Bill of Quantities for a 3-Bedroom House in Kenya (2026): Every Material, Phase by Phase

A bill of quantities (BOQ) for a typical 3-bedroom bungalow in Kenya (about 101 m² of rooms, 114 m² built) lands somewhere in the mid-KES 3 millions at 2026 Nairobi prices when you build with your own fundis, and roughly a fifth more through a contractor. The foundation is the single biggest bill, and the phases after the walls (roof, finishes, services) add up to more than most people expect.

Below is how that budget splits, phase by phase, and what goes into each one. The exact quantities (bags of cement, tonnes of sand and ballast, stones, steel bars, BRC sheets and metres of mabati) for your own plan come from our house construction cost calculator: photograph your house plan, check the rooms it reads, and it prices every phase with your hardware's prices. The full BOQ downloads as Excel.

The house this BOQ is for

Where the money goes

Each phase includes labour (fundis and casuals) and a contingency for price rises and waste. The shilling figure for each phase depends on your plan and your local prices, which is what the full breakdown works out.

Phase 1: Foundation (about 18%)

Site clearing and setting out, 9×9 foundation stones, cement, river sand, ballast, compacted hardcore, anti-termite treatment, a polythene damp-proof membrane, BRC mesh for the slab and a damp-proof course.

The foundation swallows more cement than any other phase, close to half of the whole house's bags. On black cotton soil or a sloping site, an engineer may ask for deeper or wider footings, which pushes this share up. The full BOQ counts every bag, tonne and stone for your plan.

Phase 2: Walling (about 10%)

6×9 machine-cut stones, mortar, and a reinforced ring beam (Y12 bars, R8 stirrups and formwork) on top.

Walling is cheaper than people fear: stone is priced per piece, and a 3-bedroom needs fewer than you'd guess once doors and windows are taken out. Concrete blocks need noticeably more pieces per square metre than 6×9 stone. Your exact stone count is in the full BOQ.

Phase 3: Roofing (about 13%)

Cypress for the trusses, wall plate and purlins, fascia board, gauge 30 box-profile iron sheets, ridge and hip caps, gutters and downpipes.

The roof covers far more than the floor area once you add overhangs and the slope, which is why mabati estimates done "per room" come up short. Concrete or stone-coated tiles need closer battens and heavier timber.

Phase 4: Doors and windows (about 10%)

Steel casement windows with glass and grills, internal doors, and steel external doors, all with frames and locks.

Phase 5: Plaster and floors (about 15%)

Plaster inside and out, a floor screed, ceramic floor tiles, wall tiles in the bathrooms and kitchen, and tile adhesive and grout. This is the second-hungriest phase for cement after the foundation.

Phase 6: Ceiling and painting (about 7%)

Gypsum ceilings, undercoat, interior emulsion and exterior paint, with painting labour.

Phase 7: Wiring and plumbing (about 12%)

Electrical points, the consumer unit and earthing, the KPLC connection, WC suites, basins, showers, a kitchen sink, pipework for the wet rooms and manholes.

Phase 8: Septic, water tank and approvals (about 14%)

A septic tank and soak pit (skip it if you can connect to a sewer), a water tank on a stand, and an allowance for plans and county approval. Approval fees vary a lot between counties.

How the quantities are worked out

The calculator measures walls from your rooms (counting each shared wall once), takes out doors and windows, and applies standard Kenyan mix ratios for footings, slab, mortar, plaster and screed. These are the same rules our perimeter wall calculator uses for stone walls. The quantities, the cost of each phase and a shopping list per phase are in the full BOQ.

Why it's cheaper than "KES 45,000 per m²"

Most cost guides, including our own cost of building a 3-bedroom house in Kenya, quote per-m² rates for contractor-built houses. Those include the contractor's overheads and profit, supervision and professional fees. This BOQ prices materials plus fundi labour, which is how most Kenyans build, and comes out well below those headline rates. It also leaves out land, fencing, paving, kitchen cabinets and wardrobes.

For a smaller house, see the cost of building a 2-bedroom house in Kenya.

Building in phases

Few people pay for a house in one go. Starting from zero and saving KES 100,000 a month, a house like this takes roughly three years from foundation to finishing. The calculator tells you the month each phase can start from your own savings. A SACCO loan against your deposits can close the gap for the roof, which protects everything below it.

Frequently asked questions

How many bags of cement for a 3-bedroom house in Kenya?

A typical 114 m² machine-cut stone bungalow needs a few hundred bags. The foundation and floor slab take the biggest share (close to half), then plaster and screed, then walling and the ring beam. The exact count for your plan, phase by phase, is in the full BOQ.

How many stones for a 3-bedroom house?

A few thousand in all: 9×9 stones for the foundation and 6×9 stones for the walls, plus a few for breakage. The calculator counts both from your rooms, doors and windows.

How many iron sheets for a 3-bedroom house?

It depends on the roof shape, the overhangs and the slope more than on the number of rooms. Measure the roof, not the floor: a hip roof with overhangs covers much more than the house's footprint. The full BOQ gives the metres of mabati for your plan.

Is there a free BOQ template in Excel?

The house construction cost calculator gives a free rough estimate from your own plan. The full breakdown (the cost of every phase, the complete BOQ, an Excel version with live prices and a shopping list per phase) unlocks with a small M-Pesa payment.

Do I still need a quantity surveyor?

For a bank or SACCO loan, a contract with a builder, or anything unusual (storeys, black cotton soil, steep slopes), yes. Use the BOQ to budget, check fundis' quotes and buy materials phase by phase.