Free Consultation,18,June,2013

House Extension and renovation

Query 1

Sir,

Greetings to you. I am Antony and would like to take guidance from you on an expansion/ addition plan. Would it be possible for you to come to the location and give some suggestion. Your travel cost will be born by me. We have an old house on which we have made some light modifications to make it comfortable. However , now we think we could go for two more Bed rooms upstairs.

My reply

Many people think that house extension and renovation can be a cheaper option. Basic problem starts with nonprofessional design and construction of the original building .While constructing existing building at plan stage naturally you could not understand exactly what you get after construction. Once the house is completed even a lay man can understand defects in design and construction. But it will be too late to do anything on that.

Unless you have any sentimental attachment to the old building constructed without proper professional design and construction without technical guidance, it will be cheaper and better to go for a new construction. Most of the defects in old building cannot be rectified even by an expert and defects in construction most probably done by a non-professional contractor with an eye only for profit will start coming out as you start breaking and modifying old building parts

Before venturing into modification/renovation, always get the building checked by a qualified experienced expert. Present your needs to him and let him decide whether it will be worth going for extension technically and economically

Design and Construction of house

Query-1

Dear Mr.Thomas
I am really impressed and found helpful about your guidelines in your blog.
I am based at Aloor, near Chalakudy I have a plot of 41 cents, would like to make a good home, cost effectively.
I am having a plan and attaching with this.
Its just an idea..
We need your valuable guidance.

Query-2

HI,

I am planning to build a 1900sq ft. contemporary house. Plot area is 6 cents near Aluva. I need the house to be simple and classy . I go through your pictures in blog and FB but all of the houses are traditional . Can you send me some contemporary house models ?

Query-3

Hi Sir,
I used to read your articles and would like to have your service to architect my house.
I'm planning for 1500 sq.feet house by demolishing old house(it's very old and in bad condition but can save some old wood from that).

I would like to know if you can come for a visit at Ammadam(Thrissur Dist.) and architect a house as per our ideas.

Also curious on your other services like technical guidance by watching the construction progress and taking care of entire construction process etc.

Frankly, I'm looking for house which got small courtyard/3bhk by using all the available space in budget

My reply

Design of a house is the most important part of building a house. Any Architect/Engineer or those who know how to draw a plan of the house cannot design the most appropriate plan for your house. Apart from technical training at an Engineering college, a good designer of the house should know essential methods of designing a good house like some of the  the following:

1. How to use the available space in the most economic manner without wasting even a bit of space

2. Get maximum utility for the built up space. Arrange doors and passages in a manner to get maximum utilisable space

3. Provide space sufficient to meet the requirement but not simply large spaces that cannot be used

4. Provide light and ventilation in all living spaces without having to depend on lighting during day time

5. Provide stair in a manner to avoid dark space below and make it a show piece of the house. Avoid stair close to outer walls

6. Provide Vasthu compliance

7.Provide features to reduce cost of construction

A site visit will be better to understand site conditions and to visualise your future house in the surroundings. Such a site visit always helps me to dream your house better. After the site visit I will require time to design your house first in my mind before I can actually sit in front of a computer and start drawing using Auto CAD software. Many of clients do not give sufficient time for me to do this preparation for designing your house. In fact that unnecessary haste can only harm your interest as even the best Architect may not design your house in the best possible manner if you do not give sufficient time to develop the most appropriate plan for your house

Quite a few of the people draw a plan by themselves and ask me to me draw a plan like that. I do agree that you are constructing house with your money. But that do not mean that you know better than an expert to draw the best plan for your house. Instead of using the expertise of a professional why should you order him to follow what you have drawn? Instead of dictating your needs for house, it will always help if you can have detailed discussions with the Architect on your needs, dreams, and financial constraints if any before and after preparation of plan of the house

Slope roofs and slope sunshades are provided in Kerala houses due to continuous rains in Kerala at least for six months. House should be designed in a manner to suit our climate. There should be sunshades just above windows and not much above. Some people think that providing slope sunshades are not modern. House in each locality will have to be designed to suit that locality climate and culture

After preparing and finalising plan of the house, you will require more detailed drawings, occasional site visits and instructions to workers to convert the design in to reality, I can offer these services even for houses not directly built by us

In the present Kerala scenario where most of the large houses have only two older couple staying, it is better to avoid Nadumuttom which can only increase your cost and reduce your security. Kerala houses were having Nadumuttom in those days when each of the houses had lot of people staying together in joint family set up. Of course you can go for Chuttu verandah to a limited extent, Poomukham which were traditional Kerala Architecture features, if you have the budget to have such nice features

Plan prepared by a friend

Query

Sir,

Hope you remember me.

We had discuss about new construction of my house.

My plot is located in Kolencheri, Pattimattom. Ernakulam.

As I told you attached design made by my friend who is working in UAE.

I like this design and we need a professional architecture who can take care about construction in our absence.

If you have any suggestions or changes required about this design please let me know.

Manju

My reply

Plan of the house should not be simply pleasing to your eyes. It should be technically right, Vasthu right and economical to build also

Just because your friend has drawn it, it is not a good plan of a house. I will just point out few mistakes:

1. Look at the second column of rooms. No natural light or ventilation there.

2. Bed room at North East, car porch at North west  are not Vasthu ok for your house. I could not read dimensions  from the drawing sent but still Kitchen is too long and South east portion of it is left out for Work area and not used for Kitchen

3. Stair case is simply a round. Such stair will require more space, which I do not know whether you have. That area is completely dark also. Not enough sitting space for living room

If I have to take up work, plan will have to be completely revised and I can work on the plan only after visiting site and studying site conditions

There is quite a lot of space wastage in the plan while not providing sufficient space where it matters

Vasthu aspects

Query

Sir,

We are planning to redo our house it has a front portion (west side) which is a new building with a drawing room and two bedroom and the plan is to redo the east part which is an old building and convert (and join) it to the existing building with a bedroom on the northeast part a dining at the east (center) and kitchen towards the southeast corner.

The master bedroom is on the southwest corner and the attached bathroom for the same is on the eastern side of the room - is this bad?

As per the current layout do not have scope to modify the west side of land as the house is built on the first floor (ground floor being shops)

Since we as a family has been going through continuous serious medical ailments did not want to risk anything.

please share your suggestions.

,Lalit

My reply

As per Vasthu toilets at South east, North East and South west corners of the house are bad and should be avoided. Please send plan of your house in pdf for me to check on Vasthu, architectural and structural engineering aspects

 House Construction at Kannur

Query-1

Dear Sir,
I am based in Kuwait in the Gulf Area.
I am from  near Pariyaram Medical College, Taliparamba Kannur District.
I have a plot of 17cents. Want to construct a house under an engineer supervision. Please do you have reliable subordinate or people down in Kannur to help supervise our construction. What would be your advice. Budget is around 30-35 lakhs.
Waiting for your valuable advice.

Sameer

Kuwait

Query-2

Dear Thomas,
Good day!
Please let me know if you have office in Karunagapally to discuss about renovating an old house with total of 2 to 3 rooms in 7 cents.
I want to know the renovation cost & the drawing plan.
Awaiting your reply

My reply

We can design your house, provide complete engineering details later and also provide occasional site visits to guide and instruct workers at your construction site even at Kannur. In fact I have designed several houses in that area and visited several sites as a consultant. Your budget seems to be realistic for a house of up to four bed rooms. Send me following details to start working on plan of your house:

First step in construction of house is preparation of Basic Plan of the house

Site visit before preparing plan will be better though plan can be prepared if you can give complete measurements of all four sides of plot, directions of each side and positions of roads near plot.

Basic Plan of the house will show positions and dimensions of rooms, other living spaces, doors and windows only. It will not show Elevation and we will start working on Elevation only after finalisation of Basic Plan of the house which is the most important drawing for house construction. We can provide you Elevation in photo like view later at extra charges

We will be preparing this Basic Plan in AutoCAD software and you will get a pdf copy by email within a week of site visit.

Most important cost reduction technique is getting most appropriate plan of the house giving you maximum utility for every bit of built up space, proper ventilation and natural light in all living spaces and make maximum utility by utilising space inside the house appropriately.

Just anyone who knows how to draw a plan in AutoCAD cannot give you this best possible plan of the house which is the most critical factor to give you a better house by design and at lesser cost. Expertise for designing such a plan will not come by attending an engineering /architectural course. It require wealth of experience acquired through years of designing and getting involved in actual execution of work at different sites in different conditions. It also require creative talent and common sense which can get ignited only by learning by working with established experts in the field.

Basic Plan for the house will be prepared after site visit, taking into account following:

1. Information provided by you on your needs, desires and hopes for the house.

2. Vasthu aspects

3. Traditional Kerala Architecture features

4. Modern architecture features

5. Structural engineering aspects to reduce cost of construction

6. Kerala Building Rules

7. Features of site and surroundings

I require detailed write up from you on what all you require in the house including your dreams for the house.

Our technical knowledge in the fields of Architecture, Structural Engineering and Vasthu will be used while designing your house.

House and Studio apartment at Trichur

Query

Dear Mr. Thomas,

I am .Sameera , residing at Abu Dhabi, basically from Thrissur Dt. i read your article in Kerala architecture. I am planning to build a house back in Kerala, i already got a plot of 76 cent.there is an engineering college near by plot & I am focusing on that,i plan to build quarters like studio flats for an income purpose with a low cost. my plot is facing to the bus route road, so the quarters can be in the front area. on the left side of the plot there is a panchayat road, so i want the house to be at the back.behind my plot there is a river Bharathapuzha, which expects to be a good scene for my plot.

if you can suggest me some good architects somewhere in Thrissur, i will be grateful to you.we are basically from Cheruthuruthy. i need a modern contemporary house in an affordable budget with 4 bedrooms in 2 story. please advise me if you know any good architects. since I am a beginner in this field, i need an architect who can trust & rely on for my dream house.

Awaiting for your reply.

My reply

Why should you strain to find out a Trichur based Architect when we can assist you to get work done after designing and guiding in the most professional manner? We do not do any compromise on professional competence of the work, Engineering standards, quality work and Vasthu compliance in addition to guiding you to save cost as much as possible without compromising on quality.

In fact you will save more money than what you may pay as fees for our services. So it can only be  a better option for you as we take away your head aches on design and construction of your building

Landscape tile laying

Query

Hello Mr. Thomas,
Is Vettukallu used or paving the yard in Kerala. If so what thickness do
the pavers come in? And also what would be the sq. meter cost?
A reply would be greatly appreciated
Thanks
Jose

My reply

I do not recommend use of Vettukallu floor landscape tile laying.It will be better and cheaper to use Interlock tiles

House Construction in Kerala without any relative or friend to supervise the work

Query

Dear Mr.Thomas,
I searched in Google and found your website.  We are currently in Dubai, planning to settle down in Kerala, Kochi.  We are looking for a place near Thripunitura.  Sir if we find a plot, I would like to know if you can give us an estimate to construct a 4 bedroom house. We are a middle class family with 3 little girls. We need a compact house with not too much frills.  Another concern is that, since we are residing in Dubai who will be responsible for supervising the construction.  Do we have to be there to supervise, and how long will it take to construct a 4 bedroom house.
Waiting anxiously for a reply from your side,
Elizabeth 

My reply

We can take up design and construction of your house directly without requirement for any one from your side to supervise or make any other arrangements. We have built many such houses in different parts of Kerala for persons living and working away from Kerala

We are professionals in designing and building house/other type building from concept to finish. We undertake such work with all professional care and technical perfection all over Kerala state and even outside state. Most of our works are done for NRIs with practically no one at site to monitor or manage the work.

Traditionally houses in Kerala were designed and built without involvement of professionals. Plan of the house is never treated as the most important drawing for the house which can either give you good value for your money or waste your money. Instead of getting a good professional plan of the house, people used to go for someone who will do it for few hundreds or for nothing as if it is not at all important. We are bringing professional design and professional guidance in house construction in Kerala practically as the first such professional agency

If you have own work force and people to manage construction at site, we can also act as designers and consultants to provide site supervision and technical guidance at a comparatively lower cost

Clay tiles for flooring

Query

Sir,

We are constructing a house at Poojappura Trivandrum. We would like to do the floors with terracotta tiles. In one of your blog you recommended Kap India  tiles as quality tile. But when we contacted them, we were informed that they have stopped manufacturing clay tiles due to shortage of clay.

Please advise us of any other manufactures who produce quality clay tiles so that we can procure at the earliest.

My reply

Kap India tiles in Trichur can supply you clay tiles with strength of vitrified tiles in 30 x 30 sizes.These are imported tiles marketed by them and I have used it in one of my house sites and found to be quite good strength wise and appearance.

After completing structure and plastering work, you require continuous guidance from a qualified and well-experienced Architect on each of the following works that come up

You need advice and guidance of a qualified and experienced person to know various options available to you, latest trends and ways and means to decrease cost while improving utility and appearance of the building.

Look at some of the pending works

1. Putty finish for walls and painting

2. Flooring and toilet wall/floor tile laying with latest trend designs/patterns

3. Plumbing and sanitary works

4. Electrical wiring and fittings

5. Interior woodwork like modular Kitchen, cupboards and Interior lay out design

6. Furniture work with woodcarving

8. Land scape design, arrangements and much more

We can undertake these after structure work by providing professional guidance and expert workers

To assess work already done in the house and to suggest/advise on pending works to be done I can visit your house under construction

A house for Nadumuttom

Dear Sir,

We are in the process of constructing a house in Kerala. I have been going through your blogs and have understood many details. We would be very very thankful if you can look in to our attached plans and give us your good opinion. This basic is our own plan and we than gave it to Vasthu people to check it, there was corrections made and this is the final one (2 versions attached) what is received.

Basically our house is facing to the west. The plan is with Nadumuttam in it and we would like to have this Nadumuttam used as a rest area with a small sofa etc. But the main thing which is confusing us now is, as per Vasthu people, they have placed the Kitchen in the North East position which after reading your blog and many others feel that this is not the right place. It is a very humble request from our side to you to give us a good opinion on this. Should we change the kitchen to South East. Also some say the Nadumuttam area mentioned in the plan is also not correct and also the bedroom sizes.. Actually we wanted to have a long area for Nadumuttam to place sofa etc. A step will be keep to have an entry in to the Nadumuttam. This is a single story house only. The elevation is not decided, hence unable to forward to you.

We are now altogether confused. Could you please check for us and let us know if all okay and what corrections to be made? It will be of very good help from your side.

Also would be very very thankful if you could brief on some basic points that we have to consider for the vasthu.

Looking forward to have your valuable suggestions and comments.

Thank You Very Much

Prisha

Irinjalakuda,

My reply

Plan which you have sent shows an unusually long Nadumuttom without proper positioning and arrangement for every other living space.It appeared to me that you are constructing a house only for a Nadumuttom.Why should you waste your hard earned money by designing house on your own as if there is no experts in house design and construction in Kerala

Plan has got Vasthu,Architectural defects and it will have to be completely revised.Nobody keep sofa inside Nadumuttom.It is normally kept in Living room

Mad Craze for Gold

Gold price have today fallen to Rs.19,800/- per Sovereign.
In fact our country is facing serious balance of payment crisis due to increase in gold imports as gold prices fall,people are madly buying up more gold.
It is okay to an extent if otherwise rich people buy gold to make their ego happy.Other than that I do not find any reason to buy and hoard gold by comparatively poor people.
I have never purchased gold and I do not have even a piece of gold on my body.I do not remember experiencing anything bad by not possessing gold.
Poor people of the country practically ruin their life in debts due to this meaningless craze for gold.To my knowledge there is absolutely no need for gold for a human being to live well.
.These people from lower strata of society buy gold and when need for money arises they pledge gold and get money on huge interest.If at all they manage to take back gold from money lenders like Manappuram from whom unscrupulous film super stars make money,money invested for gold keep on rising with each pledging of gold.If only they could sell gold when first need of money came up,they could have saved lots of interest paid to money lenders.But they never sell gold and go on pledging gold again and again thereby piling up money invested to keep gold as their own as if it is the most precious thing in the world.Finally if at all they get wiser to sell gold,there is no proper shop ready to buy it and money they get back by selling will not be even half the money invested on gold as price and repeated interest paid to money lender will make gold in possession very costly
So please try not to buy gold and advise people never to pledge gold and take money for interest from money lender.It is as good as paying interest for money in your possession locked up as gold.If you simply deposit your money in ordinary Savings Deposit in bank money can grow much faster than money spent on gold or in LIC or any other insurance policies

You want to reduce cost of house construction?

How do you reduce cost during house construction? For quite some time about twenty years back, we used to think Lawrie Baker style of construction will reduce cost. At that time labour was cheap. So, Mr. Baker suggested ways of reducing cost by increasing labour input and reducing material input.
Now both labour and material are costly. So Lawrie Baker method cannot work. People who want to construct a house go on enquiring about reducing cost to all those whom they meet. Each will tell half cooked ideas as he feels. Person planning to build house always prefer to avoid those who may know about reducing cost of construction, Professional Architects and Engineers. Every other person will tell you that they will increase the cost of construction and only those with unlimited funds can afford them. Nonprofessional contractors spread the word that there is no need of such professionals if you have a limited budget.
What makes a successful Architect? It is not simply that degree he got by studying in an Engineering college. I will say, most important qualification required for a successful Architect is common sense and he needs lots of it combined with creative capability to question every method and practice of construction normally adopted and find out new ways and methods which will give better utility, appearance and lesser cost
In my view, most important cost reduction method in house construction is getting the most appropriate plan of the house. By plan, I mean what you see when looking at a building from top after you cut portion above window level and remove top portion. Lots of people think an Architect is required only to give a good impressive looking Elevation for the house. Several people approach me saying that plan is ready, but an impressive Elevation is required for the plan
If you require a good Elevation, plan will have to be designed in such a manner to get good looking Elevation. Elevation is just a projection of plan in the third dimension.
How does an Architect develop a good plan of the house? Those few years he spent in Engineering College can teach him certain skills, crafts and vocabulary only. With that basic training, once he come out of college and start working he learns by working, interacting with all sorts of people associated with house construction. This learning by experience only makes him an Architect capable of giving you the best. Each new project poses new problems which he has never encountered earlier . An intelligent creative talented Architect learns to design well saving you money, space and providing you better utility for each built up space, step by step by experience
So, only way of reducing cost is to have an experienced professional to design your house and guide you from beginning to end of house construction. Plan of the house is just starting point of the design. You need detailed architectural and structural engineering drawings, guidance at each stage of construction. Your Architect is the only person to suggest you material to be used for construction and definitely not the person you meet on the road or your hundreds of relatives offering to give free advise without any risk!
A lot of people think that by giving the work on square feet basis to a contractor you can reduce or control cost. I have heard people telling, ”Pinne Onnum ariyanda”Can you show me two contractors doing construction in the same manner with same quality standards and professional methods of construction? Each contractor builds as he choose simply to increase his profit. If you are unwilling to pay reasonable profit for him, he will find ways to get profit from your work and quality of your house construction will naturally suffer.
When each contractor builds as he choose, how can there be a universal square feet cost of construction? But without specifying a square feet cost, you will not give work to the contractor. Please try to find out what you are getting for that rate and whether contractor will agree to follow detailed drawings of a professional and instructions during construction.

As the days of contractors and professionals begging for work is coming to an end,such apprehensions do not matter.Almost every one who do not know about this field in Kerala think professionals and contractors are going to come searching for work which is not true in the present scenario

Free Consultation,14/5/13

Cost reduction during House Construction

Query-1

I am Biju  an IT Professional currently based in Riyadh,KSA.

I have come across your official page and blog on searching construction tips. I noticed that you are giving free consultation and appreciate your kind mind and consideration towards better construction.

I am in the process of constructing a house at my native.

I hereby attaching the plan for Ground Floor and First Floor. I am planning to give the contract to one of my friends as I am abroad and will not be in a position to supervise closely. Could you please advise me some tips/points to reduce the construction cost as I have some budgetary constrains. I am not planning for a luxury building but a safe and good house.

My Budget is max 40lacs

Waiting eagerly for your advise

My Reply

How do u reduce cost during house construction? For quite some time about twenty years back,we used to think Lawrie Baker style of construction will reduce cost.At that time labour was cheap.So,Mr.Baker suggested ways of reducing cost by increasing labour input and reducing material input.

Now both labour and material are costly.So Lawrie Baker method cannot work.People who want to construct a house go on enquiring about reducing cost to all those whom they meet.Each will tell half cooked ideas as he feels.Person planning to build house always prefer to avoid those who may know about reducing cost of construction, Professional Architects and Engineers.Every other person will tell you that they will increase the cost of construction and only those with unlimited funds can afford them.Non professional contractors spread the word that there is no need of such professionals if you have a limited budget.

What makes a successful Architect? It is not simply that degree he got by studying in an Engineering college.I will say ,most important qualification required for a successful Architect is common sense and he needs lots of it combined with creative capability to question every method and practice of construction normally adopted and find out new ways and methods which will give better utility,appearance and lesser cost

In my view,most important cost reduction method in house construction is getting the most appropriate plan of the house.By plan,I mean what you see when looking at a building from top after you cut portion above window level and remove top portion.Lots of people think an Architect is required only to give a good impressive looking Elevation for the house.Several people approach me saying that plan is ready ,but an impressive Elevation is required for the plan

If you require a good Elevation,plan will have to be designed in such a manner to get good looking Elevation.Elevation is just a projection of plan in the third dimension.

How do an Architect develop a good plan of the house? Those few years he spent in Engineering college can teach him certain skills, crafts and vocabulary only.With that basic training,once he come out of college and start working he learns by working,interacting with all sorts of people associated with house construction.This learning by experience only make him an Architect capable of giving you the best.Each new project poses new problems which he has never encountered earlier . An intelligent creative talented Architect learns to design well saving you money,space and providing you better utility for each built up space, step by step by experience

So,only way of reducing cost is to have an experienced professional to design your house and guide you from beginning to end of house construction.Plan of the house is just starting point of the design.You need detailed architectural and structural engineering drawings,guidance at each stage of construction.Your Architect is the only person to suggest you material to be used for construction and definitely not the person you meet on the road or your hundreds of relatives offering to give free advise without any risk!

A lot of people think that by giving the work on square feet basis to a contractor you can reduce or control cost.I have heard people telling,”Pinne Onnum ariyanda”Can you show me two contractors doing construction in the same manner with same quality standards and professional methods of construction?Each contractor builds as he choose simply to increase his profit.If you are unwilling to pay reasonable profit for him,he will find ways to get profit from your work and quality of your house construction will naturally suffer.

When each contractor builds as he choose,how can there be a universal square feet cost of construction? But without specifying a square feet cost,you will not give work to the contractor.Please try to find out what you are getting for that rate and whether contractor will agree to follow detailed drawings of a professional and instructions during construction.

Free Consultation,5,May,2013

Construction Materials

Quote

Hi Thomas,
Please give me some good guideline on the below statement that I got from my contractor.
1.Living and dining will be laid with vitrified 6’x4’RAK vitrified tiles costing Rs.300 per sq. ft. or equivalent.
•Bed rooms will be provided with RAK vitrified tiles 1metre x1metre costing Rs90/- per sq.ft..
I'm totally confused. Is he is over charging with this tiles installation. Please advice. Shall I go-ahead with or need to stop?

My reply

After completing structure and plastering work, you require continuous guidance from a qualified and well-experienced Architect on each of the following works that come up

You need advice and guidance of a qualified and experienced person to know various options available to you, latest trends and ways and means to decrease cost while improving utility and appearance of the building.

Look at some of the pending works

1. Putty finish for walls and painting

2. Flooring and toilet wall/floor tile laying with latest trend designs/patterns

3. Plumbing and sanitary works

4. Electrical wiring and fittings

5. Interior woodwork like modular Kitchen, cupboards and Interior lay out design

6. Furniture work with woodcarving

8. Land scape design, arrangements and much more

Basically a non professional contractor is in business simply to make profit.As most of the house building clients ask for either “square feet cost” or lump sum amount to finish work,contractors are forced to give some indication to get work.No two contractors does the work in the same manner and as most of the contractors have no professional back ground they are free to some how manage construction to make profit.In the process you miss professional guidance,proper Engineering and Architectural inputs,quality of construction.It also create/cause unnecessary work,waste of space

House building person do not bother to consult a professional.Instead they keep on asking any one they meet for free advices and they invariably misguide you

In this particular case,why should you go for costly RAK flooring materials when there are much better cheaper options available? Contact us by email for proper guidance on flooring and other works

vhthomas@viruvelil.com

Query-2

We had installed readymade overhead water tank in our house. Could you please tell us how hygienic this is and how to clean this

My reply

There is nothing wrong with a good quality pvc water tank with inner lining even though a Ferro cement water tank will be better ,but difficult to get.Cleaning can be done by getting inside tank and cleaning as usual

Query-3

Dear Sir
Kindly suggest from where we can buy good quality granite in Trivandrum or nearby areas.

My reply

I do not recommend use of Granite/Marble for flooring.There are better cheaper flooring options available.Email me if you need guidance

Query-4

Dear Sir,
Can you tell me how much it will cost for Parquet my house staircase (150sq.ft) .. I'm from Pathanamthitta can you suggest me a shop or a person who can Parquet in our area..
Vysakh Sharma

My reply

Sorry.Being a professional I cannot recommend any shop or person for material supply or work.If we do the work or act as consultant we will guide you on this.Otherwise,we cannot do anything about it

Square feet cost of construction

I have written several times earlier about meaningless nature of the so called “square feet  cost of construction” But still I get phone calls and email enquiries frequently asking for square feet cost of construction.Naturally some non professional contractor might have quoted some square feet cost of construction and those contacting me must be trying to verify whether such rate given by him is right or wrong.Let me explain few aspects on this

1.No uniform  method of construction adopted by different contractors

You can compare rates given by two contractors only if they do construction in same manner with same quality of construction with proper Engineering and quality standards.

Even if you do not know or understand contractor knows that for construction of a house which involve hundreds of materials and different type of labour,cost invariably goes up almost every day.

2.Delay in getting workers

A house can be completed only after an year or more again depending upon funds available at right time and also labour available at right time.In most of the cases,contractor may find it difficult to get workers at short notice as they naturally will be working on some other projects and they cannot survive by working for only one contractor or for only one house project.So delays due to non availability of workers is a fact in Kerala conditions about which no body can do any thing about.Similarly if the contractor has to get expert workers for some type of workers he may have to wait at times as they will be busy working on another project.Just because you have given work to a contractor do not mean that he will stop all his other works and send his complete work force to your project immediately

3.How do contractor give fixed rate when cost goes up every day?

Even though cost of all inputs goes up every day,you want contractor to give fixed cost/rate.Then how can he manage work? He will have to reduce cost by compromising on quality of construction by saving both material and labour wherever possible.Luckily for him most of the house building owners do not know practically anything about construction

4.How can there be a uniform square feet cost of construction?

Design of the house will be different,location of construction will be different,soil conditions and landscape conditions will be different,cost of all inputs goes up every day.Still if the contractor do not give you lowest “square feet cost” you will not give work to him.You are trying to out smart him by denying proper profit for his work.So he in turn out smart you by compromising on work quality wherever possible to get more profit in spite of your insistence on lowest rate of construction

5.How to go about it?

Have an experienced qualified professional who have done several house construction directly.More no of houses designed and built make him more valuable and helpful to you as each experience teach him a lot.No body become an expert professional just by getting a professional degree from an Engineering college.At best the person will be familiar with some vocabulary and you cannot expect anything more.Our educational system do not produce people who can work on a job

Most of the people do not know what exactly plan of the house is and how important it is to provide you better facilities,lesser cost and better house.Lots of people think as the person who spend money,Architect should draw a plan as you draw! You should restrict your role to explaining to Architect about expressing what you want in the house and your honest budget indications/restrictions.You should leave everything else to the professional to decide.

When you select a contractor let the Architect guide you on that and not simply go for  lowest “square feet cost” contractor. If you think you can make contractor build your house by loosing his money,you can only be the fool at the end.Contractor has seen more smarter chaps than you  and he knows how to make money out of you even by compromising on quality of construction.You may not  notice defects in construction before he get his money and walk away.If at a later date if you find any problem,he will be the first person to ask you why you have not taken help of a good professional even though earlier he might have told you to get work that he knows everything!

Plan of the house is only the first drawing for house construction.You need detailed Architectural/Structural Engineering detailed drawings,regular visits by professional and proper instructions to workers

It is better to divide contract in to two parts: structural work and after structure work and enter in to contract with contractor only for structural work first.If after completion of structure work,if you and your consultant feel good about work of contractor then only give after structure work to same contractor retaining right for choice of materials to you in consultation with your consultant

Query-2

Dear Sir,
is possible to make a house@7 lakhs.i want a low cost house,can you guide?
Rajesh

Query-3

Sir,
I am planning to build a 3 bed room house...my budget is 14 lakhs....Is it possible to build a house with this budget now?...i am planning 2 story building...because, the place is not flat. please reply me your suggestion.....

My reply

A house can be built even with Rs.50,000/- But the trouble is that you need lots of facilities which will cost more than Rs.7 lakhs and still want the house to cost only Rs.7 lakhs.That is not possible

First discuss with a qualified experienced Architect on your requirements and budget constraints.Get a design of the house which can be built within your budget

Write to me for guidance to

vhthomas@viruvelil.com

Building rules

Query

Outhouse constructed as a material store for the Main building construction is treated the part of the main building and area taken for luxury tax. How can be a store (a separate building) will be the part of main building for calculating the luxury tax?? please advice..
there is no connection between the two buildings.
Jacob..

My reply

Better  get your query clarified with your local authority office.Without knowing full details on the matter ,I cannot comment on it

Free Consultation,22,April,2013

Elevations for houses recently designed by us

Three dimensional Elevation for house designed by us for USA Based NRI at Angamaly ,3300 sft with four bed room attached,Office room,Home theatre and all usual common facilities.

Three Dimensional Elevation for four bed  house 2400 sft for gulf based NRI at Ettumanoor

Design and Construction of house

Query-1

Dear Mr. Thomas,
My name is Muthu.I'm from Kannur district and currently working in UAE. I've read many of your blogs and online interactions and found them very informative and interesting.
I'm planning to build a house in Kannur and would like to get your architectural professional Service. Kannur being away from your office location, I presume it wouldn't be possible for you to inspect the site before the design or supervise the construction at later stage. However, I would like to check with you if you can help me get the plan/design drawings and an elevation for the house.
I can send you the site map with directions and all my requirements through email. I need to know the professional services you can offer me in this case Basic Requirement: 2 storied 4 bedroom traditional Kerala style house, approximately 2500 sq. ft..
Appreciate your time and valuable reply.

My reply

We can design a house for construction anywhere in the world.There is no harm in me visiting site at Kannur.But due to distance it will be better to restrict visits as much as possible.If you can provide me outer dimensions of all four sides of the plot clearly indicating directions,position of roads near plot and details on your requirements of house,we can design the house for you.Later we can also give detailed architectural and structural engineering drawings ,instructions and guidance through out construction of the house

Query-2

Hello,
I am looking to build a house of about 1500 sq. ft., 15 lakhs estimate in Calicut. ( if possible a 3 BHK house). Please send me some good plans.

Akshaya

My reply

Square feet plinth area of the house to be built and cost cannot be simply fixed like this by you.At first you have to discuss with a qualified experienced Architect on your house construction planned.Tell him what all you require in the house as facilities.You can also indicate your budget constraints if any.Let him decide on what can be done to meet with your requirements and budget.

House construction is not that simple to go and buy so much square feet  of house at price fixed by you.It involves hundreds of materials with increasing cost and different type of labour.Without assistance and guidance of a good professional,non professional contractors will simply cheat you to make maximum profit for them using your ignorance on quality of construction and technical details on construction technology

Query-3

Dear Mr. Thomas Viruvelil
Greetings to you. My Name is Subin  and I am working in Ethiopia. Please find
herewith the House Plan of mine with Area of 1250 Sq. ft. and is in 5.5 cents. Now
I request you to give me exact figure of Construction cost in square feet in the
interiors of Trichur As I have not got enough time to enquire about the
Price and market changes as I was on leave for 20 days only. I Think the Price
varies from Rs.1000-1600 in the interiors as it was also informed by the Local
Contractor (Construction) only. It was finally agreed to construct @Rs.1500/- per
square feet. As my earnings are meager now the amount seems to me in a higher side.
You are kindly requested to advice me in this scenario that the construction cost
of RS.1500/- per square feet is admissible / justifiable or not. And if it is more
kindly advice me how to get rid of this.
Your kind consideration on my above request will be highly appreciated. Hope that
you will see in to this matter seriously and reply me soon.
Waiting for your reply.
Subin

Query-3

Dear Sir ;

I was reading your expert opinion http://www.keralaarchitecture.com/Architectural_guidance.aspx which helped me to understand the do's and don'ts in constructing a good house. I have small doubts which i need to consult with you

1) You have mentioned that we need to first estimate on the structure part , will this structure include flooring, electrical points and fittings ,kitchens initial fittings like slabs,etc.

2) I was approached by many contractors and many have a fixed cost per square feet.Will I get item wise description on the items which they are going to use.Most of them are not mentioning on the materials included in the sq feet . Can you please share the detailed format on the list of materials used so that I can ask them to fill and submit.

Appreciate if you can revert back with your views. Can you please share your number to have a quick chat with you.

Regards;

Prakash

Query-4

My uncle's house is being constructed in Kalady . Its almost finished. When I enquired, he said that clay bricks are easily available in that area, costs about Rs. 4 to 5 per piece depending on the time of the year( during rainy season the price goes up).. I have my cousins ,uncles in the locality. My wife's house is also in Angamaly. As per conversation with all my family members, they can buy and provide the materials for construction and also monitor the progress as they live close by. Please let me know in detail about your interest in taking the contract of building the house (materials will be provided) or supervision/guidance/site visits as necessary. I would like to know the details of your fees for the services in advance. My intention is to complete the work with the minimum time possible without affecting the quality.

Justine

My reply

I have made enquiries about red clay bricks.At present they are available for delivery at Angamaly at Rs.5.6.But as time passes cost will increase gradually as bricks are manufactured only during Jan Feb in every year.As brick in stock get sold they will keep on increasing cost of brick.

Solid blocks are manufactured using concrete material without reinforcement and hence manufacture goes on through out the year

When we take up construction directly we insists on arranging both material and labour for the structure part up to plastering

After plastering for Electrical,plumbing,Flooring painting wood work etc. we advise the client to buy the right material and arrange labour.In case client entrust the purchase of material at that stage we give the client both technical support and better price due to our contacts

Arranging material through your contacts during structure stage will demand presence of your person who has knowledge of building material and contacts to arrange materials at short notice at site every day as the workers who will be working on rate basis cannot wait for material to come as it suits the person concerned.

If we do not directly involve in construction we will give all detailed drawings for construction(both Architectural and structural engineering drawings) as required at each stage at charges which will be informed to you in a package offer.We will also charge for each of my visit to site for giving instructions to workers and to monitor work.

It is observed by experience that workers not directly engaged by us will not bother much to follow our drawings and instructions properly which will demand more labour costs for them as a labour contractor will always try to reduce labour inputs to save his cost.Quality of construction will only for lip service as his prime motive will be profit and nothing else.

As a reputed professional organisation ,even though we also work for profit,we ensure that the best professional practices and quality standards are ensured in quality of material used and labour practices.

If your relative have simply engaged a labour contractor and arranged material for his house construction( if the relative is not a qualified experienced building professional )the contractor might have misguided him to ensure his profit at cost of quality of construction which will start showing up in years to come.

In case you are very particular about getting work done on labour contract by your relative arranging material,there is no point in taking Engineering Estimate from us as it will have no relevance.If you are not going for Bank loan,a formal estimate from a professional is not required even for bank purpose.

When we take up construction directly we do not charge separately for all architectural/structural engineering drawings required for professional work . My site visits as required for work will also not be charged separately.

Plan of the building is only a starting point of drawings required for the house.Just by using this plan and Elevation no contractor can build house as planned by us as the design is different from usual house construction done by non professional contractors which unfortunately form more than 90% of house construction in Kerala mainly due to ignorance of house owners about need for professional design and monitoring through out construction

There is no such thing as fixed square feet cost of construction.Each contractor does construction in a manner which suits him.His only objective is to make profit.As no two contractor does construction in same manner you can never compare so called "square feet cost" given by contractors.When you construct house without plan from a qualified experienced Architect without using detailed drawings and continuous supervision and instructions from such an expert you are bound to be cheated by the contractor in every manner

No professional body or govt has fixed cost of construction as so much rupees per square feet.Cost of construction for each house will differ from place to place,depending upon design and also depending upon contractor.One contractor may use about 1000 Kg steel for concreting 1000 sft roof of a house.Another may use only 400 Kg of steel.When 400 Kg of steel is used problems will start coming up in the building after some time.I have seen contractors reducing height of house to save money as customer will only bother about square feet plinth area.Every effort will be done to use inferior quality material to increase profit of contractor.He will also try to use short cut methods to reduce labour cost which building owner may not notice.

In short entrusting construction to a contractor on square feet basis is the best way to have the worst built house for you.

If you also do not have the best professional design for the house,you will start noticing defects in design after house is completed.At that stage even the best Architect in the world cannot help you to solve defects in design which you might have obtained at “low cost “and  felt proud of your smartness about it!

Building Materials

Query-1

Dear Sir,

Please suggest as I am planning to lay my flooring,what do you suggest for the entire floor to be tiled with Granite tiles or Vitrified tiles(Which is better and why?).For sit out and stairs I am planning Granite slabs.

Kindly suggest.

Manish

My reply

Granite and marble are out of trend,slippery and costly.You can use much better antiskid tiles of Nitco or Johnson at lesser cost with the latest trendy designs

Query-2

Sir, can i use solid cement blocks 6'x8x12 ''for two storied building construction?is is need support by pillars.local units use chips ,quarry dust and metal sand for making blocks.

Joseph

Query-3

Dear sir,
I would like to build a house with 2 bedroom, living room, kitchen with
attached bathroom. Recently i came to know about a construction
company which provides solid bricks.  Is anything wrong with
building a house with these solid bricks?

My reply

There is no harm in using concrete blocks properly manufactured with proper curing.quality of construction is more important

Building rules ,Real Estate Assistance and guidance

Query-1

I was reading on your website about Legal Verification and Documentation when selling/buying a house. I would like to speak with you in regards to a house my mother is trying to sell in Trivandrum. I currently reside in USA so there is an issue with time difference but I would really like to get more information on the formalities and possibly hiring a lawyer.

My reply

Reply me with specific queries.We have our Real assistance team which can take care of verification of legal documents of properties,preparation of legal documents and follow up with related govt offices.You can expect professional reliable services from us

Sashidharan

Query-2

JUST FOUND YOUR BLOG ON INTERNET , REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR EFFORTS.

SIR I WANT TO KNOW THE DETAILS ON LUXURY TAX , IS IT TRUE THAT ITS RS 2000 PER YEAR PAYING IN ADDITION TO THE BUILDING TAX, (<3000 SQ FT)

SO IS THIS LUXURY TAX ANOUNT FIXED RATE OF 2OOO RS ?

PLZ NEED YOUR OPINION ON THIS.

THOMAS KOSHY

My reply

It will be better to check with concerned official at your local authority office.I do not think it is a big issue in house construction as you seem to get frightened about

Free Consultation,11 April,2013

Clearance space and Building rules

Query-1

Hi Sir,

I am writing from Trivandrum, planning to build a 3 floor house in my 3.75cent.the private road is covering 2 side of the plot and it is ending in 20meter, can you please tell how much setback i have to give in both side adjacent to road and also the other 2 side..

Query-2

Jay has left a new comment on your post "Building Permit":
In our residential area, there is a commercial building that is currently has ongoing construction, in the neighboring plot of our family home.
This has been a nuisance as debris and dust from the constructions fall into our compound. Despite having spoken to the site engineer the workers are not careful. Our compound wall and wall fencing has been damaged and we have concrete debris damaging our building A/C unit.
Is there any legal action that we can take to ensure, they pay for damages or repair damages?

Query-3

Hi sir,
I have a 10 cent land which is a farm land. For about 15 to 20 years there has been no farming activity and have few coconut trees. There is a tar road in front of the land. The surrounding land were converted to plots and mine is the only unfilled land left. Please guide me how i can convert it to a plot. Recently heard that govt had put an order against land filling etc. Your guidance is very much appreciated

Ben

Query-4

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Building Permit":
Dear Sir,
I am planning to do extension work of my existing house which was built 20 years back. At that time there was no building rules. As you mentioned above my house has a main road frontage and it is just 2 m away from my sit out. Because of modification I want to modify my existing sit out by keeping the 2 m as it is and widen to the existing car porch which lies on the same line of my sit out with continue roof slab.
Now what i want to do is to extent the sit out up to the car porch which is already having slab. All i just want to build a foundation in the car porch and a pillar. And of course I want to demolish the existing sunshade and arch in the same.
Please tell me whether I could get permission for the extension. I heard that 10% modification we can do at site which is not mentioned in the approved drawing..
Your prompt response will be highly appreciated

Jo.

My replies

1.It is better to contact concerned official of your local authority with specific details of your plot like Survey No and location details to know applicable clearance required

2.You can complain in writing to your local authority office about disturbance by nearby construction,if they are not willing to avoid disturbance to you while constructing.As a neighbour you may have to adjust with some disturbance as you also may require their co operation in future for your construction work

3.You will have to contact your local authority office with specific details of your plot.They will guide you on this

4.There is no such 10% modification/deviation from approved plan possible.Before construction you normally will have to obtain approval of building plan in areas where prior approval of plan is required.Every where in Kerala,you will have to construct as per building rules.Deviations from approved plan which are within building rules provisions are possible and will have to be regularised with a Revised plan or completion plan duly signed by a Licensed Engineer/Architect

Building Materials and Construction methods

Query-1

Sir,
I intend to start construction of my residential house in few months time.I am from West Bengal .My house has being designed by a qualified architect.This house will be of RCC columns and beams.In this part of country everybody construct walls with clay bricks .There is hardly any user for concrete hollow bricks.With lot of difficulty I have a found a manufacturer who makes concrete hollow bricks.When I proposed my architect with the proposal of using these type of bricks , he didn't object but was very passive in his approving my idea.
Since I don't have any way to seek the help or feedback in this part of country, what are the advantages and disadvantages of this bricks .
Please help me with the answers of following query.2.) The mason seems to suggest , I will need to cut the bricks where the length and height will not match the brick size.If they are cut, will not the strength of the bricks reduce. Similarly I will need to cut the bricks on the face to make concealed wiring possible.Also plumbing may require making holes across the bricks.
3.) Is there any chances of water seepage possible through these bricks.
I hope you will enlighten me with your knowledge .I will be eagerly waiting for your reply

Query-2

My name is Libin and I am a Mech. Engineer working in UAE. Now I am planning to build a two story home in Muvattupuzha. After checking my land the engineer advised me to conduct a soil test. In the test report they recommended me single bulb pile.

My land was filled with soil 12 years before at a height of around 3 meter. To meet the existing road level I filled an additional height of around 2.5 meter. After talking to one of the engineer in my company he designed a raft type foundation. Attached you can find the detailed plan with column details,Soil test report and the foundation we designed. When I calculated the pile foundation cost I found out that It is too expensive. One of my friend told that sand Piling will be an option you can adopt.

Please advice me on this issue.

 

Query-3

White space has left a new comment on your post "Teak wood-use in Kerala house construction":
What about the readymade wooden doors available in the market. Are they comparable with teak in terms of strength & durability

Query-4

I have got the plan of my House ,elevation and submissions drawings done by a local architect in Trivandrum and I am waiting for Engineering estimate which will be prepared by their approved contractors. Can you provide your services to review the engineering estimate and advice if I should go ahead to establish a Building contract based on the estimate. Also I would like you to review the Building contact and caution me for inclusions and exclusions.

Please accept my apologies for not approaching you for the plan. The only reason for that was there was a mutual reference in between.

Now I want to take a consultation before signing the contract.

Jhunu

Query-5

Dear Thomas Sir,

I am Constructing my Dream Home in Trivandrum. Basement is Finished. Total Sq.ft. is 1938.

its a Contemporary Style, Single Store, 3 bed room house. Now i am confusing to select which type of Wood is better for Doors  & Windows (what is your opinion for selection of "Violet wood"? is there any problem to select "Plavu" ? what is the Difference between "Anjily" & "Plavu"? I dont have any Own Tree of "Plavu & Anjily".

I am Very Thankful to your Valuable Reply.

Ajith Nair.

My Replies

1.There is nothing wrong with solid blocks.Every building material used can be good or bad depending upon how the manufacturing is done.If manufacturing is carried out by adhering to quality standards as per desired technical specifications,building material will be of good quality.While designing and constructing a house try to consult same Architect/Engineer from beginning to end instead of conducting a survey with any one you come across and following  “free advices” given by any body.

2.Here again even though the person who builds the house is a qualified Engineer(May not be familiar with construction field) just like any one without proper educational back ground he goes on collecting bits of information from any one he come across.

Building design and construction should not be done by conducting such public opinion surveys.First of all most important part of house construction is to get appropriate design for the house from a qualified and experienced professional.Just by passing a course in an Engineering college that too with out dated syllabus without any reference to current technology used,one do not become an Engineering professional.At best the person get familiar with some vocabulary and introduction to some topics.Architect/Engineer experienced in building design and construction studies every day through out his career facing new problems and solving it.Wealth of such experience will have to be used by you for design and construction of only house which you may construct.

I have come across several cases where the client seems to think that being the person who spends money Architect should simply draw plan as he says and agree to whatever he says.In fact such people treat a professional Architect as a mere technician to do whatever he says.You can always express your views /desires for the house to the designer.But after understanding your needs and budget constraints if any a professional Architect will guide you on all aspects of building design and construction from beginning to end.

Lots of people think that Plan of the house is not important and any one who can draw in Auto Cad is good enough to draw plan as he says.Less fees for plan makes it more attractive! By refusing to pay few thousands to a good professional you are in fact wasting lakhs of your money and by the time you understand defects of the plan,structure of the building will be completed leaving with a house about which you can never feel proud of.A professional architect can visualise every bit of your completed house during plan stage itself.Of course minor changes can take place during execution.But you will not be able to understand importance of plan of the house till structure of house is completed.So even though money is yours,allow a professional to decide on how the house has to be designed and have continuous guidance from him through out construction instead of trying to get public opinion on every aspect of house design and construction

3.Like any other building material,you will have to be careful about Door and window frames and wood used for construction.There are very few commercial agencies who give importance to quality.In fact it is our own mind set/nature which result in low quality product/services.Every body would like to cheat other person and make profit.Even a buyer wants cheapest rate/cost and simple talk of quality is enough.For better quality product/services better price will have to be paid.When you insists on getting low price/rates quality will have to suffer even though supplier will talk of his non existing quality just to please you.

4.Once you have got the design and Estimate done by some body else,if we review it,we may ask for total revision of plan.Engineering Estimate obtained by you may not meet with our design or standards.Unless you are willing to pay for revised design/Estimate there is no point in wasting our time on it as we cannot do design or estimate free of charges just because you have paid for it to some other agency

Construction contract terms are some thing which you enter with some body else as per agreement reached between you.There is no standard terms of contract acceptable to all.In fact if you have 100 contractors ,method of construction followed by each will be different.Quality standards will be different and hence there is no pint in comparing rates and terms of one contractor with the other.As the building owner try to get lowest rate,contractor also tries to get maximum profit from whatever payment he gets from you.Quality and proper Engineering are only for lip service of the contractor.Contractor will have to compromise on quality to ensure his profit as building owner will not be willing to compensate for him for continuous cost increase during construction and to provide better quality construction with professional design/drawings and guidance

5.Local wood like Anjali and Plavu are good for use for door window frames and Mahogany can be used for shutters

Labour charges and labour issues

Query-1

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Free Consultation #Kerala House Construction":
Greetings,
I am building a house of around 3000 sq ft in Calicut. I bought all the tiles for the house (80cm X 80cm). Could you please provide me a quote on how much will be the usual rate per square feet to lay the tiles. As I am away from India, I don't know much about the present wage.
Thanks in anticipation
Praveen

My reply

There is no such standard rate as each tile laying person will be doing it in his own method of doing.Each area has got differing demand and supply of workers doing a particular type of work.If you are abroad it will be better to have an experienced professional to guide you on construction from beginning to end of construction

Construction cost

Query-1

Soumya has left a new comment on your post "Queries and replies-House design,construction ,rem...":
Sir,
I wants to add one simple attached bedroom to my house and i have 1 lakh rupees. Is it possible.
Soumya

Query-2

Dear Mr. Thomas,

Quote your Lump-sum price for the Constriction of the building/home as per the reference of attached drawings. Your Quote have to cover all the area of buildings which is mentioned in the drawings and exclude all wood works. (All Doors & Windows only).

1. Material Qualifications: As per the standard. (Looking for your suitable Proposal)

2. Scope of Work: Construct entire home without wood work.

Quote your best price as per the attachment and revert as soon as possible. If you have any more further clarifications feel free to contact me.

Arun

Query-3

Hello Sir,

I have seen your blog.. The info you provide is extremely useful.

I would like to know about the cost of boundary wall construction cost in Kerala for 30cent land. Only three sides needs to be constructed,one side wall is existing.

Is id advisable to give on contract basis or on daily wages.

I would like to get your valuable reply on my house plan attached.

Please note the kannimoola portion is vacant as per plan. The room near kannimoola is guest bedroom. On first floor,top of this guest bedroom ,is a toilet of the first floor bedroom.

Pls advice, can i keep the southwest portion vacant as it is ?

Regards
Ziyad.S

Query-4

Soja has left a new comment on your post "Flooring for house-options":
I am planning build a house with maximum low budget. I need your suggestion on it. Following are my specifications.
1. Cheap 2. Good looking 3. Cooling effect 4. Less maintenance
Please suggest me

My replies

1.Without preparing a plan of the proposed house and deciding on what all material to be used,there is no way of simply guessing cost.If some one says so,it is not correct.

2.Here again he is asking for a quote.Building construction involves hundreds of materials and  different type of labour.Without a site study and detailed discussions on material labour specifications discussions even Engineering Estimate cannot be prepared.As different contractors will follow different standards how can you simply collect quote  from different persons and compare? House construction will have to be given more serious thought than buying a product from market.

3.Boundary wall construction cost can be worked out only after visiting site and taking measurements.Cents is only area of land and do not give information on length width and height required for foundation and wall above

It is better to have your Master bed room at South West corner of the house.Engaging laborers on contract basis or daily wages depends upon specific case.

4.First of all,you have to get professional design for the house and then follow professional advice on construction.There is no other way to get what you want

Building Design

Query-1

Dear Thomas,
I am happy to see your free consultation program and appreciate your mentality for a proper guidance.

In fact, I am in plan for building a house. Please find the house plan attachments.

Kindly advise me on the positioning of rooms/kitchens are okay based on Vasthu.

It will be grateful to have your valuable guidance.

Kindly find my plan attachments for your reference.

My reply

There is not much possible to do by commenting on a plan.May be direct discussion with the owner of house and the person who prepared the drawing can help if you really need my advice.Otherwise allow us to redesign the plan if we find it not up to the mark

Free Consultation,20,February,2013

Architectural Guidance

Query-1

Dear Thomas Sir

I am Shaji, from Kannur working abroad. I am always going thru your blog and getting bunch of knowledge. Many thanks for sharing these information and ideas.

Planning to construct a home at my village in Kannur

I would like to do this with expert consultant like you , do you have any office in Kannur or any good recommendation from your friends circle ?

Or can you provide me online / telephone consultation. Please let me know your suggestions and consulting fees

Shaji

My reply

I can design the house anywhere in the world

Most important part of building a house is to get the most appropriate professional design.Let us start with it

I will require dimensions of all four sides of plot,directions of each side,position of roads nearby and detailed write up on what exactly you require in the house to be built

Query-2

Sir,
I am an architecture student from Bangalore (Rashtriya Vidyalaya College of Architecture) and i am working on a case study related to architecture in warm and humid climate. I found this site very interesting and would like to study a traditional house and its design details in terms of climate, plans , sections and mainly the passive/ natural cooling in the traditional house. Its impossible for me to study the house myself due to time constraint and was hoping to get a little direction and help about particularly one house ( traditional) .

Pallavi

My reply

Without visiting the house to be studied you may not be able to do anything

You can visit our Cherthala House pictures of which are given in my Face Book profile if you can plan a visit to Cochin for as many days as you can afford.I can help you to the extent possible.

Query-3

Hello,

We have a requirement to build a stone farmhouse near Bangalore. But we do want the home to have a Kerala look.

We are looking at about 5000 sq. feet.

Wanted to inquire if you do such projects so that we can take this further

If not would you please be able to suggest some contacts who can help us out with this

Tushita

My reply

We can design house or any other type of building for any place.Direct construction by our team is something that has to be decided after finalisation of initial drawings and after considering many other aspects also

Even though a site visit before starting design will be preferable,we can start working on the initial plan of building on getting following details:

1.Outer dimensions of all four sides of plot  clearly marking directions like East or West

2.Positions of roads nearby

3.Detailed write up on your needs and dreams for the house

4.Budget limitations if any

Query-4

Dear Sir

Was reading your blog and thought of asking you, the Burma Teak wood is it bad or good, and what is the expected price for the same, what would be the expected price for local teak special teak wood from Nilambur.

appreciate your reply,

Query-5

Dennis has left a new comment on your post "Teak wood-use in Kerala house construction":
I need 85 Cubic Feet of Wood, can I know the price of one Cubic Feet of Teak wood Nilambur costing.
regards
Dennis Antony.

Query-6

Dear Sir
I have read your article on teak wood and it is giving information to the public.
Only thing is , you have commented that Pingoda is not suitable to Kerala climate and condition, but now days it is very common and all contractors are recommending the same.
Since Teak is not available like in the past, Burmese teak has come in picture. What do you think about the same
Baju

My reply

Burma Teak is imported teak.It do not have good grains and finish like Kerala Plantation teak.It is available at comparatively lesser cost in Kerala.Also as the logs are quite thick and of uniform diameter,wastages will be less.Naturally all commercial manufacturers using teak wood prefer to use Burma Teak

Pingoda is commonly used by contractors due to economic considerations as it is available in large uniform diameter shaped logs and hence wastage will be less

I am not a trader of any building material and hence I cannot give any price for any material used for construction

Construction /remodeling of house

Query-1

Ann has left a new comment on your post "Kerala House design and Construction:
Sir, I have recently bought a twenty year old house (1BHK) which covers almost 10 cents and has a surrounding area of another 10 cents for further construction. I am planning on a budget of maximum 10 lakhs and would like to increase the number of bedrooms by 3. would like to know if that's possible with the mentioned budget if I am not looking for a very luxuries. The flooring of the house is red oxide and is built with hollow bricks. Also suggest me cheaper options for better flooring.

My reply

Even though this message has reached me nearly twenty days back,I could not reply due to non availability of email.So instead of typing out your query on blog or trying to talk to me over phone(I may be in the midst of work at office or site and may not be in a position to listen and reply to you properly),please always write to my email id given below.You will definitely get a better faster response

vhthomas@viruvelil.com

Just by hearing that you purchased an old building and you intend to add three bed rooms to the existing house,no body can tell you how much it will cost

In my case, I have to visit existing house,study conditions of the building and surroundings,take measurements from site and then I can give a plan for the proposed modified house.After this plan is finalised,we can work out expected cost using Engineering Estimate methods

Query-2

Sir,

I have a plan to build a two story house with interlock bricks.

Kindly provide me the advantages and draw backs, if any, of interlock bricks.

Mathew

My reply

Like any other building material,interlock bricks also have advantages and disadvantages.Trouble with most people going for house construction is that

1.They think they have all the wisdom required to decide on how the plan of the house should be(Of course you can clearly spell out what you need in the house.But definitely not on how to design)

2.They think collecting bits of information on many aspects of house construction from different sources and deciding /selecting by self is good enough(Architect/Engineer is not some one who will push up your cost of construction.They will reduce your cost of construction and will give you better utilisation of space at lesser cost)

3.They think all house designers and all contractors do the same work in the same manner(No two contractor or even professional is similar or equal in capabilities)

I would suggest you leave choices of materials of construction to your Architect who will select most appropriate material to suit you considering all aspects

Query-3

Sir,

Deeply appreciate your support on the architectural front. I attach the plan of my house in Kollam. The diagonal lines show the current structure and it is almost 13 years old house with an outside the structure bath/toilet. Now we have decided to extend the house with an attached toilet/bath on the northern side of dining room . Seek your invaluable suggestions on this in a strict budget of Rs 9 lakhs.

My reply

Extension/remodeling of a house can be done only after careful inspection of existing building by an expert.Lots of people look upon remodeling/extension as a cheaper alternative to have better facilities in the house.In most cases original house construction might not have been done with proper architectural plan and by design itself there can be serious flaws.While attempting to remodel,old structure will pose serious problems .Cost of remodeling cannot be assessed well as even an expert cannot understand defects of older construction fully

Query-4

I am having a doubt about constructing slope roof

one method making slope concrete roof slab and pasting tiles on the slab

second method is casting horizontal slab ,making slop by fabricating channels and iron structures and laying tiles

among above which is good,can you please tell advantage of one over the other

My reply

In my opinion,it will be better to do slope roof concrete and lay roof clay tiles over it.But you may not get expert concrete workers to do slope roof well.That is the reason most concrete workers suggest you to do flat roof concrete and then do slope roof using steel fabrication.This can only cost more.

Building rules/Boundary dispute

Query-1

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Building Permit":
Our house is 30 meters inside from road and this 30mtr x 2mtr passage or way was bought by us and this passage is leading to our house only. on both side of this passage our 2 neighbors. The neighbour on left side already has boundary wall for the entire length of this passage build long before. Now the right side neighbour decided to built boundary wall for the entire length of this passage. They have marked the area such that the width of our passage remains 200 cm. But the left side neighbour has told us that while they were building their boundary wall they have left approx. 30cm and built the wall. That means we will get a total width of 230cm. But right side neighbour are going to build the boundary wall by leaving only 200cm width for our passage.
I would like to know what we can do in this situation. I don't want to spoil the relation with our neighbour. I just would like to know whether we are entitled to have that 30cm which was left by left side neighbour and is there law supporting this. And how can we prove this to our right side neighbour and solve this issue. Please help.
Your favourable support will be appreciated

My reply.

If your left side neighbour has really left 30cm extra for your passage,it can be ascertained by measuring land in possession of left side neighbour.You can get any qualified Engineer to measure  land and check the status or to be more convincing to your neighbour you can get people from concerned village office who will have authentic sketch of plots with them to measure and mark exact boundaries of plots concerned.That way you can resolve the issue without straining the relationships

But if the right side neighbour is trying to take undue advantage of the situation,nothing can be done to avoid unpleasantness.

Query-2

Respected Sir,

extent of land 1.96 cents in municipal area

Measurement north - south : 9.10 meter; East - West 8.75 Meter

moved plan leaving front open space 180 Cm, North 100 Cm, south 90 Cm East abutting with NOC. plan sanctioned permit issued. (Permit for construction North - South 756 Cm East West 696 Cm.) due to reduction in land, for the construction as per sanctioned plan reduced the area of construction from 756CM to 720 Cm and from 696 Cm to 680 Cm providing southern side open space at 60 Cm. revised plan submitted. southern neighbour moved petition stating statutory distance of 90 Cm not kept hence violation. (the attempt of Compromise with neighbour failed due to his adamant attitude and unbearable conditions) Authority issued stop memo under Sec.62. this being the position please let me know is there any violation of building rules? rejection of plan and permit is sustainable or not? Your valuable suggestions to get over from the situations is highly appreciated. Hope you sir will do the help and needful in this regard

My reply

As I do not have relevant documents to verify or I cannot visit site and check up on the matter,I can only suggest you to discuss the matter in detail with concerned official of local authority concerned.There is no reason to suspect that local authority will proceed against you against rules.I think they will explain to you whether your construction is as per rules or not and will suggest a way out 

Query-3

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Building Permit":
u said that the person having plot less than 3 cent is having concessions what al r they?

My reply

Please contact concerned person in your local authority office

Vasthu aspects

Query-1

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Free Consultation,3/12/12":
Hello, i have a 7 cent almost rectangle plot which has 2 side road ( north and east ) which is 4 feet in width. I have third entrance which is 10 ft. width in the south west corner of the plot that is only can be used as a car/vehicle entrance. Could you please tell me which direction of phasing of house will be better in my plot according to vasthu.

My reply

Facing East will be the best option as per Vasthu.Second Choice can be North.In your case as the vehicle can enter only at South west corner,facing east will be better as distance from vehicle entry to front side of house will be less

Query-2

I am planning to buy a flat in Hyderabad. It is 3 bedroom flat and the builder has confirmed it is VASTU complaint. I sent the plan to one VASTU consultant in Kerala. As per him the room measurement and Kitchen measurement are not as per VASTU. I would like to know if there are any such measurement that we need to follow.

My reply

Flat builders normally do not follow specific measurement pattern for rooms followed by old Asaris in Kerala.Hence if you want to buy only such flats,it may be impossible to buy a flat in Hyderabad