Can you build a family house on a micro plot of 280sqm?
Dear CASTLES Lifestyle,
I am an active reader of your magazine and came across an old edition which said; “many laymen have an exaggerated idea of the land they need but we can confidently say that from as little as 280sqm, you can build a comfortable 4 bedroom family house.” Okay now! I put you to the test, show me how that is possible.
Chinedu, Lagos
CASTLES Lifestyle: Thank you for your email Chinedu. First, there doesn’t appear to be a ‘standard’ plot size in Lagos anymore and different areas and estates have their different plot sizes. In Victoria Garden City, for instance, the standard plot sizes are 675 sqm, 900 sqm, and 1200sqm while in Crown Estate, Lekki, it is 600 sqm.
The 280m2 half plot we had experience with was in Magodo GRA. If your idea of a decent family home is one on two floors, with four ensuite bedrooms, then technically, it is possible on that size of land. This is because the planning regulations stipulate that not more than 50% of the land size can be developed and as our free floor layout shows, it is possible to get your house with a footprint (size of the lower floor) of 109 square metres. This is well within the 50% rule, as half of the size of the land is 140m2. In addition, in Magodo, air spaces, (the distance between the external house wall and the fence) must be 3 metres on the sides and at the back. At the front of the house, there must be 6 metres of unbuilt land to the front fence.
Floor plan showing a 4-bedroom detached house that can sit on a plot of 280m2 and meet planning requirements.
As our free layout shows, a house with 109 sqm of living space on the ground floor and 112.5 sqm of living space on the top floor can accommodate not only four ensuite bedrooms, and a living/dining on the ground floor but also an upstairs living room as well. All the rooms beat the standard of 3.2 by 3.3 square metres and with windows on two sides of the room. These are standard requirements by the Physical Planning authorities in Lagos.
Building on such small plots is not as uncommon as you think. If you want examples of houses built on ‘micro’ plots, then in the Dolphin Estate, Ikoyi, 4 bedroom duplex will interest you. The standard two wings of a duplex sit on about 450 sqm, which means that each wing is on about 225 sqm! And there is still enough parking for 3 cars and a play area in front of the wing of the duplex. An estate where you will see different beautiful detached house designs is Crown Estate, Lekki. Here there are many houses on half plots of 300 sqm which meet the requirements of air spaces and other planning restrictions as in Magodo.
It is important to note that the ‘dimensions’ shape of the land could make a small plot impossible to build on so ensure that your architect as well as your lawyer is involved in the negotiations so that you get a plot you can build on.