Kenyans continuously invest in property development by building homes and investing in the real estate industry every year.
Equally, there are usually new trends that emerge in the real estate industry owing to the advancement of technology and the changing economic landscape.
Kenyans often follow these new developments to keep in touch with worldwide changes as they seek cost-effective and modern ways of constructing their houses.
Here are some of the house construction trends that have been projected in 2023.
Multi-Purpose Rooms
Given the rising cost of building materials. Experts in the construction industry project that there will be the adoption of multi-purpose rooms in 2023.
This move was explained by the fact that property developers have to save cost hence having one room that serves two or more purposes being viable.
For example, one could have an office space in their home that also serves as a gym.
Already, multi-purpose rooms have been adopted in recent years, especially in the bathrooms where Kenyans are continuously building in-house toilets and bathrooms in one room.
Other multi-purpose rooms include open kitchen space that also serves as the dining room.
Additionally, the use of multipurpose furniture projects. In some instances, property developers are likely to have adjustable furniture such as chairs that can also serve as beds at night.
Affordable Housing Material
The prices of predominant housing materials such as cement, and steel shot up in 2022 due to the harsh economic climate.
This saw various innovations adopted to act as substitutes for some of the building materials that were considered expensive.
Some of the affordable construction materials being adopted over time include the use of concrete sheets, use of reclaimed timber, and bamboo among others.
In the construction techniques, real estate analysts project that the use of 3D construction technology will be on the rise as many seek to build affordable houses within a short period.
Adoption of Solar Energy
In recent years several Kenyans have opted to adopt solar energy in their homes instead of the predominant electricity.
The move has been explained by the rising cost of electricity which has seen many Kenyans spend more to pay for power. While installing solar panels in a home is not a cheap affair, the systems rarely require a high budget for maintenance.
Additionally, the uptake of solar energy is going high given the ongoing conversations of climate change where people are being urged to adopt green energy.
In terms of house designs, projections are that many will incorporate biophilic designs - designs that take advantage of environmental architectural style.
Under these designs, houses are designed to take advantage of natural lighting to reduce the amount of electricity consumed in the house.
Open Floor Plan
While open floor plans have been preferred in recent years given the flexibility it gives house builders to play around with their house spaces, a number may also move away from open plans for more privacy.
Given that several people have been staying home in recent years owing to the pandemic, many may opt to have the rooms petitioned to create spaces that entitle them to some privacy.
However, even with the move, many will look for affordable partitioning materials to save on costs.
Rent Payment in USD
For the better part of 2022, the Kenyan shilling performed poorly against the US dollar. This saw property developers opt for rent to be paid in dollars.
A report by, real estate agency Knight Frank revealed that several office space landlords rented out their property in dollars.
"Market activity remained subdued in Q3 2022, primarily due to the uncertainty in the lead-up to and following the General Election held in August 2022. This was further exacerbated by the challenging macroeconomic conditions.
"The prime monthly office rates remained stable at Ksh1,560 per square meter," read the Africa Office Market Dashboard Quarter 3 report in part.
