See the list of ideal plot sizes you need to build your dream home

How much land do I need to build my property?

After reading the article from last week, Size Matters: Understanding plot sizes in Nigeria  I got some inquiries about what can be built on a 300sqm piece of land; so let’s start there today.

When you are planning to build in Lagos and considering the need for setbacks and et al, these are the buildings that can be tentatively built on various sizes of land.

• Bungalow: From 220sqm (50ft x 50ft) and above for a 3 bedroom bungalow
• Multi-storey single family (duplex): You need at least 464sqm (50ft x 100ft) or more. However with a good architectural plan, you might be able to squeeze a 4 bedroom duplex into a 300sqm land where the options include going up another storey.
• Multi-storey multi-family (block of flats): From 600sqm (60ft x 120ft) is needed for a block of flats to allow for sufficient parking space, setback and ventilation for all the flats (you might need some more for the amenities or a very creative architect to design the space)
• Multi-storey multi-family terraces: You need at least 600sqm to build 4 units of these – also leaving enough space for parking, setback, ventilation and amenities for all units.
• Semi-detached duplexes: You will need at least 500sqm for this, where the units will be multi-storey and give you enough allowance for parking, setbacks, ventilation and amenities

(It is important to note that these are meant to serve as guides and not as foolproof confirmations as the actual details of your design and layout of the plot would/could cause for variations to the approval required)

These land sizes could also vary based on number of bedrooms and rooms in the house

Some other queries came citing instances where the lands on offer where being sold per sqm and how this was also confusing but here is the thing.

1. Land can be sold per sqm& its largely the prerogative of the seller to define how they want to sell – what you need to know is how much land you need to buy for what you need to build.
2. A typical example of where land is sold per sqm is in Ikoyi, Eko Atlantic, Orange Island, Banana Island and Lekki 1 axis; in those areas they are considered prime land spaces and presumably understood that the smallest anyone would be buying there would be about 400sqm because it’s also understood that building small houses in these areas are not the norm.

READ ALSO: 3 simple guides to extracting incredible value from your property investment

Another area that we find land being sold per sqm is in a few estates along the Lekki – Epe corridor in Lagos and this is done because they are looking to encourage people to buy the flexible plot sizes as are available – even though there will be a minimum size you can buy.

Now that you have an idea about how land plots factor into your buying decisions, there is still one more technicality that matters – the type of plots that you are buying.

With every estate development, there will be a layout – within that layout there will be a zoning of the plots such that when developed there is some level of coordination within the community.

Types of zonings that are most common within such a development include

• Residential plots – as the name implies, they are strictly for residential use; they could be high, medium or low density plots.
  • High density plots allow for multiple units in the plot (highrise or apartment block)
  • Medium density refers to not more than 4 in most cases but this is dependent on size and could even just allow for 2 units
• Commercial plots – as the name also implies, these are plots reserve for business and commercial activities like the shopping or retail centers and etc.
• Utility plots – these are reserved for estate management services and tend to only be given out on lease (maybe on sale) for service to be provided
• Green Areas – these are the mandatory spaces needed for landscaping, flowers, curbs and the likes.
  • In every estate development there is also the mandatory setback of the fence from the road which can also be considered s a green rea but mandatorily considered on a plot by plot basis.

Setback is the minimum distance which a building or other structure must be set back from a street, road, river, stream or shore. If your land is located next to an access road or water body, the setback is the space you must give when building. Setbacks are set by state and local governments. If your land is in an estate, there are likely to be setback rules that apply to as well.

Phewwww!!! This feels like a mini-masterclass downloaded into these two articles.

Hoping that they have given you value, I cannot but ask – what was your biggest takeaway from these two articles?

I would love to hear back from you