Thursday, March 15, 2012

#Kerala House Construction-Replies to your queries

TO RECOMMEND BUILDER

QUOTE

Anonymous   has left a new comment on your post "Answers to your queries #Architecture":

Sir,
I would like to build a Home around 2000-2200 SQ ft in Trivandrum in 5 cents, would you please recommend me a Builder & Designer and what would be the cost per Sq Ft ...?need your assistant

My reply

Such posting of comments in blogs without revealing your identity or email  cannot get you a reply from me as it will not be practically feasible for me to reply to comments in all blogs

So those who want replies from me please write your queries/comments/suggestions to

vhthomas@viruvelil.com

How can any one recommend or suggest a builder? There is not even two builders/contractors following same construction practices or procedures.When you try to find a contractor who quotes “lowest square feet cost” for construction ,contractor in turn try to  build your house with lowest labour charges and lowest material content to increase his profit

Contactor/Builder has only one objective in building your house: Get maximum profit.Quality of construction is simply for the talk making you believe that his quality of work is the best.You simply believe him and consider yourself as smart for getting the “best quality construction” at lowest cost! But the builder/contractor is definitely more knowledgeable about construction than you.He knows how to misguide you who knows very little about construction

Just try to put a good Architect or Engineer and tell the contractor to do construction as per drawings and instructions of your consultant.Then watch the fun.Contractor/builder will demand a higher cost if you introduce a person who knows about construction in between.

PLAN AND ELEVATION FROM ANY ONE

Quote

Ramnath   has left a new comment on your post "Elevation for three bed house":

I have a 8 cent plot that is rectangular. i am planning a house in the range of 35 lacs , anyone having a plan/elevation for a single storied house please email it to

My reply

8 cents is only area of land.It does not give any idea about dimensions of each of four sides.Also we have no idea of the position of roads near plot.To consider Vasthu aspects,directions also has to be considered.

So how can you simply take plan and Elevation of somebody else for your house? I simply do not understand why people talk like this.

BEST POSSIBLE SIZE OF PLOT

QUOTE

Anonymous   has left a new comment on your post "Replies to your queries#Architecture":

I am an NRI Mechanical Engineer like to build a 2500-2800 sq. ft. house in Cochin and on the look out for 8 cents of land (which is my budget) and identified few plots.
Appreciate if you could let me know the best possible size of plot in 8 cents to have a good architect designed house
I understand that the house can be designed to suite the plot but prefer to buy a plot where in design can be flexible

My reply

If I tell  a particular length and width of plot,will anybody sell you a plot of same dimension in Kerala that too in Cochin? Impossible.

If you have to identify a plot best suited to you ,take an expert who knows about Structural Engineering,Architecture,Vasthu and Kerala Building rules to the plot or plots you have identified and get his comments/advice before finalising the plot.

PARABOLIC ROOF DESIGN

Quote

Hello Mr. Thomas,

I am a frequent visitor of your blogs, Nice experience. I want know about Parabolic roof design, now a days people are doing this, I want know more about this how this design and how its covering with glass advantages & disadvantages. Hope you will reply

My reply

It is not my intention to educate people about every terminology that come in House design/Construction.For getting such details,you have various sources.If you cannot find proper sources for getting more info,you can try googling.

GRANITE LAYING COST

QUOTE

Anonymous   has left a new comment on your post "Flooring for house-options":

How much it cost to get 3200sgft granite installed.,any idea ?

My reply

First of all Granite laying for floors is fast becoming outdated like marble flooring.There are much more better,cheaper alternatives which are more trendy and environment friendly

Getting labour for building construction is becoming difficult as days pass.There is no such thing as a universally accepted standard granite laying charges.Again each of the labour contractor does the work in different manner.So you cannot compare charges of one with charges of another.Your Architect for the work will be able to guide you on this.

EXISTING BUILDING MODIFICATION

Quote

Menon has left a new comment on your post "Queries and replies-House design,construction ,rem...":

I am a retiree in Cochin residing in Chittoor Road. I have two houses separated hardly by 5-10 ft. I am interested in joining the terraces together and have a terrace garden and retreat with a small bed room, bath and kitchen on one so that It can be self contained also. I need someone to conceptualize the idea so that I can look at the possibilities. Can you do it please? or can you recommend someone please?

My reply

For any modification/remodeling/renovation work,I will have to visit the site and study all aspects related to modification you are thinking of.First of all it has to be checked whether the modification is feasible at all.

Without any doubt it can be said that modification will be much more costly than building new and no one can safely estimate cost involved as you will be working on a building about which you know practically nothing.As you break and cut in to old building parts it may present you new problems to be solved.

Unless you have so much sentimental reasons to retain the old building by  modifying and not simply bothered about cost involved,do not attempt remodeling.Try to design and build a new building instead of trying to work with old building.Lot of people have a mistaken notion that modifying is cheaper.It is not so.

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Kerala Architecture and House Construction-Replies to Your queries

What will be Cost of Construction?

QUOTE

Dear Mr.Thomas,

I got your contacts from your website, I am attaching here with my purposed house plan (first floor), I would like to know how much it will cost to build it , the ground floor already built  10 years back(attached the photo), now I need to add a first floor on it

My house situated in Anakkayam Panchayath,Malapuram District

Looking forward to hear from you

My reply

You have already got a Plan and Elevation for the house from some body else.Naturally you would have asked this question to him and he might have given you some answer.To counter check his answer you are simply sending this email to me.

I do not have any magical capability to say cost of construction just by seeing a plan or Elevation of a building.No body will know exactly how much a building will cost till the date of completion of the building.All cost estimates are only assumptions.Nobody knows what will be the cost of materials and labour tomorrow or in months to come.

Apartment and Villa builders sell at almost three times their cost and there is no quality of construction checking by any body.No two contractor do the construction in the same manner.So cost for each will be different.Apart from making profit,practically no contractor bothers about quality of construction or even structural stability of building.There is no government agency to verify and check quality and strength of construction at each stage of construction.If at all such an agency is there,in our corruption country,such an agency will simply turn out to be another government agency for corruption.

So when you want to build your house with best possible engineering,architecture and quality of construction,if you are not willing to accept compromise on quality of construction,there is no way of predicting exactly how much building will cost.Cost also varies from place to place,with different land levels,soil conditions,design variations etc.

If I can visit site,study site conditions,improve on plan already prepared based on site study,I can prepare an Engineering Estimate using engineering methods.Cost thus arrived is the nearest cost calculation possible and just by looking at a plan I cannot predict or estimate cost of construction.

CHARUPADY  FOR HOUSE

QUOTE

Dear Sir

I am from Madhya Pradesh .I visited the Kerala in last march and observed a wooden design in almost all houses in porches and balconies. What does it called. I am building my house in Bhopal and use the same thing in the front porch of my house. I visited your site and the houses designed by you also have the same design. Is that wooden material available in Kerala readily are it can be get it be done here by local carpenter.

C K Santani

My reply

It seems what you are referring is “Charupady” mostly made in teak wood.This cannot be made there in Madhya Pradesh using local carpenter as the technology used will be unfamiliar to them.Again this is manufactured to suit site requirements,client preferences etc.

For each house this will have to be specifically designed and manufactured.There is also traditional  Kerala Window which is used to cover entire Balcony open space while giving ventilation and traditional look

NEW HOUSES AT OOTTY AND MANNAR

QUOTE

Hi Thomas,
A very good day to you,
This is Sanjay with you, me and my wife are presently working in Dubai...
Was browsing through some websites and found your blog.
I own a small plot of 12 cents in Ootty opposite Good Shepherd Intl School & would like to construct a 2 BHK villa-(intent to rent). I have taken an approval from the panchayat a year back for the same.
Wanted to know whether you could look into it if I send you the approved drawings. (do you take construction jobs in Ootty?)
 
My other property is in Mannar-Alleppey Dist...22 cents with an old house, with 2 "aras" need to keep that intact and construct new house.
need a feedback on both..
 My reply

I have designed and built a 6000 sft house at Ootty for a local Software Engineer couple some time back.Details of this house is available at my blog

 http://tamilnadu-houseconstruction-ootty.blogspot.in/

I will have to visit site at Ootty,design the house and then only I can comment on possibility and feasibility of directly taking up construction there.Similar is the case with your Mannar property

NALUKETTU HOUSE

QUOTE

I would like to build a home in Varkala.
my budget estimate is 20 lakhs.
My plot with an area of 12 cent.
i want  a traditional two storied house plan
with Nadumuttam,Charupadi and four bedroom facilities.
kindly send me the details of such a plan.

Sheeja

My reply

Nalukettu type house has following essential features

1.Nadumuttom at centre of house

2.Poomukham at entrance to house

2.Sit out with Charupady at front and side

Adding these features will naturally cause higher cost for the house.With Rs.20 lakhs it will be practically impossible to have all these features going by present cost of inputs of building construction.As cost of construction is only going up,you need to go for Nalukettu type construction only if you have sufficient funds.

Typical Tharavadu type house

QUOTE

Dear Mr.Thomas,
We are planning to build a  typical Kerala model traditional house,I mean 'Odu' type tiles and 'kaavi' type flooring with modern bedroom and wash rooms..The external outlook has to be of a typical 'tharavad' type house with a traditional Poomukham and a small 'court yard'(Nalukettu) model..We have an existing studio type house which we normally use as a holiday home,when we come down.
The land is in Trissur, 1 acre.The plan is to built a 3 bedroom,hall + dining,kitchen,storage and a car porch.
 
I would like to know from you, your views on the same and how we can move ahead on this..
 
My reply

Your dreams about house are fine.As a professional I need data and details not simply dreams.A site visit,detailed study of your requirements are the first requirements to start the project

Can we move step by step?

Cast iron gate and Interlock tiles

Quote

Hi Thomas,

I am looking for cast iron sliding gate for my new house location at Alleppey.

Also interlock for external areas.

Are you doing for the same? If you are interested, please let me know so that I  shall send u the details.

My reply

As a professional organisation we need more details to offer our services for supply of cast iron gate and to provide interlock tile laying details.To study the case in detail and to give you offer suitable for your site conditions,we have to visit your site.Naturally we will have to charge you for site visit and related study

Normally people expect the supplier to do site visit at their expenses and give an offer which client may or may not accept.Supplier is supposed to bear the cost as his promotional expenses.But when the supplier has enough business,he may not be willing to spend time and money on such promotional site visits

Are you willing to spend from your side?