the home

ay be the case if the house isased.

y gaand: You areed of quality workmanship

materials since you monitoronstruction process thanthe house is purchased.

d a cny: Buildingmmunity with your new

bors is often overlooked.the owner is involvedghout the construction of ouse a good relationship witheighborhood is developed.

dvanag bldng a ncld:

: The minimum time it cano build a house is between

and 12 months. This is atime to wait and things cange while you are waiting to.

an n cang: Yoube limited in the style of

you can build in your price. You may also find yourself ng a lot of changes that may

Benefits of building your own home

increase the cost.

Cncn lan and: You may be requiredto carry the construction loanon the building process if thebuilder does not do this for you.You will also need to understandthe permit requirements in yourarea if the builder does not dothis for you.

Temporary Housing: You may haveto move into temporary housingwhile you wait for your home tobe built. This can mean addedexpenses in the form of movers and

storing your items if your thingswill not fit into your temporaryspace

Byng a h

Bnf f Byng a h

ugad: you may do someupgrades on the home while youlive there which can help cut downon costs.

Ably mv Qckly: Inmost cases, the buyer can move inimmediately after closing. There isno wait time or temporary housing

to worry about.

Knw Ngbd: Youalready know your neighborhoodand you don’t have to worry whattype of home the person next toyou might build.

eay valz: You can see thefloor plan and the layout of a pre-existing home. When you build ahome, it can be difficult to visualizethe layout.

Dadvanag f Byng a h

Gng knw :You

need to discover anthe “quirks” in thedidn’t come out whthe buying process

Y a ck wYou can’t easily chaor floor plan of the

Dcang chave to invest somoney in bringinup to current destandards by remwallpaper, changcolors or updatinGobankinGrates.C

A building pro




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e construction process isuick and simple; the costf building is equivalent tof a timber building; but they is better and more uniform

o the process of blocktion.se are just some of thetages of wind-dried bricks,

ding to Beehive Centre forEnterprise foreman in theuction department, Paswell

mia.ving embarked on a capitalt in 2009 that consisted of ng an enterprise campusrising an informationology school and a children’s, among other buildings,soon understood that anative to the usual kiln/ovenred’ brick was required.such, a local soil basedick that would remove the

for burning of firewood wasraged that saw the purchaseydraform brick machine fromAfrica.umia describes the brickg process using hydraform:ollect soil locally from

s parts of Mitsidi andmoni in Blantyre. The soil isested to check clay contentmay cause shrinkage.

uate soil is mixed withnt and then shoveled intoachine. The machine thenthe block to the desirednd we also do corner blocks.formed by the machine, theyd to cure for seven days ton.”says a concrete mixer isequired to mix the soil andnt. The hydraform machine

the soil into a mould andacts the block before it isved and left for curing.ording to him, the machine

allows them to produce 1 500blocks per day.

This particular method of dryingbricks ticks all the boxes of theproject management triangle,according to him; which includetime, cost and quality apart fromsimplifying the constructionprocess.

Apart from the alreadymentioned advantages, he says the

The art of wind dryingbuilding blocks

NDA TWEA

RepoRteR

wind-dried blocks are sustainablesince they use local soil.

“The use of local soilreduces carbon emissions fromtransportation and the blocksare laid to dry, so there is norequirement for burning thebricks, saving again carbonemissions and the cost of firingblocks.

“The process requires no mortar

jointing as the blocks interlock,making the construction processquicker than manual bricklaying. A typical block layer can lay 800blocks per day. Unskilled labourcan be trained to use the machinesand block making process,” saysChiumia.

Apart from that, he says theblocks provide excellent thermalproperties which keep buildings

warm in winter ansummer due to themass.

“This also eliminneed for a traditionconstruction, therethe overall wall thimaximising the in

“With load bearconstruction, we clonger span buildinneed for additionaobserves.

Although a goodbricks, this methodaccording to Chiumthe cost of cementmachine makes thexpensive than usebricks.

The clay mix is the success of thes

is the training assobuilding. There are simila

Mangochi that are due to lack of train

With these bricknot need cement/mbuilding as the bri

It is important tbe carried out by mwater and watchinto the bottom and top. This is a simpaccurately inform wis suitable or not.

The Beehive CenEnterprise is locaton the edge of MouNature Reserve. n

Builders feeding the mix into Hydraform Press

P H O T O G R A P H

: C O U R T E S Y

O F

B E E H I V E

The blocks interlock and do no

A builder dusts off loose particles




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uildings come in different

shapes and sizes. They areconstructed using a varietyterials all of them having ag on the final construction

management and choice of ruction materials, therefore,n effect on how much onesource for the completion of uilding, let alone time takene achievement of the same.estors can build to theirements or buy already builtrty.o Asset Managers Limitedment officer Martinangeni says things toder for either option includedesign of the facility, time

before use and return onl employed.says the cost of a building ised by cost of materials, landupervision.mangeni argues that aoper has a wide range of ials on the market to choosedepending on their costs andmploy different methods of ruction that can work better

given time.n example would be whethere concrete blocks and or

bricks. In some areasas Bvumbwe in ThyoloMzumanzi in Lilongwe,ercial brick sellers do mould

er-sized bricks. This means

bricks are used per squarewith consequential use of

mortar (sand and cement) tothose brick units which maya resultant increase in cost of ruction.pending on informed

sis from professionals such asity surveyors, one would beo assess the cost variance inse of bricks and/ or concretes at a given period,” saysangeni.nsidering the economic status

country, he says the price of nt is critical in this analysis.s, Chimangeni argues, showsbuilding own house offerstunities for cost cutting as

ed to buying already builtrties.ytechnic lecturer in thetment of Land Economy

Quantity Surveying, Patrickbadza, agrees that sincehing is new, one saves onenance costs for at least twoee years.substantiates his argument,

g a home is designed to suitaesthetic taste.

ne does not have to spendonal funds redoing the homey be in the case of the house

h d

To build or buy property?

process than when the house ispurchased,” argues Khambadza,who is also a senior partner atBlithe Construction Limited.

But when it comes to buying,Chimangeni says the cost of purchase is mostly determined bythe market environment and thelocality of the property.

Property prices are affected bysimilar sales within the same areawhere the property is situated.

“The market may also predicteventual yield of the property if it isbought for investment purposes.

“The place where the building islocated may also affect returns in

the foreseeable period as regards tovacancy levels,” says Chimangeni.

He observes that the value of abuilding is affected by the location,citing, for instance, that a buildingin Blantyre’s Nyambadwe or Area9 in Lilongwe may have a highervalue than a similar building inMbayani or Chinsapo.

He also notes that building ownhouse comes with satisfactionon the structure, cabinet fittings,floor finishes and others.

“Building your own house hasbecome simpler these days, with

one may wish to build at their ownpace.

“Building offers an opportunityof using modern materials andmethods, in a combination that isrelevant to modern architecture.Buying property has its ownlimitations to design and materialsused,” he says.

On the contrary, Khambadzabelieves that time could serve asa disadvantage to building one’sown house. He says a minimumtime it takes to build a house isbetween four and 12 months.

He thinks this is a long time towait and things can change while

one is waiting to move.Considering all the pros and

cons, Khambadza says to make thebest decision, one needs to assessthe situation based on the housingmarket in the area one wants tolive.

Issues to consider, he says, arewhat type of home one wants; howone is getting the funds to developtheir home; where they want tolive and how much time they haveto occupy the new home.

“According to the currentproperty market and building

d b

other development fees whereas asimilar existing home can be soldat an average price of K40 million.While housing prices may be upin most areas, this can be a greattime for buyers to secure a dealon a new or pre-existing home,”argues Khambadza.

An architect working with JTILeaf Malawi, Edward Ngwira, saysone is able to determine the size of the rooms and space that the entirehouse occupies on a plot if he/ shebuilds as opposed to buying analready developed property.

“You also have the liberty tochoose what type of finishing to

use, in terms of paint colours, tilesand ceiling type, among others.You can also determine how strongyou want the house to be by usingthe best materials,” he says.

There is also room forminimising operation costs,Ngwira observes: “If one has atruck, for example, there is roomof making huge savings thanhiring when transporting buildingmaterials.”

“Where you buy materials fromcan also affect the cost of theentire building. People these days

d b d

NDA TWEA

Writer

because not all thdurable.”

It is, however, pmodern building asuit personal satis

Considering buying already would be ideal.

Chimangeni ncost of supervisioof materials may mortgage althouga developer in a before occupationto pay rentals som

Every property enough income a

capital invested. whether one builan already existinquantification ofbasically be made employed over a s

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