Design and construction of house-Queries and replies

Review of plan prepared

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Dear Mr.Thomas,

Please find the floor plan, site plan and electrical markups and vasthu corrections (not much changes, except few sizing and over all area) ..

Hope and believe this will help you to review and give your valuable suggestions and guidance on the attached plans .Based on this we will proceed further to next stage of scheduling a site visit and further steps..

FYI – We like follow cost effective, natural/eco friendly but classic-traditional-elegant- approaches with innovative and modern techniques.

John.

My reply

On Vasthu,you seem to have consulted typical Kerala ashari who go by wrong ideas and Chuttalavu which has no mention in any of the authentic Vasthu books

Even positions of rooms they follow are different and wrong

For example South east is Agnikonam ideal place for Kitchen.North east is Esaana Konam ideal for Pooja room and well and definitely not good for Kitchen or Bed room

You have bed rooms at south west and North west which are good

For an East facing house,gate and car porch should come at North half.Here car porch comes at South.I do not understand why a passage is given from car porch to house

Even though bed room sizes are quite big,two bed rooms sharing one toilet with two separate doors  is simply foolish and ridiculous.You could have added Dress and Toilet even by reducing Bed room dimensions thereby giving more utility to bed space

Lot of space is simply wasted and there is not enough space where it really require

I do not know why you require a stair from inside for a single floor house

Rest of the comments I can make after a site visit.

Clay tiles  for floor and Hollow Blocks

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Dear Thomas:

Happened to read your excellent informative blog and had questions -  Clay Tiles and Clay hollow bricks.
I am yet to start my house construction. I live in Tripunithura.

Clay Tile Flooring
I was thinking about clay tiles for flooring and many folks discouraged me(same story - fungus, slippery etc). But after reading your blog, have some confidence.

http://www.kapindiatiles.com/flooring.htm
In this page, I liked the 2nd picture flooring. Is that clay tiles too? 

Hollow bricks:
http://www.kapindiatiles.com/bricksforwalls.htm

Planned to do hollow bricks for my walls. Got discouraged when my  contractor said anyone, especially robbers, can easily slit through exposed hollow bricks. Is this true?
Actually I was thinking of using hollow bricks and then plastering both sides. Would I still get the benefit of heat reduction if I use plastering ?
Also can I can cut down time as well as cement usage if I use clay hollow bricks instead of traditional bricks?

Pricing
If you can please give more details on following or provide a contact person and number, that would be helpful.

I would like to get more details on pricing and transportation etc..
I live in Tripunithura and from where can I get these tiles and hollow bricks?  From Trichur, I guess?

Tiles:
What is cost per sf? What could be final cost(approximate) per s f including additional works required (acid wash, urethane etc.).
Also are skilled workers available? where are they located?

Hollow bricks:
My engineer says I need 20 inch walls. That said, what type of hollow bricks do I need? I also need roofing bricks.
Please give an idea of cost per block, transportation cost and details, availability, how soon you can ship to Tripunithura etc. After how many days can I get the bricks?

Please provide details or a contact person with number.

Thanks
Thomas

My reply

Clay tiles do not get fungus after proper polishing.Clay tiles laid on my office  flat roof eight years back are still without any fungus.Clay tiles are not slippery like ceramic or vitrified tiles

What you have indicated are Kurudy clay tiles used for  construction of walls and even as filler for roof concrete.There is no harm in it having hollow inside and no thief can open it easily.You can use these blocks or solid /hollow concrete blocks for construction of wall.Semi wire cut bricks though costly are better for construction of walls from the point of strength

Heat inside house can be reduced by better design by a well qualified experienced Architect who can design a house with better ventilation and easy flow of light and wind

Cost of tiles will have to be checked up with manufacturer/supplier

No body uses 20 inches wall for house construction.For load bearing walls 20 cm thickness is sufficient.For partition walls,10 cm walls can be used

Building Permit

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Hello Mr. Thomas.

Thanks for allowing me to post a question. I am constructing a home in Kothamangalam that comes under Panchayat area. My home is just less than 3000 sq.ft. I am building only one floor and has some plans to build upstairs for rental in the future. So my questions are -

1) Do I get a separate building number for my upstairs unit? The stair case has direct access from outside as well as from the ground floor unit.

2) My Architect says that I need to leave 4 ft width for my stair case as per new regulations in cochin area (he is from cochin) when I make that as a passage to the rental unit. so he think it might get extended to panchayat sooner. But I am not happy giving almost 8 ft for stair case room. Do you think this will be an issue for me in the future?

3) If I don't get a separate number, then I don't need to worry about the staircase width rite? I don't need to give any approvals to rent out my upstairs unit if its part of same building number. Does it has any difficulty in getting a separate electricity connection and all?

4) If I get 2 building number for the same building, will I be avoiding the luxury tax (3000 sq.ft+)? <3000 for first unit and ~1000 sq.ft. for upstairs unit.

Please provide your valuable suggestions.

Thanks
Eldho

My reply

1.You can get a separate building no for upstairs if that is an independent dwelling unit.You will have to show ground and upper floors as separate dwelling units in completion plan or simply inform Panchayath accordingly if your house s under construction are in panchayath area

2.Outside stair can be kept in clearance space as per building rules and hence you do not have to leave extra space for it.

3.If you get a separate building no for both floors,you can get separate Electric connections

4.When you have two building no's panchayath tax will be less for both house units

House construction work after plastering(Interior works)

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Dear Sir,

My house construction is going on in Changanacherry,Kottayam( dist.)now the plastering of walls is going on,this is a 2 storey building,I would like you to do interior design including kitchen and bed room cabinets,wardrobes etc.,please clarify the details you need from my side

hope to see an early reply

Regards

Krishna Kumar

My reply

We can take complete Interior work for the house which include following

1.Plumbing work with expert workers from Cochin with latest technology inputs

2.Electrical wiring again with our expert workers

3.Putty work before painting

4.Enamel painting/polishing/wall painting

5.Interior wood work like modular Kitchen,cupboards etc.

6.Furniture work with hand carving if required

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

8.Landscaping work and any other related work

It will be beneficial to you if I can visit site,take measurements,assess work already done and suggest improvements and check vasthu compliance

Please send me plan of your house in pdf  clearly marking directions and positions of roads

Right now we are doing similar work for another house at Changanassery for which work up to plastering was done by somebody else.Plumbing work is in progress there

House Construction in Kerala-Queries and replies

COST Of BUILDING HOUSE

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Dear sir,
I want to build a single story house consisting 100 Sq.ft. in Harippad Kerala. Please let me know approximate amount will be incurred only for building

My reply

For building a house first step is preparation of plan of house.Then using Engineering estimate method it will be possible to get approximate indication of cost

There is nothing like a square feet cost of construction.I have written a lot on this in my blogs.Read more

Assistance for  Project work

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Hello Thomas Viruvelil sir,

I am into my 5th year, B.Arch and I am a student from SPA Hyderabad.

Your work is interesting and of great help.

I am greatly interested to work on a Heritage Hotel, and I am doing my prelim. studies on this subject. It would be of GREAT help to me, to have valuable inputs from you regarding this.

I am so interested to know if there are similar projects to work on and study; and to have a nice experience,of the subject.

I am in search of "suitable" buildings "old and traditional" which fit into the slot to develop through an adaptive reuse. Had gone through the GOVT.rules about classification of Heritage hotels, and realised I need to have a building aged before 1935 or so for a project like this.Hope that you guys could help me with this aspect at the earliest.

The other topic I have in my mind is a "Heritage Homestay" for the tourists. It would be nice if you help me out with possible sites and which are suitable for such a development. And even more helpful if i could get some inputs about any old homes or palaces that are going to be renewed or converted to hotels. :)

I wish to have some valuable inputs regarding this.
Waiting for a positive response.

Nikhil Dev VN
Student.
5th yr.B.Arch. SPA JNAFAU HYD

My reply

It will be better and more meaningful if you can visit Cochin for effective interaction with me and  during the visit I can suggest buildings that can meet your interest for specific study

Assessing soil condition

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Dear Mr. Viruvelil Hormise Thomas

My name is Gino Itty George. I am currently designing a house in Thottackadu, Karuckachal, Kottayam. My client wasn't able to procure sufficient details of the site and I am a bit worried. What would be the soil condition of that place? He says he has rubber plantation nearby. Will the site have Laterite soil or Alluvial soil? And in each case what type of foundation would be applicable?

Waiting for your reply.

Gino

My reply

I need to visit site to give you  my assessment on the site conditions

Info On Mankara,Palakkad

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Geenius.a  has sent you a link to a blog:

sir,thank you 4 your info.can u kindly give some information about mankara a small village in Palakkad.

Blog:  Kerala Architecture.com
Post:  Kerala Architecture
Link:  http://viruvelil.blogspot.com/2008/07/kerala-architecture_17.html

My reply

I have not visited Mankara and hence I am not familiar with the place

What is special significance of Mankara as far as Kerala Architecture is concerned?

House modification and interior work at Cochin

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Dear Thomas,

I am Jos John, your classmate in Trichur Engineering  college. During the year 89 we met each other when you came to o/e/n Mulanthuruthy when I was working there. Now, I am working in Doha and coming for one month vacation From June 29. I require some modifications and interiors after checking the Vasthu of the house and quotation  to do the job. Now, it is locked and nobody is staying there. Please reply.

Jos J Athanikkal.

Senior Project Manager(E & I)

GALFARAl Misnad Engg., & Contg., WLL.
Doha, Qatar.

My reply

I have to visit site before I can comment on what can be done on the house to improve utility and appearance of the house

New house construction at Trichur

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Dear Mr Thomas:

Please accept my compliments for the great service you render to people like me with no knowledge or experience in building homes.

We have a plot of land admeasuring 5 cents near Trichur (Kerala). We wish to construct a single-storied house (with foundation strong enough for another floor in future) admeasuring around 1,000 sq. ft. or so - 2 BHK) at an estimated all-inclusive cost of Rs 10-11 lakh at 2011 prices.

I will appreciate it if you kindly let me have a couple of suitable designs with dimensions, features and cost (where applicable) at your early convenience and oblige.

Thanking you and with best regards

Dr KSB Nayar, Ahmedabad

My reply

Design for your house has to be specifically designed to meet your plot conditions ,requirements and budget

Any other plan of the house prepared for somebody else may not suit you.I prefer to visit site and discuss with you in detail on your needs for the house before attempting to design your house

Cast iron gates,Interlock tiles and Landscaping design and guidance

Naturally you need not just the house but the gate,compound wall and landscape around the house to look impressive modern,convenient and comfortable.

Cast iron gates with better design and quality

Our associates at Cochin manufactures best quality cast iron gates both movable and opening type with better design by our team of experts. We can supply these at anywhere in Kerala

Interlock tile laying for your compound in front of house

Interlock tile laying with attractive designs can be arranged by us with our associates manufacturing these tiles at Cochin. Laying also can be arranged by us anywhere in Kerala

Also by visiting your site we can properly advice and suggest a better land scape to make your surroundings of house look elegant , comfortable and convenient

Look at some pictures

For price and other terms write to us

vhthomas@viruvelil.com

Ferro cement septic tanks, water tanks

 

Our associates at Cochin manufactures quality Ferro cement concrete septic tanks and water tanks for more than 20 years now. These products have exceptionally good quality. Absolutely no complaints even after tens or twenty years of installation, comparatively cheaper compared to traditional brick and plaster septic tanks which get damaged very fast with tree roots breaking walls within a few years of installation

We will arrange supply anywhere in Kerala with excavation and installation directly by manufacturer and with technical guidance from our experts

For details and order to supply and install, write to

vhthomas@viruvelil.com

Queries and reply-House design,construction

Small house for vacation

QUOTE

I have been surfing the net and found your blog. I read all questions and your answers and I understand that you do your work with sincerity and perfection and  that is the reason I am writing this mail to you. I have a plot in Kalady which is 2000 sq.ft in area. Also there is a dilapidated old tiled house. I do not want any big construction to be laid in the land as I am planning to use the space for growing plants(herbal medicines and vegetables). I want to live in a house, even it is going to be a hut, but in a calm, green and healthy environment without much luxury and advancements in terms of technology. I need a plan whereby I want only two rooms apart  from bath and toilet. The two rooms are just a big hall and a kitchen. The big hall should function as living room and bed room. To avoid outside people I will also go for a sit-out in the front portion. The house should be a typical Kerala type tiled house though very small. It would be great if it is planned esthetically having in mind the olden days. It should give  the feeling of a home rather than a house. I am planning to bring big social activities living there and hence it is a dream-project for me. Hope you would understand my intention well. The most important feature I am looking forward to is construction of a perfect pyramid for meditation and concentration purpose. Please let me know whether we can proceed with this project. If you reply this as a possible task, I shall send you the plot details.

Best Regards,
CHITHRA RAGHAVAN
Watch your thoughts; they become words,
Watch your words; they become actions,
Watch your actions; they become habits,
Watch your habits; they become character,
Watch your character; it becomes destiny.

My reply

Your dreams are good.A site visit is required first to study site conditions and to think how best your dreams can be converted into a plan of the house.From there we will move on step by step to reach your dream house

Interlock bricks for  house construction

QUOTE

I'm Ajith from Trivandrum. I went through your websites, seems appeal to me, I'm planning to build a home in near future, what's your opinion about homes built using interlock bricks?is it a good option? Expecting a reply from your side.

My reply

In my opinion interlock bricks are more suited for compound wall.In Kerala climate with continuous rains for more than 8 months it is better to plaster at least outer walls.

To reduce cost you can use solid concrete blocks instead of  brick

Queries and reply-House Construction

Extension to existing house

QUOTE

I am having a one storage house and I would like to add one more storage.My house is of 1200 sq feet and I would like to add the staircase from inside the house.I like to have two bedrooms and a hall.Is it possible for you to give me details about the maximum expenditure that I have to put on

I do not have the plan with me now as i am in Pune.Is it possible for me to know how much will be the maximum expenditure that i have to put according to the market today.I will see whether i could get the plan.

Anul Ramesh

My reply

Lack of awareness on House construction related matters make you think that some one qualified and experienced may be able to give cost indication with the information provided by you.House construction or extension is not that simple

In fact it will be very difficult to assess or estimate expenses that can be expected for a modification/extension work as defects in construction of the original building will be known only when we attempt to do extension work.

A site visit,preparation of drawings of existing and proposed modification and preparation of Engineering Estimate will give you some idea on expected cost.Basically you have to first decide whether the extension planned is essential.Get expert advice on feasibility and usefulness of extension you are thinking of.May be an expert can guide you better on this.If you feel that the extension work is essential and viable after consulting a professional,you should not delay the work.Tomorrow cost can only go up making your plans un reachable

Building House in farm land  at Mala

QUOTE

Have plot in mala. Interested in building house of 1500-2000 sq. ft. Can
you give me ideas as to cost and designs.  For 2 people, no children,
to be used on part time basis. Large rooms desired and small 2 bedrooms
for guest. Even a small plunge pool, 10-12 ft. on back deck. Live in us
in architect designed house and love it.  Can you help? Await your
reply. 

Everette Crotts,

johns island, .
USA

UNQUOTE

I have visited this plot in an interior location away from Mala.There is no proper road reaching the plot even from a small panchayath road.About 30 cents of land with lot of Jathi trees reaching high yield condition.USA based Mr.Crotts has spent money and purchased this land about an year in the name of a school teacher  staying nearby.For all practical purposes the local teacher is using and having land as his own.According to neighbour he will get about Rs.80,000/- per year from Jathi trees.
Mr.Crotts who spent for purchase of land has no legal right on the land as per records.So I advised him not to spent any more money in the land.Place is not ideal for use to put up a vacation house.Cutting down Jathi trees in plot for construction now will be foolishness

So I advised him to sell the property at higher market value prevailing if his local teacher associate is willing to co operate and hand over proceeds of sale to him

Changing Flooring of the house

QUOTE

We have been living in our twenty year old house and its flooring is done with red oxide. Now I am planning to put tiles on the floor and the total area comes around 1000 sq.ft. I am looking for a medium budget plan. Can you give me the cost of ceramic tiles and granite tiles separately for my house? According to your opinion which one is best suitable for my house.

  Also can you give me the cost per square feet for chipping the floor, cost for laying tiles and the material cost(means cement, sand etc.) separately?

Waiting for your reply.

Regards,

Harikumar

My reply

There is no need to chip off existing floor.You can use tile adhesive instead of cement sand mix(mortar) to fix tiles.It is better to use anti skid tiles with better  strength,elegant colour and finish costing about Rs.70 per sft.Both NITCO and Johnson are manufacturing these tiles now.NITCO is calling it as Naturoc tiles

Construction queries and replies

LOW COST HOUSE

QUOTE

Dear Mr.Thomas,
 
II have a 5.5 cents plot of land near Mangalore. For the past couple of years, it has become an obsession to build a small traditional type house  of 1100 to 1200 sq.ft on a small budget - 8 to 10 lakhs at the most - using durable but cheaper building material.. Red oxide or Kadappa flooring instead of granite , use of lime mixture instead of concrete etc. I  accidentally came across your blog when I was doing research on the net to realise my dream. Could you advise me if it is possible to build such a house within the budget I have mentioned?

Thanking you in advance,
 
Best regards,
Vishwanath

My reply

Many people have this thinking that by changing flooring material cost of construction can be reduced.Most important cost reduction can be achieved only if you can get most appropriate plan of the house meeting your requirements,budget,avoiding wastage of space and with proper engineering and professional guidance from beginning to end of construction at every stage.

Yesterday I went to visit a house under construction at Thiruvalla.Plan of the house is simply hopeless with wastage of space, improper planning and everything done in a hopeless manner.Plumbing and Electrical work are done by some one who do not know anything about latest technology in these areas ..No professional guidance and every bit of work is done in a manner resulting in colossal waste of money producing inconveniences improper quality and much more.No body can do anything to improve that house construction which might have spent more than a crore.Owner of the house has called me to suggest improvements at this final stage.I said I am helpless to do anything or suggest anything at this stage .

All these simply because owner of house did not bother to get a qualified experienced person to get most appropriate plan of the house and professional guidance during construction.A contractor who have taken up the work on square feet basis has done the work with a simple objective of making profit.No proper structural or architectural design,No plumbing ,electrical expertise used.Finally entire money on construction is simply wasted resulting in a house about which man who spent money can only cry for ever.

If you ask him probably he would not have paid anything to an Architect or Engineer.Square feet cost  contractor would have given that attractive offer of free plan and no professional charges.By saving those pennies he lost pounds in plenty.

Unless I know what exactly you need in the house,prepare the plan of the house there is no way to predict cost of house.If you have only Rs.8 lakhs with you let your Architect decide what you can get with that Rs.8 lakhs.If your requirements for the house cannot be met by spending Rs.8 lakhs ,you should be willing to arrange house loan.Postponing construction due to lack of funds now will only lead you to a situation where construction simply will not be possible due to continuous price rise.

MINIMALISTIC DESIGN

QUOTE

My queries are on Minimalistic Designs.

I am staying in Bangalore, and here i had a chance to visit some of the apartments. I saw the usage of Glass walls, Ceramic fritted glass splashes and glass shower enclosure
Are these available in Kerala?
What is the estimated cost?

I liked it as it makes the room modern and spacious.Especially when it replaces the walls around kitchen, dining room and main hall with glass fitted partitions.

near Kannur i am constructing a new house.

I have found a design from internet and modified a bit. It does not have the details but would like achieve something like that
I am attaching it.
For the partitions i am looking forward for glass walls or stuffs like that.
Please send me an update about the design.
I have a land about 14 cent.

Sharmila

My reply

As a professional with experience in the field I cannot recommend or support your piece meal attitude like taking plan from a website,modifying it by yourself and enquiring about interior part House construction is not that simple can give proper guidance and suggestions only if I can visit site and study the matter in detail

I can give detailed report after visit

It will be difficult for me to advise you without studying the case in detail

Partition walls can be done with material other than brick or similar material.Again this has to be decided by the Architect to suit the work after considering every related aspects.Hence I cannot comment on suitability of different type of materials for partition walls in your case

BUILDING APARTMENTS

QUOTE

Hi Mr.Thomas,

My name is Robin and I am planning to build a house/few apartments.. The Plot is 20 cents in Kattappana.Within 2 KM. May I know whether I can build 6 apartments in 3 floors in that plot..Otherwise I may have to think about building a house ..

Pl let me know..Robin Thomas

My reply

See,I cannot give a proper answer just by reading few lines sent by you.I have to visit site,study site conditions and about your budget limitations if any.Then only a reply  can be given