In 2024, my family and I decided to build a home in the City of Gweru. How exciting and nerve wrecking the process was. I asked friends and family to tell me what to expect and also reading other people’s blogs and journey has helped in us being informed. Hopefully, through our blog, oats and planks, you will be able to gain information to help you along the way too.
Welcome To Project 80 Squares
Building a house in Zimbabwe is always a good idea. For us, building a home offers security, a place to settle and maybe even for investment purposes. We have decided to build a cottage which is 80 square meters on our stand because of a few reasons mostly being this is our first big project as a couple and it is something we can manage financially.
However, before any construction can begin, we will explore what you need to build a house in Zimbabwe—from legal requirements and materials to costs and environmental factors. So I will tell you what we did against each requirement.
1. Legal Requirements and Permits required to Build in Zimbabwe
Before you can start building in Zimbabwe, you need to ensure you have all the required legal documentation in place. Here are the key steps:
- Land Ownership: Before you do anything, make sure you own the land outright, This can be done through outright purchase, a lease, or a title deed. If your land is in the rural areas, make sure you have paperwork in writing from your chief.
- Building Permits: The building permits can be obtained from the council. For us, we we got ours from the Vhungu rural council. This stage though was facilitated by our architect. However, I made to understand that it can easily be done.
- Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA): This is depending on your location. If you are building in an environmentally sensitive area such as wetlands, you might need to get an environmental assessment in Zimbabwe. This to help your home not to be demolished in the future plus you will make the correct decisions when purchasing the building material. We did not have to do this.
2. Getting your Architectural Plans and Designs in Zimbabwe
This part, you really can design anything you want in Zimbabwe. In Zimbabwe, I will advise you to work with a licensed architect who is experienced and is reputable. For us, it helped us in saving costs, getting our plans submitted and even general guidance. As I have mentioned before, this was our first building project in Zimbabwe so our architect was even quick to point out some design idea we had would cost us more money tp construct than we can manage.
Our architect is based in Gweru so if you need his details, please let me know in the comments.
3. Should You Purchase Your Construction Materials In Zimbabwe?
In Zimbabwe, most building materials you will use are bricks, Cement, steel and lumber. There has been a discussion whether its more affordable to purchase building materials from neighboring countries. Personally I think there is more stress and hustle in sourcing building materials outside of Zimbabwe. However, getting the finishes outside of Zimbabwe can be cheaper though.
So, we decided to purchase our building material locally and Zimbabwe and the prices seem fair. I will be breaking down the cost of everything as we go.
4. Which Skilled Laborers Do You Need For Your Building Project
To build a house in Zimbabwe, you’ll need skilled professionals to bring your vision to life. You will need to make sure that key personnel include:
- Architects: To create and finalize your building plans. They have loads of ideas and can work with what you had in mind. These days you can even get 3Ds for you to properly see what the plan will look like.
- Civil Engineers: For structural design and ensuring your house is safe and compliant with regulations.
- Contractors: Hire experienced builders or contractors who understand local building codes, material costs, and timelines. On this, please remember that cheaper contractors may end up costing you more. Ask to see what they have built…
- Electricians and Plumbers: Essential for wiring and installing water systems.
- Project Manager : This is a must if you are building in Zimbabwe whilst you are abroad. I have heard some are charging a fee of 10% of whatever work is done. But you can always negotiate. For this part, we were blessed to have a family member, my Dad who is simply amazing.
Check references and credentials before hiring any contractors or professionals to avoid delays or substandard work.
5. Budget and Financing When Building in Zimbabwe
You can get financing to build your home in Zimbabwe. Banks such as CBZ have been known to give out building loans. However, I might do more research on this particular topic. As for me, this is a self financed project from personal savings so it might take a bit longer to complete but we are fine with that as we do not want to have any debt.
We did get a bill of quantities from our builder and I do want to see if that matches up what we end up using. So do ask your builder for the BOQ which is cheaper than from a quantity surveyor. As mentioned, I will be doing a full project breakdown as we go along.
If you’re looking for financing, consider local banks that offer home loans. Some international lenders may also offer financing options for Zimbabwean real estate.
6. Which Season is Best To Start Building In Zimbabwe
Some say avoid starting your project in the Zimbabwean rainy season which is usually from November to March. We started our Project in August/September. But honestly, what I would advise you is… just start.