Damian Edmond | Will I own a home?

I have had the privilege of playing basketball every Saturday morning for the last 10 years with a group of gentlemen who simply love the game.

We are all in our mid-30s to late 40s, from diverse backgrounds, representing every sector of our economy. Most of us have a minimum of ten years of work experience in our respective fields. At the end of each basketball day, we sit for hours and chat about various social issues. Being the only architect in the group, the recurring questions directed at me are always: Who is buying these apartments at these costs? Are the prices coming down? How will I ever be able to buy a home at these prices?” My answer to the cost of purchasing a home being reduced is always a firm “No.” The common concern is, “How will I own a home?”

These are the thoughts that I share with my friends:

Affordable homes are relative to income, and most Jamaicans do not qualify.

To increase home ownership, people will have to build more homes themselves to lower the cost. To do this, you need land, which is now also out of reach for most.

However, all is not lost, and we can move positively towards home ownership if we choose to change our approach. The methods to enable lower-cost homes on a macro level are twofold: government incentives and a communal approach to solving the problem.

GOVERNMENT

Except for masonry blocks, marl, cement, sand, and stone, the rest of the components in a home are imported against a rising US dollar. The local production of fixtures, equipment, and fittings for construction is almost non-existent. As the US dollar rises, so do our construction costs. These items are generally not feasible to produce locally with the current cost of energy to run factories and produce at a cheaper cost. The only thing the government can do is to increase the amount that can be borrowed by individuals while decreasing interest rates on mortgages. If we solve our energy problems, we can create local industries that manufacture finishes and building systems that can be used to reduce construction costs locally and export to other regions and countries.

COMMUNAL APPROACH

A half-acre lot in the hills of St Andrew may be a stretch for a single person to afford, but it can be attained much easier by five people. Get rid of the distrust, hire a lawyer to write up articles of agreements and ownership, and open a company that purchases the property. State clauses that help you resolve difficulties in the future, should someone default or not live up to their end of the agreement, and move forward.

The half-acre lot, with a density of 30 habitable rooms per acre, can give you five three-bedroom townhouses that house five families. The townhouse approach enables the cost-saving benefits of sharing party walls and service infrastructure. The same infrastructure for one house is now shared among five. The value of the townhouse will double at the end of this construction, and if you choose to sell it, you have gained significant value and are now closer to the dream house. Your first house may not be your only house. Change your mindset. Imagine if you and four friends did this five times.

REDUCE THE FOOTPRINT

Forget the idea of a dream house. Get a house! Most people have fixed dreams of the mansion they are going to own, which is far removed from the possibilities of their income. They waste 30 years renting homes and buying expensive cars with the hope that a large lump sum will appear, enabling them to live in the right neighbourhood with the picket fence. This will, most likely, not happen. Most people build way more than they need to live without thinking that their needs will change as they get older in their homes. Think about your basic needs to live versus what you have dreamt of. The rule is simple: the bigger the house, the more it will cost. Design an open plan for maximum light and ventilation and lessen the number of internal walls. Keep it simple.

FOCUS ON THE ENCLOSURE (SHELL)

A house, in its most basic sense, provides two things to its occupier: it protects you from the elements of nature and provides security for you and your valuables. These two things are defined by the erection of a sealable enclosure and not by internal walls or finishes. Once you have completed your enclosure, you can transition to this place to live, provided that you have working electrics, a bathroom, and a kitchen sink. The fancy rendering, fixtures, and tile finishes can be done over time. Temporary partitions can be used to define internal spaces. Define the house into sectional completions, assign a budget to each section, and build out of pocket. Move in!

DESIGN METHODOLOGY

The National Housing Trust (NHT) has created a legal framework called the cluster Housing Policy that enables people to purchase land and build homes together. You can take one of three approaches to reduce your construction costs: reduce the footprint (size), use an efficient building system, or build out in phases.

These approaches can be solved with good design appropriate to the context in which you are going to build. Using untrained persons to design your home in the guise of saving money is the first unrecoverable mistake that most homeowners make. The design approach is where you win or lose, so it is important to use an architect who designs and oversees the process.

The effectiveness of either design approach is limited by three factors: time, labour, or materials. To reduce your build cost, you will have to reduce your expenditure on either of these three factors. If you can reduce the cost for all three, you have a winner.

It all begins with good design.

Damian Edmond is an architect and educator. He is former programme director of the Caribbean School of Architecture, and is currently managing director of Form Architects Limited. Send feedback to dedmond@formarchitects.com