Effective space planning to avoid wastage

By Ibrahim Careys

In modern-day home building, space is significant. Limited land resource and the enthusiasm to own a contemporary and luxurious habitat, are two big reasons why space is becoming vital consideration in home building.

Haphazardly built edifice with wrong measurements creates inadequate space. Many landlords don’t take the time to picture the end-composition of the very home they want to build. The few who try, do it arbitrarily.

A residential block in Nairobi. Most buildings are poorly planned resulting in wasted space. [Photo: Martin Mukangu/Standard]

The urgency to complete the home ends in a headache of bungled space use and poorly constructed buildings. For the financially endowed, after many sleepless nights and worrisome days contemplating on what to do, they finally pull down the posts and begin reconstructing a new home from scratch. In this end, they incur a lot of expenditure, time, effort and unwarrantable overheads.

Literal drawings

It would be wise idea to take into consideration an effective space plan, before putting up your dream home. Anyone interested in building a cost effective, quality or a debonair home with less effort and time, must consider space planning as the first step.

Before digging the earth and putting the first bricklaying, it is wise to consult a qualified architect. Get the literal drawings of the home you want, the plan and the model. Is it block of flats? Is it an apartment, bungalow, row house, thatched or duplex, an architects input is paramount.

This is because all these varied homes require different spacing plan. It is also advisable to give the designer the exact details of the home you want. Let him or her take the exact measurement of the entire land, the precise dimensions of the joinery, the digs and spaces needed.

Once the architect draws the plan, use the map chart prototype as a guide until the building is complete.

Sufficient recreational space, gardening room, car parking space, minor pathways and driveways, and future expansion and annexe spaces, must also be included in the space plan.

Haphazard building

Fencing space, driveways, reserve zone, wiring, plumping and glazing spaces are must deliberations. Projections of all these will at present and in the future save you, loads in terms of money, land and service.

Effective space plan helps you to know how much space is adequate for the kind of building you desire. It ensures that every available space is maximally utilised and avoids wastage.

Many buildings in our established metropolitans have a lot of wasted spaces that could have been useful if planned well from the beginning. This trend of haphazard home building cannot be afforded given that land is getting scarce as population increases.

The writer is a management information systems adviser.