How much to build a Mini Flat (Room & Parlor) in Lagos
A room and parlor — the entry-level Lagos rental unit. Commonly built as a block of 4-6 units for rental income. The most profitable rental investment per sqm in Lagos.
🧱 How much will it cost to build?
Pick a house type, finish level and location — see the cost breakdown by stage.
Stage-by-stage cost breakdown
Total estimate: ₦12,000,000–₦18,000,000
Labor rates for this build
All construction artisans you'll need for this project
| Role | Daily rate | Monthly rate |
|---|---|---|
Bricklayer/Mason Lays blocks, renders walls. The most critical artisan — bad bricklaying means uneven walls and structural issues. Experienced bricklayers charge premium. | ₦5,000–₦10,000 | ₦120,000–₦250,000 |
Carpenter Roofing framework, formwork for concrete casting, doors/window frames. A good roofing carpenter prevents leaks for decades. | ₦5,000–₦8,000 | ₦100,000–₦200,000 |
Plumber Water supply and drainage installation. First fix (before plastering) and second fix (after tiling). Poor plumbing causes the most expensive post-construction repairs. | ₦4,000–₦8,000 | ₦80,000–₦180,000 |
Electrician Wiring, conduit installation, panel board, earthing. MUST be certified — unlicensed electricians cause house fires. First fix and second fix stages. | ₦4,000–₦8,000 | ₦80,000–₦180,000 |
Tiler Floor and wall tile installation. Specialist tilers (marble, porcelain) charge N10K-N18K/day vs N5K-N8K for standard ceramic. | ₦5,000–₦12,000 | ₦100,000–₦250,000 |
Painter Interior and exterior painting. Screeding, filling, undercoat, and finishing. A 3-bedroom needs 2-3 weeks of painting work. | ₦4,000–₦7,000 | ₦80,000–₦150,000 |
POP Installer Plaster of Paris ceiling specialist. Paid per sqm (N3K-N6K/sqm installed) rather than daily rate. Cornices and decorative work cost extra. | ₦5,000–₦10,000 | — |
Welder/Iron Bender Bends and ties iron rods for reinforcement. Also fabricates gates, burglar-proof bars, and railings. | ₦4,000–₦8,000 | ₦80,000–₦160,000 |
Laborer (General) Carries materials, mixes mortar, assists artisans. A site needs 3-6 laborers depending on project size. | ₦3,000–₦5,000 | ₦60,000–₦100,000 |
Site Engineer/Foreman Supervises construction, reads drawings, manages artisans. A qualified site engineer prevents costly structural mistakes. 5-7% of project budget. | ₦15,000–₦30,000 | ₦350,000–₦600,000 |
📝 The Lagos context
A mini-flat — one bedroom, a sitting room, kitchen and bathroom — is the smallest standalone unit most people build, and often the cheapest way into property development in Lagos. On a plot, a row or block of mini-flats is a classic rental play: modest per-unit build cost, steady tenant demand from young singles and couples, and quicker rental turnover than larger units. The build cost below excludes land, which in Lagos is frequently the largest single line of the whole project.
Where the number lands depends mostly on finish level and location. A basic finish keeps costs down with standard tiles, fittings and painting; a standard finish adds better tiling, a fitted kitchen and decent sanitaryware; a luxury finish (POP, quality doors, premium fittings) can push the figure up by a wide margin for the same floor area. Material prices — cement, rods, blocks — set the structural cost, while finishing is where your choices swing the total.
The smart approach on a mini-flat is to control the structure tightly and spend selectively on finishing. Buy structural materials in bulk in a soft price window, supervise blockwork and concrete for quality, and put the finishing budget where tenants actually notice — the kitchen, the bathroom and the floors. For a first-time developer, the mini-flat is the lowest-risk way to learn the process while building something that rents.