Don’t build what you can’t afford to finish – Architect on building a dream home

Renowned architect Nana Akua Birmeh has cautioned Ghanaians to carefully consider their financial capacity before embarking on the construction of a dream home. Speaking on Joy FM's Super Morning Show, Birmeh, founder of Archnexus, urged homeowners to start with a property they can realistically afford rather than attempting ambitious projects that may remain unfinished for years.

"Many people start off immediately and want their dream house, which usually they cannot afford," she pointed out. Such projects, she warned, can take years to complete, with some ultimately abandoned. "They start with this dream house, sometimes never finish, and actually never enjoy what it is they thought the way certain else will enjoy in their dream house," she emphasized.

Birmeh advised that homeowners should begin with something financially manageable, enjoying that level of completion while working towards their ideal home. "So you're better off doing something you can complete, and then enjoy that level of completion while you work on your dream house. That is, of course, according to your financial capacity," she advised.

Ghana's multitude of uncompleted houses, she suggested, can be largely attributed to individuals undertaking projects without properly assessing the full cost. Some homeowners become so captivated by the image of their dream house that they fail to consider whether they will have the financial means to finish it. "And so this is sometimes what we see with so many uncompleted buildings in our cities, because people set off with that dream house aspiration and didn't really count the cost of it," she noted.

Birmeh also highlighted that even a beautifully designed house does not guarantee completion, as the owner may not have the financial capacity to build it. "You have the beautiful design probably hanging in your chamber and hall. This is where I'm going to. But as to whether you actually ever finish and enjoy that dream house is another story," she stated.

Rather than investing all resources into a single large project, Birmeh encouraged Ghanaians to view home ownership as a step-by-step process. "In other places, you climb the ladder, the home's ladder. You start with something that you can turn around and move to a bigger one and turn around," she explained. "As you're turning it around, before you know it, your dream house is at arm's reach."

Meanwhile, Republic Bank is also working towards affordable home ownership through the JoyNews Habitat Fair. The Republic Bank JoyNews Habitat Fair is set to bring together key players in the housing and property sectors to connect prospective homeowners with financing, housing solutions, and other essential services.