I built in phases because of a tight budget - Gitta

I was born to the family of Mr. Lutwama in Kisaasi. In 1999, I enrolled for a certificate course in interior design at Kyambogo
University. During that time I also worked as a custodian at the university.

In 2000, when I was 21, I completed the course and tried to start a business. After some time I got married and started a family. The demands of my family forced me to look for various ways of getting money. My wife, Joy, advised me to get a salary loan to start something. At that time we were engaged in wedding decoration.

Plans

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Gitta in his compound, part of which they turned into a venue for functions with a bar and TV area (below)

I did not buy a plot; before my father died he had given me a piece of land. After getting a salary loan my wife advised me to build a small house. I used to walk through Kyambogo, Ntinda and Kiwatule looking at houses because I wanted to copy some plans for my house. I believed these houses were some of the best planned in Nakawa division, so I copied the plans.
 

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Materials

I first bought building materials; 8,000 bricks each at sh90, four trucks (magulu kumi) of sand, a truck of stones, wheelbarrows, spades, pangas and then 100 bags of cement, all in one week.

Size

It is a three-bedroom house. It has a kitchen, dining room, living room and study. For windows and doors I did my own welding and designs.

Construction costs

I hired three builders and four porters. I paid each builder sh15,000 per day and porters earned 5,000. I found it cheaper to pay them on the days they worked, than on the contract basis. Another step which was expensive was the beam which consumed a lot of cement and iron bars. But I was determined to do quality building. Supervision Joy was the site manager who supervised the workers. She gave me a lot of help.

Challenges 

Water was a big challenge. There was no piped water and there were very few wells. Another challenge was balancing
between work and building. Transportation of construction materials is also very expensive.

Roofing

The most complicated part was the roof. Roofing cannot be done in phases and this made it very expensive. The advantage after it was done was that we took a break for some time and resumed later.

Sacrifice

Building is not an easy task because you need to make a lot of sacrifices. I forgot about many luxurious things like hanging out with my wife, buying expensive clothes or shoes.

Housing advice

Constructing a house is not all about having a lot of money. If you are waiting to save millions first, you will end up without a home. Start with that little money you have and build in phases. I was not under any pressure to build and finish in a short
time. I may not be very rich man but I love giving my wife and children the best and also looking after myself. I am also very hardworking. I want to give my family everything they need that is within my reach.

Property

The design of random rubble below windows gives it a good artistic outlook. There is a hedge which protects the compound from passerby. In the compound also stand trees which provide a cool resting. I also made sure that I used the best materials,  especially in the interior and for finishing of the house.

For the floor, I decided to use tiles because they are more beautiful and classy. No matter what I have gone through, I am very happy to be living in my own house; some of my colleagues have not built homes yet. I thank God for everything that he has done for me.