The cost of building a house in Cameroon and building material prices in Cameroon has increased over the years.
Furthermore, as time evolves, the price of renting a house continues to rise. This frustrates many tenants, especially when they cannot keep up with the price hike.
If you are one of those tenants, there is a simple solution to this problem. That is building your house!
Being a homeowner in Cameroon is one of the best ways to invest your money. Whether you plan to live in the house with your family or rent it out, it is one of the greatest assets you can ever have if you know how to effectively go about it.
This is why we have written this article to guide you as you plan on starting your building project.
Building a House in Cameroon: What it Takes to do so
Building a house in Cameroon is not as tricky as many people make it seem. Depending on your budget and other factors, there are different housing options to choose from.
You can choose to build a room self-contained, 3-bedroom bungalow, multifamily building for rental, or duplex; it all has to do with your budget and available resources. Hence, you need to cut your coat according to your cloth to complete your project on time.
Suggested: Types of Houses in Cameroon
Before we go deeper into the topic, there are some crucial factors that you must consider before you can effectively ascertain the amount your building project will cost. We shall be explaining those factors below.
Factors to Consider Before Building a House in Cameroon.
1. The land factor: Buying Land in Cameroon
This is one of the most important things to consider before you begin your project. When you have a good piece of land, every other thing will fall in place. Under the land factor, consider the following.
Location
The location of your land can significantly influence its price. For instance, buying a piece of land on the outskirt of Douala, Buea, Bamenda, and so on will be relatively cheaper than buying in the country's central regions.
Document
To ensure that the document for your land is complete, they must include the following:
- Land Title
- Deed of conveyance
- Survey plan of land
- Gazette
The seller or agent
In Cameroon, people often buy land from two significant channels. They are:
a. Through the landowner
This channel is frequently the cheapest. It can, however, be pretty dangerous and unsafe because the land might be owned by multiple persons or families and could lack proper documentation.
Sometimes, there might be misunderstandings among the landowners, eventually leading to losing the land after payment. Therefore, it is better to avoid such troubles through the second channel (below).
b. Through a real estate agent or company
A registered and certified real estate company or agent usually provides various services to their clients. Their services range from selling lands and buildings to helping their clients to build houses. This process is often the safest and most secure way to buy property in Cameroon.
Real estate companies are safer because they usually provide all the required documents (as listed above) to make you a complete owner. They are in charge of doing the paperwork and typically take care of every necessary documentation.
The only downside of this channel is that most of the land offered by real estate companies is usually very expensive, depending on the location.
You can check out Confidence Real Estate Cameroon. They offer the lowest prices on land purchases in Cameroon.
Suggested: Read This Before You Buy a Plot of Land For Sale in Cameroon.
Topography
Knowing the suitable land to purchase is often ascertainable during the rainy season because you can effectively assess the topography and check the level of erosion in the area.
Pieces of land situated in waterlogged or riverine areas are often very cheap but expensive to build on due to the large volume of sand they tend to consume. This could finish up your entire budget.
On the other hand, buying dry land is expensive but quicker and easier to fill with sand. Therefore, you need to be wary of this to save costs.
Timeline
Once your land is ready, you must determine when to commence your building project. If you cannot start the building process immediately, you should erect a fence and mount a gate around your land.
This prevents anyone from encroaching on your land, mainly if the location is a developing area. This will ensure that your land remains intact whenever you are ready to commence building.
2. The nature of the building site
The questions you need to answer include: Is the site a developing or developed area?
How close is it to the road and other infrastructure?
Whenever you can answer these questions effectively, you can decide on the next step.
Tips to Save Cost When Building Your House in Cameroon
Use the sand that was excavated during the digging process of your soakaway for the sand filling process of the house.
You can also dig a well to have access to water during the building process. And like the soakaway, you can collect the sand from the well to sand fill the foundation of your building.
Make inquiries on the amount the building materials are sold to give you an idea about the minimum price of each material. In the same vein, you can get 3 to 4 quotes before commencing your project to provide insight into the lowest budget you can work with.
Ensure that you have a trusted relative or friend who can be on the site to monitor every activity, especially when you will be unavailable.
Endeavor to be present whenever you intend to buy any material to prevent fraud and embezzlement by those purchasing the materials.
If possible, keep a record or account of the expenses you incurred during the building process to enable you to determine how the money was spent.
Once you can adequately work with the factors mentioned above, you are already on your way to becoming a homeowner in Cameroon without hassles.
Average Cost of Building a House in Cameroon: The Definitive Guide
Even though the XAF/Dollar exchange rate plays an essential role in building a house in Cameroon, mainly if the building materials you will be using are imported, you can still make a standard house with the estimate we shall be provided below.
1. Cost of Land
As discussed earlier, the price of land can vary from one location to another. However, if you intend to purchase a piece of land on the outskirt of a state, you can get a plot of land for as low as two million francs CFA to five million francs CFA.
A plot of land in the central areas of the state can be between 10 million to 50 million XAF. The standard measurement for a plot of land is 450 square meters, which is approximately 60 by 100 feet
2. Cost of Designing a Building Plan in Cameroon
If you want your house to be as standard as possible, you have to employ the service of an architect to help you draft a building plan. Again, Confidence Real Estate Cameroon simplifies this task. Consulting a professional architect for your Cameroonian house plan will allow you to give your house a sense of direction.
The price of designing a plan differs depending on the complexity of the structure, the consultant, and the location of your building. But you can get a good plan within the price range of 50,000 FCFA to 500,000 FCFA.
3. Cost of Drilling a Borehole or Well
Having a good water source to build your house will save you money and stress. Hence, you should consider drilling a borehole or well before commencing your building process.
The minimum price for drilling a borehole (including pumping machine and water tank installation) can be between 2 Million Francs CFA and 4 Million FCFA.
And the price of digging a well in Cameroon (depending on the hardness of the soil and location) can be between 100,000 XAF and 300,000 XAF.
4. The Cost of Soakaway and Foundation in Cameroon
The foundation often consumes most of the budget. You will require a lot of building materials ranging from sharp sand to gravel, rod, bags of cement, and granite.
These materials will be cheaper if they are close to the building site. Depending on the size of your land and building, the cost of these materials, alongside the fees of laborers, can be between 1 million and 3 million francs CFA
5. The Cost of Lintel Level
This process includes plastering, door, and window fittings, among others. Considering the ever-changing exchange rate, it can be between 2 million and 4.5 million francs CFA.
6. The Cost of Workmanship
This includes laborers, electricians, bricklayers, carpenters, welders, painters, etc. The average payment a laborer receives daily ranges from 5,000 XAF to 15,000 XAF.
The payment of other skilled workers is usually on contract and very negotiable. So, your budget here will depend on the number of workers you will be working with and the size of the building.
You can budget between 2 million francs and 5 million francs CFA for workmanship.
7. The Cost of Roofing
With an estimate of 1.8 million to 2.5 million Francs, you can have a quality aluminum roof for your building. The budget will cover the wood and roofing sheets, especially aluminum roofing sheets (which are high quality and very durable compared with zinc sheets).
8. The Cost of Finishing
With an estimate of 2 million to 6 million XAF, you can successfully finish your house. This includes flooring, tiling, painting, fixing the doors and windows, wiring, and plumbing. This is the last expense to incur.
Conclusion
This article has provided an insight into the cost of building a house in Cameroon and tips you can use to effectively save costs.
You will need about 20,000,000 XAF to 30,000,000 FCFA to build a standard 3-bedroom bungalow, depending on your location in the country and other factors. You can spend lesser on a room self-contained or a 2-bedroom apartment.
The good news is that you can start bit by bit if you don't have the total amount in place. Taking the first step, which involves purchasing a piece of land, will give you a head start.