Build a spacious home on a small plot

The ground floor is reserved for the family’s entertainment and living area. 

In Summary

• If your dream is to have an expansive home but all you have are a few miserly square metres, you can work with an astute architect to design a plan that will give you just the same effect albeit going upwards.

By CAROLYNE B. ATANGAZA

As the world gets more populated and space becomes scantier, it is only logical to consider building upwards instead of across.

Marcus Sembatya, a resident of Kitintale Trading Centre was facing a dilemma of what to do to get the best out of his plot. Sembatya scraped together to buy a tiny plot from a neighbour but for a while, it had been sitting idle.

He says he had hoped to buy out either of the neighbours, but it became less feasible as time went by, until he got the inspiration to build a multi storied structure which afforded him the luxury of using entire floors for just one single purpose.
Mathias Omona, an engineer, with ACQ Consortium in Wandegeya, offers Sembatya this multi storied house that is designed to make the most out of small plot.

“This meticulous design is suitable on a tight plot. If well executed, the homeowner can have a contemporary house on a budget as small as the site itself,” Omona notes.
Simon Nandala, an architectural assistant at ACQ Consortium also notes that homes built on small plots end up feeling very cramped because of trying to fit many rooms on such a small footprint. “Contemporary designs solve this problem by freeing rooms with open floor plans while encouraging horizontal expansion instead” he adds.

Ground floor
Instead of building a single tiny house it is better to build going up and in this case two more floors. The ground floor is reserved for the family’s living and entertaining area. It has a kitchen, a lounge or living room and opens onto a balcony. This deliberate separation of space gives the home a light, bright, and contemporary feel.

First floor
The first floor is dedicated to the family’s sleeping quarters with two varying bedroom; one small and the larger one with an inbuilt closet. This floor also has a washroom that is meant to serve both the first and ground floors.

Second floor
Nandala describes the second floor as the crowning achievements of this multistoried house plan. The floor is entirely occupied by the master bedroom which has a walk-in closet and bathroom. It opens on a private balcony.

“The design allows the occupants of the master bedroom glimpses of the surrounding areas without compromising their privacy,” Nandala explains.
This three bedroom house plan has a classic shape but a very modern outlook and it is a house you could fit anywhere; either in a rural or urban area. Built on a 50x30 the construction cost is estimated at Shs80m.

Creating an illusion of space
When you consider the volume to exterior wall area ratio, it is more efficient to build and live in a two-story layout but multi storied homes spoil the grand foyer, higher walls and ceilings feel that homeowners love.

Architectural designer Dolores Mukisa Makholo says that the feel can be redeemed by the transformative ability of light.
“Fortunately since the house is already elevated, all you have to do is take advantage and let into the house as much natural light as possible. Light creates an illusion of space,” she explains.

editorial@ug.nationmedia.com