What it takes to build self-contained boys quarters
For convenience, many people need their house help to be resident, thus the need for boys quarters. In modern housing estates, each apartment has a provision of an extra room attached to the main house for the house help. People build servant rooms for many reasons, ranging from cultural to the need for family privacy. Although some people are abandoning boys quarters due to space constraints, they are still provided for in modern architectural planning. Here’s what it takes to build a self-contained boys quarters.
The Size
The size of the boys quarters depends on one’s taste or space. In modern homes, it is inevitable to have chores that will require extra hands from a shamba boy or house help. The traditional servants’ quarters is a two-roomed structure detached from the main house — one room for the female and another for the male servants. This structure could cost about UGX9,690,000 to UGX10m shillings.
“The current Ugandan market price of clay bricks is sh250-280 per burnt brick, so the developer will spend sh1, 280,000 to sh2,080,000 on bricks.”
The Materials
A developer will need about 7,500-8,000 bricks to put up a complete structure. The current Ugandan market price of clay bricks is sh250-280 per burnt brick, so the developer will spend sh1, 280,000 to sh2,080,000 on bricks. You will need about two trips of sand for constructing the wall and another two trips for plastering. The type of sand used should be lake sand because it makes walls less prone to cracking as it has smaller particles. The cost of a trip of sand goes for sh350,000 to sh400,000. Thus, it will cost sh1,600,000 for the four trips of sand.
Cement
A developer will need about 85 bags of cement (for building the wall and plastering). “Raising the wall will consume about 40 bags and plastering will require 45 bags,” says a construction expert. Calculated at the price of sh29,500 to sh32,000 per bag, you will spend about sh2,560,000 on the cement.
Lime
During the plastering time, lime is used and at least two bags will be needed. Each bag costs about sh24,000, hence about sh48,000.
Roofing
35kg of nails and 18-20 iron sheets are required for roofing. For the nails, going by the current market prices of sh6,000 per kilogramme, you will incur about sh180,000. For iron sheets at the price of sh32,000 per piece, you will need sh850,000. This price is for ordinary, plain galvanised iron sheets. He says the price will be higher if you choose the coloured galvanised iron sheets, which cost between UGX50,000 and UGX70,000.
After roofing the house, the next step is painting. You will need four 20-litre jerrycans of paint, all at a cost of sh400,000. To complete the structure, you will need two windows and two doors, which can be wooden or metallic. Metallic ones are preferred because they are cheaper; each may go for sh200,000, hence sh800,000 for both windows and doors. In total, the cost of building a traditional two-roomed servant quarters in Uganda can range from UGX9,690,000 to UGX10m shillings, depending on the materials used. Building a self-contained boys quarters is an investment that can provide convenience and privacy for families with house help, and careful consideration of materials and cost can make it an affordable option for many.
