What Really is PetitHAUS?

What Is PetitHaus?
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Qualitative housing that everyone can afford.

With Petit meaning 'Small' and Haus, 'House', we’re introducing an affordable housing model, a revolutionary solution that will upturn the traditional housing market on its head. Affordable housing for the people by the people.
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What Problems are we solving?.

Very simple, LACK OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING.  

There is a huge housing deficit which does not imply that there are no buildings, as a matter of fact, there are millions (to be modest) of vacant and unoccupied houses, flats and apartments all over the world. The main problem is that people can not afford these available houses, resulting in scary housing deficit numbers. There are a lot of factors that contribute to the global housing deficit, ranging from economic factors, social factors and political factors. Logically, it will make sense to fix all these other problems and housing will almost subsequently get solved. However, the reverse has been found to be the case.

Housing, apart from its direct implication on family and social development, has been discovered to be the key to reducing intergenerational poverty and increasing economic mobility, hence the need to get it right with housing. According to nlihc.org, access to affordable housing is the most cost-effective strategy for reducing poverty and increasing economic mobility. Having studied the sub-Saharan African countries with Nigeria as a keen target, something must be done as soon as possible, else, poverty will really overtake us regardless of whatever giant leaps will make with the economy.
The figures are staggering; 49% of Nigerians - 98 million, live in slums, while in Lagos, over 70% of residents - 14 million, live in the informal settlements or slums, lacking access to basic services (World Bank). For context, more than 300,000 people live in shanties in Makoko alone (Unequalscences.com). Young people between 25 to 45 represents the largest labour force, with around 43 million people (Statista.com, 2022) requiring additional 28 million housing Units (FMBN, 2023). The Housing Sector requires N21 Trillion to balance the housing deficit (CBN)

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Simply put, we want to solve the affordability problem of housing in order to reduce and possibly close the housing deficit gap.

Situation before PetitHaus.

The housing sector is plagued by three (3) main issues that make housing and home ownership unattainable, the pain points for many young people despite having a decent income. They are:
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Why do we care?

Inspired by researching slum house (batcher make-shift houses built from nylon, used cement bags, used/disposed construction wood) development, which have become so popular in urban cities that, according to the World Bank, 50% of urban population is said to live in slums. What this means in “housing deficit” terms is that 2 out of every 4 people you meet in a city like Lagos live in a shanty, in deplorable conditions and at the mercy of the next “Land Reclamation / Repurposement” which throws them out without any compensation ("after all, all they paid to own and build was a meagre amount plus a few drinks"), Slum houses seems to hold the key to affordability. I mean, the problem is not that there are no houses, the problem is that people can't afford them.
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Meanwhile, people need alternatives and they will naturally find a way, in fact, any way whatsoever to provide or augment shelter. This is why there is an alarming rise and popularity of batchers in every corner of the city as people have resorted to it as their only means to affordable housing. And surprisingly, people no longer care the government would come demolishing these homes anymore.

By studying this trend, we have realised that construction isn’t the problem as man will readily adapt to his reality, not minding to use whatever affordable and accessible construction method in meeting this need.

We also studied private home development by low and average income earners who have access to housing loans. We observed that in many occasions, people seek housing loans which is mostly spent on acquiring land, leaving them with a little with which they build. The strategy then is to start with building to completion, just a studio, or 1 bedroom as they can't afford completing the entire project. These project are often uncompleted for years even after being occupied by the owners, but deemed comfortable enough for the owners with the incentive of not paying rent.
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What we have gathered from these studies is that Land ownership is the heart of home ownership, the burden of shelter or accommodation eases when people have land. When people have land,  they become resourceful, resorting to the most accessible cheap materials for construction.

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What are we doing?

We have created a Tech-enabled low-income housing scheme that bridges the inequality gap by helping individuals to:

1. Access and Own Land

So first, we make land ownership pocket friendly by making small-sized land accessible and affordable to individuals who seek to own just enough (or more) to provide a homely abode.  

2. Build A Home

We team up with you to design and not just build a house, but rather, a qualitative home regardless of your land size, incorporating sustainability, efficiency and flexibility to achieve affordable construction. We help you build using materials such as wood, bamboo, laterite and aluminum for example, in a tasteful blend that will make your new home an environmental superstar. Believe, possibilities are endless.

3. Afford Decent & Qualitative living

Petit Haus allows for a wide range of customer-centric alternatives in appearance, planning, method of construction, safety, energy efficiency and interior furnishing that helps you achieve a decent lifestyle of class and style worthy of admiration. It is also not difficult to add new elements  to the existing structure, if necessary in the future.

4. Scale and Grow

Due to its simplicity, flexibility, safety and practicality, we make it easy for you to expand , increase and scale in property investment, making money from rent or sales.
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We help low/medium income earners access affordable, highly efficient qualitative living with unparalleled cost effectiveness. With reduced-sized titles, but amplified possibilities, this model thrives at the intersection of sustainability and minimalism.

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What Next?

Don't miss out on the opportunity to be part of a ground-breaking revolution in affordable housing. Take the first step towards owning your dream home by joining our movement today. Contact us or read our other articles to help you discover how you can become a property owner embracing a life of sustainability and affordability. Click here to partner or learn more and start your journey towards a brighter future!

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