SELF BUILT HOMES: IDENTIFYING AN ENABLING ENVIRONMENT FOR SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION

Abstract

Assisted self-built housing is a mechanism through which households/communities are given opportunities to build their own homes with financial, technical and infrastructural assistance from a government department or other benefactor. It is an effective form of construction, because it reduces the input cost for the assisting agency, allows the construction to be done according to the household’s needs, and gives valuable skills to the participating members. This makes self-built housing one of the most economically sustainable modes of affordable housing delivery. When integrated with local materials, building traditions, and skills, it also provides additional benefits to environmental sustainability. 

Despite this plethora of advantages and countless international cases demonstrating its advantage, Self Built Housing has fallen out of vogue. Slum improvement or housing construction programs utilizing this mode have not been attempted through government action except where large international aid agencies like the World Bank or USAID have been involved. This form of construction and ownership needs to be enabled through two classes of intervention. The first are interventions in policy that need to be made after exploring enabling policies in other developing nations and identifying legal restrictions to self-built housing. The second is technical standards that need to be created, updated, or retired to enable the use of local materials and techniques without making compromises on the safety and longevity of the housing.