Nigeria is a cultural and religious melting pot. The country is known for its cultural and
ethnic diversity. In terms of architecture, this means that Nigerians have access to a
diverse range of designs and styles from around the country and around the world.
Architectural trends, like other forms of art, come and go in Nigeria. What was
fashionable twenty years ago may no longer be fashionable, but what was fashionable
seventy years ago is now regarded as retro chic. It all depends on what type of house is
fashionable at the time. Nigerian houses exist in a wide range of shapes, sizes, and
styles. In the end, this means that the cost of production varies a great deal.

Here are the 10 common housing types in Nigeria with their estimated building costs

1. Bungalows
A bungalow is a type of house that consists of a single storey. They have a unique
history in the world of architecture. They are still a very popular choice for most home
buyers and renters. The reason being that they are very low maintenance, easy to build
and cost less than most housing types in terms of construction. In general, bungalows
are usually small in square footage, but large bungalows are not also uncommon.
Although bungalows are very cost efficient, they tend to occupy a larger area of a land
compared to their multi storey counterparts. That is due to the fact that unlike multiple
storey buildings that extend upwards, they extend outwards. Another disadvantage is
that due to the fact that bungalows are low to the ground, they are more susceptible to
break-ins.
Estimated Building Costs
The building costs in this example is that of a four bedroom bungalow. Estimating the
cost of a bungalow in Nigeria is somewhat difficult because the cost of building it in
Plateau state varies wildly to that of Lagos state. There are stages involved in the
building process that will affect and increase the cost of building. They are;
a. Buying a piece of land
b. Cost of drafting a plan for the building
The cost of the building plan depends on factors such as the architect employed
to carry out the plan, location and complexity of the structure. Nonetheless, the
cost of a building plan ranges from N60,000-N400,000.
c. Building the foundation
d. Setting to Lintel level
e. Roofing
f. Finishing stages.
All in all, the estimated amount it takes to build a bungalow in Nigeria ranges from
N13,500,000 to N27,000,000

2. Duplexes
A duplex is a type of building that consists of two floors. A duplex is usually confused
with a two storey building. Duplexes are residential buildings that consist of one kitchen
and one dining room. Duplexes contain two living units either side by side or on top of
one another. Although they are on separate floors, they are owned by one individual and
are sold as one. Duplexes are inhabited by a single family and the floors are connected
through a staircase.

Types of Duplexes
1. Standard Duplex: This duplex is a type of two-story house. The lower floor is
usually occupied by a living room and the kitchen, while the upper floors are
usually used for bedrooms and the kids' rooms.

2. Ground Duplex: Duplex houses are planned to be erected on the ground floors of
apartments, with the bedrooms on the lower stories facing a garden. The living
room and kitchen are located on the second story of the duplex flat. These types
of duplexes are ideal for people who enjoy gardening and have pets.

3. Low-rise duplex: The second floor of this duplex house design features large
balconies and an attic. It is usually built on a smaller scale than other types of
duplex houses, and creating these small duplex house designs and photographs
necessitates a great deal of thought on the part of the architects.
Estimated Building Costs
After separating the various stages of building a duplex and successfully combining and
approximating costs, it is safe to state that starting the construction process from the
foundation to the roof should cost between N25 million and N30 million.

4. Container houses
Container homes are exactly what they sound like: residences fashioned from steel
shipping containers that you see on trains, lorries, and ships transporting products all
over the world. People are constructing dwellings of all shapes and sizes out of these
massive Lego blocks.
10ft, 20ft, and 40ft shipping containers are the most common sizes. For a shipping
container home, the smallest shipping container can give roughly 100 square feet of
floor space. Eight larger containers can be combined to form a two-story house with a
floor area of roughly 1400 square feet. Hundreds of container micro-apartments can be
combined to form a large apartment complex.
What are the advantages of using shipping containers to construct homes, apartments,
cottages, and offices? With around 14 million 'out-of-service' containers on the planet,
there are plenty to go around. And there's something about large blocks that appeals to
everyone.
Aside from being trendy, interest in container homes is part of a broader trend toward
prefabricated and modular buildings as a way to save money. Many would-be
homeowners want to save money on construction and maintenance. There's also a
misconception that container homes help with recycling.
Estimated Building Costs
Construction costs range from N50 000 - N75 000 per sqm depending on final
specification and finishes.

5. Townhouses
A townhouse is a privately owned, multi-level residential home that shares at least one
wall with another property. Townhouses are sometimes referred to as row houses since
they are often built side by side, especially in densely populated areas.
A townhouse owner owns both the structure and the land on which it is built.
Townhouse clusters are sometimes part of a larger town-home community, which is
often controlled by a homeowners organization that establishes community rules,
collects membership fees from homeowners, and coordinates maintenance.
Estimated Building Costs
Although depending on a lot of factors surrounding the construction of the townhouse
such as location, size etc, the construction cost of building a townhouse in Nigeria
ranges from N45 million - N200 million

6. Traditional houses
Nigerian traditional houses are constructed to fulfil the social, cultural, and religious
needs of individuals as well as the entire community. Natural resources such as mud,
wood, palm, grass, wood, and other vegetable materials were used to construct
traditional Nigerian dwellings.
Estimated Building Costs
This is the cheapest housing type to build on this list and the estimated building cost is
about N100,000 and above depending on the size and the materials used

7. Apartment buildings
Apartment house, also known as apartment block or block of flats, is a structure that
has many living units, the majority of which are designated for domestic use but may
include stores and other non-residential elements. The most typical way to live in an
apartment house has been to rent it. Multiple ownership of units on a single site, on the
other hand, has grown considerably more prevalent.
Individual cooking facilities, the number of sleeping rooms, and the less transient
character of the tenants distinguish apartments from multi-unit residential occupancies
that are not considered homes, such as hotels and boarding homes.
Estimated Building Costs
This largely depends on the size and complexity of the structure to be constructed, but it
would cost from N100 million and above.

8. Semi detached houses
A single family duplex dwelling that shares one common wall with the next house is
known as a semi-detached house. This form of building is distinguished from detached
houses, which have no shared walls, and terraced houses, which have a shared wall on
both sides. Semi-detached houses are frequently built in pairs, with each house's plan
mirroring the other's.
Estimated Building Costs
Because construction expenses are often lower than those of a fully detached home,
you typically receive more space for your money (or the same thing for less). Some of
the semi-detached homes being built in Nigeria today are highly appealing to the eye
thanks to modern architecture.

9. “Face-me-i-face-you”
is a phrase used in Nigeria to describe a type of residential real estate in which a group
of one or two-room flats have their entrances facing each other along a pathway that
leads to the apartment building's main entrance. This type of apartment buildings are a
common architectural form in Nigeria's major urban areas; the apartments are typically
rented to low-income inhabitants due to their affordability.
The toilet(s), bathroom(s), and kitchen area are frequently shared among tenants in a
yard in this form of design.
Estimated Building Costs
This depends on the total number of rooms to be constructed and the size of the
building. But the estimated building costs range from N2 million to N20 million

10. Penthouses
An apartment or unit on the highest floor of an apartment building, condominium, hotel,
or tower is known as a penthouse. Penthouses are distinguished from ordinary
residences by their luxurious amenities. The name 'penthouse' originally referred to a
separate smaller 'house' built on the top of an apartment building, and it still does
sometimes. Luxury features such as high-end equipment, finest materials fittings,
elegant flooring system, and more differentiate penthouses.
A private entrance or elevator, as well as higher/vaulted ceilings, may be found in
apartments not found in the remainder of the building. Penthouse apartments are
defined by having two or more stories in buildings that are predominantly made up of
single level units. A terrace, fireplace, extra floor area, oversized windows, numerous
master suites, den/office space, hot tubs, and other amenities may be included.
Estimated Building Costs
Penthouses are not constructed separately from the rest of the building, they are simply
at the top. Therefore, there is no special building cost for it, just costs of either buying
them or renting them.
To read and understand more about real estate investment for beginners:
https://pwanmax.com/blog/2021/09/06/real-estate-investment-guide-for-beginners/