Building Your House In Ghana – The Quick Easy Guide
Building your house in Ghana can be a challenging task if you have no experience: From buying the land , through securing it , to organizing the resources to starting the project. This article will guide you through the process with quick and easy steps.
If you are looking for a quick and easy guide to building your first house in Ghana this short summary might help you.
- Why Listen To Me
I have designed and helped build various projects in the residential, commercial, educational, religious, and hospitality niches. On this note, I believe I’m qualified to give you some hints on building your house in Ghana. You can find some of my works here
By the end of this post, you will get some ideas and know-how to give you the confidence to start and complete your bespoke building project.
In a nutshell, these are the various stages :
Step 1 – Buying The Land
Firstly, you need to acquire a piece of land, legally.
However , buying land in Ghana can be a cumbersome process.
There are two main ways to buy land in Ghana.
You can buy land from:
- Families
- Real estate companies
Step 2 – Protecting The Land
Secondly, after buying your land, you should on protect it with all the urgency -As soon as possible.
There are 2steps to protecting your land:
- Fencing with a gate
- Land title registration
- Fencing with a gate
Most people consider this move a waste. They say they would rather start building on the land that waste money on the foundation .
However, if you have the money I advice you wall your property and get it gated.
At least, you can build a short fence wall to “stamp your feet on the land as owner.
This secures your land and makes it less likely to be encroached on by unscrupulous persons.
Please make sure the land you are fencing is legally yours.
- Land title registration
Ultimately ,you can go to the next level to protect your land by starting the title registration process.
However, no amount of walling can secure land that has been wrongfully sold to you.
Step 3 – Getting The Building Design and Plan
Thirdly, it is advisable to get an architect to lead the design and documentation of your dream house.
Architects and other building industry professionals are relatively expensive.
However, you will get so much more than your money’s worth.
On the contrary, if you don’t care about the quality that an architect or a professional designer can bring to your project, you can engage the services of a draughtsman.
It’s your choice to make.
Step 4 – Getting The Building Permit
All buildings in Ghana require a building permit to allow the construction to begin.
It is unlawful to start a construction project without authorization from the necessary municipal authority or district assembly.
Most noteworthy, owners who flout this process will be required to pay a penalty fee in addition to the regular permit fee.
I recommend that you commission your architect to follow up on the issuance of the building permit for your dream project.
You will be glad you did.
Step 5 – Starting The Foundation
Eventually, you will get to starting the actual building stage with the foundation.
The foundation stage begins with setting out, digging trenches, binding iron rods for columns, casting concrete for the base, laying the foundation walls, casting the columns, filling and compacting, and casting the final slab on the foundation.
Most importantly ,You have to be very careful and accurate during the setting out process.
A little error at this stage will affect the entire project on all other stages.
It is very important to get it right before your progress.
Step 6 – Putting Up The Main Building
This is the main job of the group of masons that you may employ. Make sure that you have a competent foreman to judge, critique, and correct errors in works.
Step 7 – Roofing The Building
Finally, you should get to the part where you put a roof over your head. The is part can me mos fulfilling.
However, you should carefully consider the type of roof you choose. There are a lot of roofing types when it comes to roofing your building.
The are :
- Corrugated aluminum sheets
- Shingle Roofing tile and
- Clay roofing tiles
Make sure to understand the roofing options with your architect at the design stage.
The roofing stage involves building the roofing structure and fixing the roofing sheets or roofing tiles on the roof.
A large part of your construction cost will go into building the roof.
Consequently, make sure to get quotations from various roofing companies to get the best deal for your roof.
Step 8 – Electrical Works
Electrical wiring is one of the critical stages in building your dream house in Ghana.
Make sure to choose the right brand of electrical wiring products to prevent any problems in the future.
Bad electrical wiring products can cause residential fires. Insist on the best from your contractor.
Step 9 – Plumbing Works
Another critical stage is plumbing products.
A great plumber will use durable pipes for your project.
Most importantly, make sure to understand the levels of quality on the market when shopping for plumbing products for your project.
Step 10 – The Finishing Stage
The finishing stage involves choosing the type of windows, doors, and door handles, tiling, sanitary ware, and many more.
This is where you choose the best artistic elements to put some sweetness into your dream house.
This level is a matter of personal taste.
Do well to make the best choices for you and the family.
Step 11 – The External Works
First of all, organize the compound to add more value to your dream house.
Also, define access ways from lawns and pavement.
Plant some beautiful shrubs and flowers and get some large boulders and stones to enhance your lawns and gardens,
Another exclusive way to spice your landscape is to build some water features. Water features include fountains, water walls a beautiful swimming pools.
Furthermore, you can get some exotic fire bowls to enhance the natural ambiance.
Above all, make your external environment a sweet place people would love to hang around forever.
Step 12 – Moving In
Finally, you now can call yourself a proud owner of your property.
You are living the life most of most Ghanaians only dream about.
Final Thoughts
Finally, you have some ideas about how to to build your house in Ghana. If you already have your land you can follow these steps to put up your building. If you have any questions about the details of building your house, you can contact me here.
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