by Josh Chawelson 
Ever wondered how much architects charge in Kenya? Or perhaps, how much do architects in Kenya earn per project? Here is a detailed breakdown from Kenya’s no. 1 house design ideas Twitter page @HouseDesignsKe. House Designs Kenya
By law (Cap 525: Architects and Quantity Surveyors Act), architects in Kenya are expected to charge a minimum of 6% of the total construction costs.
— House Designs Kenya (@HouseDesignsKe) April 6, 2022
And that’s not all. In some projects, the minimum rate goes up to 10% of the total cost of construction.
On the flip side, though, some building developers argue that such fee rates are a bit exorbitant, and that Kenyan architects are unreasonably expensive.
— House Designs Kenya (@HouseDesignsKe) April 6, 2022
They feel that a 6% architectural fee for “just a house design” is extremely steep for the Kenyan market.
The former president Mwai Kibaki, at one point, went on record stating that construction professionals in the country were charging prohibitive fees. He challenged them to quit frustrating project implementation through their inflated, unrealistic fees.
— House Designs Kenya (@HouseDesignsKe) April 6, 2022
Think he had a point?
As you’ve probably guessed already, architects in Kenya see things differently from their end.
— House Designs Kenya (@HouseDesignsKe) April 6, 2022
They maintain that the Cap 525 fee schedule is pretty fair to both professionals and building developers, especially when you consider the scale of services involved.
But then again, what exactly are these “services” that are rendered by Kenyan architects? And, importantly, are they really worth the cost?
— House Designs Kenya (@HouseDesignsKe) April 6, 2022
Now, here’s the thing. While we admit that @HouseDesignsKe has its team of architects, we’ll play the devil’s advocate on this occasion.
We’re revealing the official schedule of fees for architects in Kenya, as well as the corresponding set of services you should expect in return. So, by the end of it, you should be able to draw an informed conclusion on the architect costs debate.
— House Designs Kenya (@HouseDesignsKe) April 6, 2022
Kenyan architects across all counties typically charge the following rates:
— House Designs Kenya (@HouseDesignsKe) April 6, 2022
Designing a New Building: At least 6% of the total construction costs plus VAT.
Renovating an Existing Building: At least 10% of the cumulative costs of the renovation works plus VAT.
Make no mistake though. “Architectural design” in this case doesn’t refer to just the act of drawing building plans. Rather, it’s a multi-stage process with different outputs at each progressive level.
— House Designs Kenya (@HouseDesignsKe) April 6, 2022
The fee schedule for architects in Kenya is even courteous enough to distribute the total amount between the stages. That means that while you can go ahead and pay in one lump sum, it’s also acceptable to pay your architect in installments as the works progress.
— House Designs Kenya (@HouseDesignsKe) April 6, 2022
Here’s a breakdown:
— House Designs Kenya (@HouseDesignsKe) April 6, 2022
1. Project Inception (Typically Free of Charge)
This is the part where you consult a registered architect on your upcoming construction project. The architect subsequently analyzes your requirements and advises on the best possible approaches.
2. Outline Proposals (1% or 1.35%)
— House Designs Kenya (@HouseDesignsKe) April 6, 2022
This is where you finally start working on the proposed construction project. Your architect helps you develop a detailed design brief, and then proceeds to come up with a relevant design concept.
At this point, you should expect a presentation on the direction your project will take, along with the accompanying cost estimates. You can think of the output as the overall master plan of your construction project.
— House Designs Kenya (@HouseDesignsKe) April 6, 2022
3. Schematic Design (1.5% or 2.25%)
— House Designs Kenya (@HouseDesignsKe) April 6, 2022
Once you approve the outline proposals, you should get dimensioned drawings of your floor plans, elevations, sections, roof plans, and site plans. These are then submitted to all the local authorities for assessment and approval.
4. Detailed Working Drawings (2.5% or 3.75%)
— House Designs Kenya (@HouseDesignsKe) April 6, 2022
While local authorities are reviewing the submitted small-scale building plans, your architect will work on all the large scale drawings required to actualize the project.
These, in other words, are known as project working drawings
They include:
— House Designs Kenya (@HouseDesignsKe) April 6, 2022
Large scale drawings of your scheme design.
Detailed foundation plans.
Detailed floor plans.
Detailed section diagrams.
Detailed elevation diagrams.
Roof framing plans.
Plumbing plans.
Construction specifications (descriptions of the work, materials, and products).
— House Designs Kenya (@HouseDesignsKe) April 6, 2022
Window schedule (drawings and descriptions of the materials and dimensions of all the windows plus the corresponding window openings).
Door schedule (drawings and descriptions of the materials and dimensions of all the doors, plus the corresponding door openings).
— House Designs Kenya (@HouseDesignsKe) April 6, 2022
Schedule of finishes (drawings and descriptions of all the interior and exterior finishes in your proposed building)
Architectural details
5. Works Supervision (1.5% or 3%)
— House Designs Kenya (@HouseDesignsKe) April 6, 2022
At this stage, the design process should be complete. Your project manager subsequently compiles all the architectural drawings, structural drawings, MEP drawings, plus the bills of quantities.
House Designs Kenya, is Kenya’s no. 1 house design ideas Twitter page @HouseDesignsKe.
they offer Design & Build Services
Contact them by email: housedesignske@gmail.com
