Home Renovation in Kenya: Structural Work, Not Just New Paint

Survey before demolition

The most expensive renovation mistake in Nairobi is opening a wall before anyone has established whether it is load-bearing. On the older Muthaiga, Lavington and Parklands stock, original drawings are frequently missing and internal walls were often built more substantially than they look.

We survey first (structure, services routes, and what is actually behind the finishes) and we price from that rather than from an assumption. It adds a little at the front and removes most of the variations later.

What we typically find

• Load-bearing walls where the client expected a partition
• Original galvanised plumbing and rubber-insulated wiring, both due for replacement
• Roof timbers with more life in them than expected, and roof coverings with less
• Extensions added over decades with no tie into the original structure
• Black cotton movement showing as cracking that looks structural and often is not

Staging so you can stay

Most renovation clients want to live in the house through at least part of the work. That is usually possible if the programme is designed for it: wet areas first while a second bathroom stays live, then room by room, with services never fully off overnight.

We will tell you honestly which phases genuinely require you to move out. On a full rewire plus replumb, some do.

Comparing renovation companies in Kenya

Renovation quotes vary far more than new-build quotes, because a renovation quote is partly a prediction about what is behind the plaster. That makes the comparison harder and the questions more important.

Ask what happens when something unexpected is opened up, and get the answer in writing as a variation procedure rather than a reassurance. Ask whether a structural engineer has looked at any wall you intend to remove. Renovation companies in Kenya that price a wall removal without an engineer’s input are pricing a risk they have not assessed.

Renovation versus rebuild

Occasionally the answer is that renovating costs more than demolishing and rebuilding, particularly where foundations are inadequate or the layout fundamentally does not work. We will run both numbers and show you.

It is not in our interest to say so (a renovation is an easier job to sell) but a client who discovers it at month four is a client we have failed.