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 UGX 9,690,000 to UGX 10 million.

“The current Ugandan market price of clay bricks is UGX 250-280 per burnt brick, so the developer will spend UGX 1,280,000 to UGX 2,080,000 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 UGX 250 – 280 per burnt brick, so the developer will spend UGX 1,280,000 to UGX 2,080,000 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 UGX 350,000 to UGX 400,000. Thus, it will cost UGX 1,600,000 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 UGX 29,500 to UGX 32,000 per bag, you will spend about UGX 2,560,000 on the cement.

LIME

During the plastering time, lime is used and at least two bags will be needed. Each bag costs about UGX 24,000, hence about UGX 48,000.

ROOFING

35kg of nails and 18-20 iron sheets are required for roofing. For the nails, going by the current market prices of UGX 6,000 per kilogramme, you will incur about UGX 180,000. For iron sheets at the price of UGX 32,000 per piece, you will need UGX 850,000. 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 UGX 50,000 and UGX 70,000. After roofing the house, the next step is painting. You will need four 20-litre jerrycans of paint, all at a cost of UGX 400,000. To complete the structure, you will need two windows and two doors, which can be wooden or metallic.