What is actually buried on a Kileleshwa redevelopment plot?

Typically the original house's septic tank, its soakaway, old strip foundations and sometimes an abandoned borehole. Finding them with an excavator bucket is expensive and occasionally dangerous. A trial pit investigation before demolition is priced is money very well spent.

Why does our basement need tanking rather than waterproofing?

Because near the Kirichwa the water table sits high enough that the structure is in water rather than just exposed to damp. Tanking resists hydrostatic pressure; a waterproof coating does not, and retrofitting after a basement leaks costs several times what tanking would have.

Building a House in Kileleshwa, Nairobi

We cover Kileleshwa including Othaya Road, Laikipia Road, Gatundu Road, Mandera Road, Siaya Road, Kandara Road, Ring Road Kileleshwa. Off Ring Road Kileleshwa and Gitanga Road. Redevelopment plots need a site investigation before demolition is priced, not after.

What is different about building in Kileleshwa

Kileleshwa plots being redeveloped almost always contain a disused septic tank and old foundations that must be located before excavation can be priced.
Blocks going up on Laikipia Road need a wayleave discussion wherever the service connection has to cross a neighbouring plot.
The Kirichwa corridor raises the water table on nearby Kileleshwa sites, which pushes basement design towards full tanking rather than simple waterproofing.

Building in Kileleshwa

Kileleshwa has been almost entirely rebuilt in two decades, from bungalows on generous plots to apartment blocks and townhouses. Which means nearly every project here starts with what somebody else left behind.

What the last house left in the ground

Redevelopment plots keep their history. Original septic tanks, soakaways, strip foundations, occasionally an abandoned borehole: all left in place, all built over, none of it on any drawing.

Discovering a septic tank with a machine bucket is expensive and occasionally hazardous. Trial pits before demolition is priced turn an unknown into a line item. Clients resist the cost and are almost always glad afterwards.

Wayleaves

A new block frequently needs its service connection to cross a neighbouring plot, which means a wayleave agreement with that owner. It is a legal negotiation, not a construction task, and its timeline is entirely outside our control.

We flag it at the earliest possible point, because a building that is finished and cannot be connected is the worst outcome available.

Water table and basements

Sites near the Kirichwa sit close enough to groundwater that basements need full tanking rather than a waterproof coating. The difference is that tanking resists water under pressure and a coating resists damp.

Getting this wrong is not a small defect. Retrofitting a leaking basement costs several times what tanking would have cost at construction, and it never works quite as well.

What we are usually called out for in Kileleshwa

Custom home building Ground-up houses built against a priced bill of quantities, with staged payments and a defects period. Maisonette construction Two-storey homes: more house on less ground, and an honest account of the premium. Project management and QS BQ preparation, tender comparison, milestone valuations and variation control: including on builds we are not constructing. Home renovation Renovating older houses properly: survey first, then a staged programme that keeps the house livable.

Landmarks we work around here: Kirichwa Road, Ring Road Kileleshwa, Gitanga Road, Kileleshwa shopping centre. See what it costs to build.