Home / Services / Feasibility and cost planning
Construction cost estimates and feasibility studies in Kenya
Before the design is fixed is the cheapest time to find out a building does not fit the money. A cost plan tells you what the project will cost, where the money goes, and what to change if the figure is too high.
By Edwin, quantity surveyor, registered with IQSK. 10 years in practice. Fixed fee agreed in writing.
What you get
A written estimate of the total cost of the project, built up element by element: substructure, frame, walls, roof, finishes, services, external works, preliminaries and professional fees. Each element carries its own figure, so you can see which parts of the building are driving the cost.
- A preliminary estimate from sketches or a brief, for early budgeting
- An elemental cost plan once there are drawings
- Two or three design options priced side by side
- A cash flow forecast showing how much money is needed in which month
- An allowance for statutory fees, approvals and contingency, stated openly
When to ask for it
Ask before you buy the land if the project only works at a certain cost. Ask before you instruct the architect to finish the drawings. Ask before you go to the bank, because a lender will want a cost estimate prepared by a quantity surveyor and a cash flow that matches the build programme.
The most common mistake I see is a client who has paid for full drawings of a building that costs twice the budget. A cost plan at sketch stage would have taken a few days and changed the design while changing it was still free.
How the estimate is built
At sketch stage the estimate works from floor areas and rates per square metre taken from comparable buildings, adjusted for location, specification and ground conditions. As drawings develop, areas are replaced by measured quantities and the estimate tightens. I tell you how accurate each version is and what it assumes, so nobody mistakes an early figure for a contract sum.
Location matters in Kenya. Transport to site, the price of sand, ballast and blocks locally, ground conditions and the availability of labour all move the figure. An estimate for a site on the Coast is not an estimate for Nairobi with the name changed.
What I need from you
- Whatever drawings exist: a sketch and a room list is enough to start
- The plot location and size
- The standard of finishes you have in mind
- Your budget, if you have one. Telling me does not push the estimate up; it lets me show you what the budget buys
Questions clients ask
How accurate is an early estimate?
An estimate from sketches is a budget figure, not a price. It becomes more accurate as drawings develop, and each version states the assumptions it rests on. A bill of quantities from full drawings is the point at which contractors can give you a firm price.
Will a bank accept your estimate?
Lenders normally ask for a cost estimate or bill of quantities prepared by a quantity surveyor, with a cash flow. Tell me which lender it is for and I will set the document out the way they ask for it.
Can you estimate from a plan I found online?
Yes, as a first budget check. The estimate will say plainly that it is based on that plan and has not been adjusted for your site until I know where the site is.
Related services
Get a fixed-fee quote
Send your drawings for feasibility and cost planning. You get a written scope, a fixed fee and a delivery date within two working days. No charge and no obligation for the quote.