Nairobi is kinder to buildings than the coast, but the sun is strong, the rains are heavy, and dust gets into everything. The materials that survive it tend to be the ones that were honest to begin with: stone, concrete left as concrete, timber that is oiled rather than painted.

We avoid finishes that depend on being perfect. A painted render cracks and shows it; a stone wall just weathers. Oiled timber greys gracefully and can be brought back; a lacquer peels. The aim is a house that earns a patina instead of collecting a maintenance list.

This is partly taste and partly arithmetic. Materials that age well cost more at the start and far less over the life of the building, which is the number that actually matters to someone planning to keep the place.