Free Consultation,4/10/12

SHARING MY BLOG POSTS

Query

Dear Thomas,
I have seen some of your valuable comments about construction in your blog. I am the editor of www.vayanamuri.com. It is my pleasure to put your articles on my website if you are willing to provide. It can be on weekly basis.
Regards
Shabu

My reply

Naturally I cannot share my articles free of charges to any one and I do not want to give copy rights for my writings to any one.I have put your communication here so that my readers can be aware of your e magazine.

Slope Concrete roof or slope fabricated roof above flat concrete roof

Query

I am planning to build a single floor house with slope tiled roof.I am  thinking of two option one is to make slope RCC roof and to lay clay tiles on the slope roof. Second option is to make single floor flat roof house and to make fabricated slope roof structure and to lay tiles on that. can you please explain advantage and disadvantage of the both including economy and reliability.

Shiyas

Senior Engineer

Indian Oil Corporation LTD.(Orissa)

My reply

If you can get concrete masons capable of doing slope concrete roof well,that option will be better

But usually it will be difficult to get such expert concrete workers.Then only option will be to go for second option of doing flat concrete roof and fabricated steel slope roof on top of it,even though it will be more costly

Checking Plan of house prepared

Query

Dear Sir,

I happened to view your blogs, thank you for the very good information . Please find the attached pdf file of my house plan. I am requesting for your suggestions

My reply

After going through plan forwarded by you for Evaluation following are my comments:

Vasthu aspects:

1. For a North facing house, Car porch should come at east or at middle of the front portion. Your car porch comes at west

2. Common toilet is coming at South West corner of house. Harmful

Architectural aspects:

1. Living room size insufficient. Sitting area after leaving passage will be only 265 x 350

2. Toilet length,300 too much for a width of 164.It will also increase your cost without giving proportionate benefits in space utilization

3. Toilets doors opening directly to bed room space in the case of both bed rooms will reduce effective space utilization for bed rooms

4. Inclined stair case will increase cost of construction and also it may cause slippage while climbing down stairs especially for elderly

5. Sit out size too big for that living room

6. No front steps from north side. It will cause inconvenience for anyone entering house

7. Stair area not properly ventilated causing darker space in stair area. Stair should not have been placed close to outer wall

8. From Kitchen, there should have been a door direct to Dining space. There is only an arch opening to stair area from Kitchen

9. Shelves inside walls are not present day trend. It will also increase cost

10. Kitchen sink, Fridge and Gas stove should form three corners of a rectangle for easier movement inside Kitchen.

11. Common toilet length 250 too much for a width of 150.180 is sufficient

Structural Engineering:

1. Dining, Stair area to be redesigned to reduce reinforcement cost of roof slab

Comments based on general feed back

Few notable facts which I happened to notice during interactions with different customers are given below:

Square feet cost of construction

People generally think that there is a “square feet cost of construction”  for house construction irrespective of design,soil conditions,site conditions,location,material used.

It is a factual error.Any one will know actual square feet cost of construction only after completion of house construction.Cost of construction of every house will be different as input cost varies rapidly with time,location,design and many other factors contributing to cost

Contractors who take up work do not follow same engineering standards or quality standards.In fact most of the contractors do not bother to get services of  qualified and experienced professionals for design,detailed drawings,instructions at site and guidance for work.In fact taking such services will reduce their profit margin not only by fees to be paid to professional but also for using proper materials as per engineering standards

I will not blame any of these house construction contractors for not availing and following professional assistance and guidance.They are basically in the business of house construction to make profit.Profit is essential for them to continue with the service they provide(survival) and for growth of their business.

They are forced to give a false square feet cost by simply assuming unknown input costs of construction as their customers insist on getting a “square feet cost”.If their assumptions go right and if they are able to get comfortable profit within that rate given,both owner of house and contractor will be happy.If the contractor is forced to reduce “rate” to get business he will try to manage to get profit by compromising on quality of construction while hiding it with sweet talks to owner of house.

Preferably owner of house should get experienced professional assistance in design of the house,drawings and instructions for each stage of construction till completion of the house.in fact an experienced professional can guide you to save cost of construction without compromising on quality of construction.But contractor may demand a different “rate” if you inform him on involvement of a professional.

Can any one who knows Auto CAD drawing prepare plan of your house?

Plan of your house to be built has to be designed by the best professional you can get with maximum exposure to house design and construction.Just by undergoing a professional course in a college no one become a good professional as our education system do not produce professionals with expertise.

A trained professional get exposed to design and construction of house with site exposure and acquire knowledge with each new work.If such an experienced person design your house,you can get better value for your money and better facilities for your house.He can also ensure that every bit of space available to you in the plot is utilised in the most appropriate manner.

Experienced professional also can design plan of your house in such a manner to get good Elevation.Lots of people think that all that an Architect can do is to give a good looking Elevation for any plan prepared by any one.Elevation of the house depends upon plan of the house.Plan will have to be designed in a manner to get a good Elevation and any plan prepared by any one can not have a good Elevation.

Free Consultation,2/10/12

Construction of house within limited budget

Quote

Dear Sir
I wish to spend 15Lacs to construct a new house near Oachira Kayamkulam.I want 3 BR+2Bath+kitchen+Hall+sit out and verandah & Car porch-Single Story.Can you suggest a plan.
Regards
Sreelal

My reply

While planning to construct a house, there are few points you should understand clearly:

1. Cost of constructing a house goes up every day. Each day passed make it costlier as cost of hundreds of materials used for constructing a house and labour goes up making it almost impossible for you to build a house with limited budget.

2. No body can predict exactly how much a house construction will cost as the process take at least a year from date of commencement of construction and cost of all inputs for house construction goes up everyday.

3. Only option left to a wise person will be to get professional design and guidance to minimise cost and to go for only essential facilities for the house if you have limited budget.

4. A three bed room house built in two story will not cost anything less than Rs.20 lakhs going by present cost levels which can only go up.

5. You should get a good design and start construction immediately with whatever funds you have.Otherwise,house construction will remain a dream for you forever.

Construction without getting sanction

Quote

sir,
i am a resident of Kochi. four years back we constructed the upstairs without the prior approval from the corporation.there was a land acquisition by the corporation for road expansion in-front of our house. our counselor told does not to worry about the plan, that he will look upon it. so we started our construction. we gave him the plan for approval but he now says the there is no road committee to sanction it.i want to know what measures should I take to make authorize our construction.i request u to please give me an advice as soon as possible.

My reply

First of all,you should not simply start construction just by hearing promise of a councilor or any other politician or official.No politician can waive off building rule provisions.Even if you manage to get anything done by bribing an official,if some one make a complaint in writing the official who took bribe from you will not come up to help you.Violation of rules are always violation of rules and you alone will be held responsible for it.

Even if you have constructed building without obtaining prior permission from concerned local authority,you can apply for regularisation of construction done if the said construction is as per Kerala Building rules.You can contact any Architect/Licensed Engineer/supervisor to get the construction regularised.

Clearance required

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Building Permit":
dear Mr Thomas,
Please let me know the clearances required for home construction if the 4.5 cent plot is facing a private mud road of 2.9m wide.

My reply

If the private road is only 75 meters long,you need to leave 2M clearance in front side.Otherwise you have to leave 3M clearance in front.Other sides which do not have a road close by will need clearance of 1M and 1.2M

Building rules clarification

Query

Dear Sir,

I booked an apartment in Kollam. The builder is yet to get the occupancy certificate from Kollam Corporation.

Grateful for your advice on the following -

1. The fire exit staircase is not separated from the building. It's one side is open to the outside. It is not separated from the public (common) area by any door. It leads to the ground floor lobby (not to outside the building). Is this acceptable?

2. The building is on a plot away from the NH & is accessed by a 4 meter corridor that is part of the plot. It is abutted only on one side by another public road. What is the minimum width of such corridor from fire-fighting angle.

3. Is the builder allowed to have the building water supply from a bore well dug in  adjacent property, where his another project is coming up.

Thanks for your valuable advice.

Regards,

Sukhatma Nair

My reply

It will be more appropriate if you check about these with Town Planning dept. of concerned local authority office like Panchayath/Municipality as I will not be able to reply to your queries without checking up the building permit and approved plan for the building concerned

Trying to design house by yourself

Query

Dear Mr Thomas

Happen to go through some of your blog answering questions from people.

I have some doubts or rather clarifications too . The plot I have is 6.75 cents and is a rectangular one at Calicut.

39 feet width and 79 feet length which has road on front and side (both private roads within the compound of villas).

My plan is to build a two story 2000 sq ft 3 bed house. what should be my ground floor area which will have one bed

living dining kitchen , utility area and store ? I need a front sit out and dining patio. My plan is to have a sloped roof house

with big glass/metal frame windows.

I have attached an idea of my planned areas for each space in my house. I need your expert advise and also let me

know if I need you to do the plan for this house , what are your conditions. Highly appreciate

My reply

Very few people know that house design require a qualified experienced expert.Most people think that owner of the house knows exactly where each room should come and size of rooms and other living spaces.Some people who can understand need of a professional for house design think that the professional is some one to draw as he tells to him to draw a plan

House plans are available free in some magazines,Some contractors offer house plan free of cost if you entrust construction work to them.In short many people think that seeking fees for preparing plan of the house is really bad on the part of a professional.Lot of people think that any one who can draw a plan will prepare the same plan which even the reputed Architect will prepare.

Please understand that plan of your house is the most critical most important drawing for your house construction.Just any plan prepared by any body including you will not be good enough.An experienced professional uses his knowledge acquired through years of his work while preparing plan of your house.There are so many details considered by an experienced professional which can give you more value for your money and better utilisation of limited space for building your house.

From my experience of building more than 200 houses in different parts of state of Kerala and designing many more houses,I can tell you that I have learned a lot by each project handled by me as each project will bring new problems to me.So you need an experienced professional to design the only house you will build in your life time.

Practically no owner of house will be able to understand implications of a Plan of the house(both good and Bad) just by seeing a plan.Only a professional can see through those lines drawn.Even you will be able to understand advantages and defects of the plan after completion of house construction.But it will be too late to do anything at that stage.

In my opinion you should tell what all you need in the house to the Architect in detail.Better to get him to visit your plot to understand your site conditions better so that he can visualise your future house better.A good plan can save you lakhs of rupees and also can provide better utility for built up space inside a house.

As cost of construction goes up everyday,it is very important to avoid wastages in costly built up space in a house.There is no better way to reduce cost of construction other than entrusting preparation of plan to an experienced Architect.If the Architect is good in Vasthu knowledge it will be much more better as it will help you to save money and ensure your prosperity while living in a Vasthu compliant house.

Renovating old house

Query

Sir,

I have a 2 storied 2700 sq.ft. house in Mavelikara. GF built by some 20 years back. 1^st floor by 2007. It is not vasthu complaint also. I purchased an old house and used the wood for its 1^st floor. It is in 22 cents. I am working in Sharjah. Nobody is at home. Only my relatives and neighbors are around.

It is like a ‘Paniteerathveedu’. Always some changes going on. I want to put an end to this renovation once and for all.

Is it possible to finally modify the whole house and make it beautiful for ever?

Is it better to demolish the whole and build a completely new one? I am totally upset now.

Can you help please?

Regards,

Vijayakumar

My reply

Renovating an existing house is a tricky affair.Before deciding on renovating the house,always try to get a professional to assess existing building.Seek his professional unbiased opinion whether the house is worth remodeling/renovating.In most cases,no one can exactly estimate cost involved in the renovation work.Leave the decision whether renovation is good or bad to the consultant

If he  recommends remodeling/renovation work tell him frankly how much money you are willing to spend on the work.Of course you will not be willing to spend money required for building a new house on remodeling.Based on your budget limitations,your consultant can suggest what all you can do within the budget constraints

Free Consultation,18,September,2012

VASTHU CORRECTION

Quote

Dear Sir

I started constructing the house based on an architect design and asari's correction

But now many were saying NE corner for kitchen not good for kitchen and south toilet on North facing house also not good

Construction nearly completing , attached here is the plan , of Ground floor as well as first floor

Can i correct anything on this by extending or building separate kitchen etc.?

Thanks

Ramakumar

My Reply

For North facing house,you have to keep positions of living spaces as given below:

1.Kitchen at South East,cooking facing east

2.Master Bed room at South west.Keep head towards south while sleeping

3.Pooja at North east

4.No toilets at South East,North east and South west corners

Where is the construction site?

What stage is construction?

If required I can visit site and suggest suitable corrections

Construction of house at Cochin

Quote

We  have a plot near Azad rd. approx. 6 cents, where we are planning to build an apartment.

In the mean time kindly give me a clarification on the following points.

- Do u build house as per vasthu shastra?

- Do u take undertake construction works?

- Can u give some reference of your works done in town.

Nimitha

My reply

We design house as per Vasthu

We take up complete construction of house from  design to finish including interior wood work and landscaping in a professional manner with transparent billing methods using latest technology

Nearer to Azad road at Kaloor,Cochin,we have designed and built a three story office cum residence for  a sitting Judge of High court at Shenoy Road and for a Retired Judge of High Court at Kaloor Kathrikkadavu Road.

My Facebook profile,Thomas Viruvelil gives pictures of houses designed and built by us in addition to pictures and details given in our  following websites:

www.keralaarchitecture.com

www.viruvelil.com

www.kerala-dreamhomes.com

Facebook profile

http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=531348963&sk=photos

Follow me on Twitter

http://twitter.com/#!/archtomy

Checking Plan of house

Sir,

the attached plan and other details are submitting for you kind consideration. i request your valuable opinion in the following matters.

1.whether a first floor can be constructed on the present building-building strength,foundation etc.

2.is any vasthu based problems are there in the present plan? if so how can it be rectified?

3.a staircase is there on the northern side of the building and ends at the backside. at the time of constructing first floor, i prefer to dismantle it & construct a new one from inside the building by extending the building to a little bit towards the back side. is it possible? is any vasthu problem will be there with regard to total calculation?

4..the building is in an 8 cent plot & we have an external toilet at the south west part of the plot.

5.the building is facing the east. but the steps are towards north.

6. inside the house,the internal toilet and gas stove are in a straight line across the building.

7.i need 3 more spacious bedrooms and a hall in the first floor. a detailed plan,estimate are requested from you with elevation considering all above matters and if needed with internal rearrangement of ground floor.the top of the first floor should be flat.Presently i have a solar water heater.that also should be accommodated.

expecting an early reply,

Pratheep

My reply

1.Whether first floor can be constructed or not can be  checked only after checking at site  foundation and soil conditions

2.Vasthu aspects can be checked only if direction facing the house and positions of roads near site are known

3.Adding Stair case to existing building-site inspection required to comment

4.Toilet at South west corner is harmful as per Vasthu

5.There is nothing wrong in North facing steps,though steps are better with climbing from west to east and from north to south

6.In this specific case,a site visit is required before plan for extension can be made and Estimate comes only after finalising plan of house

BUILDING HOUSE BELOW HIGH TENSION ELECTRIC LINES

Query

Dear Thomas Sir;

I read many of your very informative postings and found it very helpful. I request you to please look into my below query and give me your valued advise.

I am having a plot of 12 cents in Meenachil Panchayat near Pala. It is not a square plot but a rectangular with an approximate width of 30 m. Front side is facing a local panchayath road and one side is private road. there is an high tension line (220KV tower type) passing just behind the plot but I could see houses directly below it. The distance from main road is approximately 700m.

My maximum budget including all development expenses (raw plot to completed house with boundary wall and a well) is 25 Lac. Will it be possible to construct a house with following requirements with this budget?

3 bedrooms of reasonable size

1 Drawing+Dining

Sit out

Car porch

Kitchen

A store room+work area

Using good (not best available) quality material.

Or is it wise to sell the plot (I purchased it for about 15.5 Lac) and buyer  readily available one I checked few with a budget of 40 Lac but are made with very low quality material and wood.
Do you have any body working for you near Pala who can visit the plot?

Regards,

Binoy George

My reply

As per present cost indications(which are likely to go up in coming days),you may be able to complete house at a guess estimate cost of Rs.25 lakhs

Staying below 220 KV line is not healthy due to high inductive field which will form around it

Every contractor and builder design and build houses in his own way and no one bothers to do  good quality construction with professional design,supervision and professional standards in Kerala.

All that contractors look for is increase of profit in spite of continuous input cost increases and owner of the house simply look for contractor who offers lowest rate at the time of commencement of construction.If contractor ask for extra charges ,owner has no problems! Both owner and contractor do not bother about final cost figures! At that point owner will be anxious to finish construction some how and contractor will be looking for ways to extract maximum profits.This is continuously happening all over Kerala  and still people try to keep professional Architects/Engineers away thinking that they will increase cost of construction! In reality,they will save lakhs of your hard earned money.

Renovation of house

Query

HI,

WHILE CHECKING FOR THE RENOCATION OF MY EXISTING HOUSE ,I SAW THE SITE.

WE HAD A HOUSE IN MANANTHAVADY WAYANAD DISTRICT. FULLY COMPLETED ONE. NOW WE WANT TO RENOVATE THE BATHROOMS AND THE FLOOR TILES ,KITCHEN AND TO FURNISH THE HOUSE. FIRST I WANT TO KNOW U HAD ANY WORK IN WAYANAD, SECOND ABOUT THE TIMING, BECAUSE WE ARE IN ABU DHABI, WE WANT TO ARRANGE EVERYTHING WHAT WE NEEDED AND THEN EXICUTE THE WORK WITHIN TINE.

INTERIOR DESIGN CAN COMPLETE LATER.

IF U ARE ABLE TO GIVE A PROPER ADVICE, THEN I WILL SEND THE PLAN AND THE IDEAS .

I AM WAITING FOR UR ADVICE AND VALUABLE SUGGSTION.

MRS. LISY ANTONY.

ABU DHABI.

My reply

Mananthavady is a bit far from Cochin.But still we can consider working on remodeling of your house

Basically every one should understand that remodeling and renovation is not an easy task.New construction is always better and cheaper.For new construction,it is possible to estimate cost expected if not fully correct but to a great extent.For remodeling work as we go on dismantling portions of building and remove portions of built up work,new problems crop up.Unless you are willing to go for remodeling at any cost,do not attempt it.Most of the people attempt to remodeling thinking that it will be cheaper.

Again for remodeling work you cannot simply get contractors to get work done as you  feel good enough.Always ensure that you get expert professional assistance continuously from beginning to end of remodeling work.No contractor  can tell you exact cost of remodeling work in advance  even though you will insist on getting a cost indication before engaging a contractor for work.If contractor need the work,he will give some cost indication.If that indication give him good profit,he will keep quiet.Otherwise he will start asking for extras!

Flooring Material

Respected Sir,

Please permit me to introduce myself Biju George living in Ernakulum Dist. My building construction is on progress and I have searching materials for flooring. I have go through your blogs and really useful and informatics. I have severe problem in leg and I can’t bear the cold. So I have search the material suitable for the living style.

Please permit me to share my idea as follow

1 Complete Granite except bathroom

2 Sit out , Foyer, Stair, kitchen are granite, bathrooms tiles & bedrooms and dinning with clay tile

Your advice is very valuable for me to choose the correct materials,

Thanking you and looking forward from hear you,

My reply

Do not go for  Marble or Granite for flooring.Basically these are negative energy materials.When you walk on them with bare foot,or lie down on floor your body heat is taken away by these materials making you feel bad.These are also highly slippery in nature and thus can cause you damages due to slipping.Cost wise using granite will be as costly as going for teak  wood flooring which will be good for your health.

There are much more cheaper anti skid tiles with attractive designs manufactured by almost all tile manufacturers.Better go for it

Clay tiles are good excluding Kitchen and other high traffic areas.But now it is getting difficult to get due to non availability of clay.Most of the clay tile factories in Kerala are either closed or closing due to non availability of clay soil

Low cost house Construction in Kerala

All talk of low cost house construction in Kerala starts with talking about a foreigner Architect,Mr.Lawrie Baker who lived and died in Kerala.He propagated a certain type of house construction as Low cost House construction about twenty years back.

Though house construction technology has grown in his absence In Kerala,most of the materials for house construction available about twenty years back are either missing or have turned in to costing too much to afford for low cost house construction.

Salient features of low cost house construction introduced by Architect Lawrie Baker were the following:

1.Walls using good quality red bricks with very good finish in appearance

2.Reduce use of concrete and steel for concrete reinforcement

3.More use of Arches

4.Environment friendly design allowing better lighting and ventilation inside rooms

5,.Different,attractive external appearance for the house using better masonry work

6.Avoid plastering to reduce cost

7.Reduce use of wood

He had a different outlook to methods of construction and he trained quite a few Architects of Kerala in his style of design and construction and few of them still follow his methods in construction.

If you look at Kerala House construction before Ar.Lawrie Baker ,you can see that earlier “Asaris’ who acted as architects  considered wood as most important material for house construction.House construction in those days were practically work of wood workers assisted in parts by masons working with laterite stones.In those days both material like wood and labour were very cheap

.When it came to days of Lawrie Baker material was considered costly and hence to be saved even at the cost of increased labour charges as labour was cheap and easily available those days.A good mason used to get  daily wages of about Rs.50/- for working about ten hours! Apart from lower wages construction labour was running behind house owners for work with fake respect!

Today we stand to face almost disappearing materials for house construction.Even if available you have to pay whatever fancy figures the supplier may demand.Labour is equally costly and extremely difficult to get.House owner will have to run behind labour these days to get their services at terms demanded by them.Because of the earlier running behind of construction labour for work,even today most of the people think all those related to construction including qualified experienced architects should treat it as a favour for giving work to them and I face this mentality almost everyday.In this situation,how do we reduce cost of constructing a house in Kerala?

In present day condition,both labour and material are costly and difficult to get.So we have to find ways to reduce cost of both labour and material.As both labour and material suppliers are not ready to reduce their costs,we can only try to reduce use of these for construction.To do it without compromising on quality of construction,we need services of experts.How do we find out experts in house construction?

Any one who have simply passed out of Engineering college cannot be treated as an expert.Our system of education is such that our educational institutions do not bring out people who are capable of doing the work well.

With my experience in designing more than 1000 houses in Kerala and directly building from beginning to end more than two hundred houses in different parts of Kerala,I can tell you that each new construction poses new problems to me and I learn from each new construction.I naturally correct my mistakes in earlier project in the new project.In fact each new project make me more qualified and experienced to give you a better design and better management of house construction.

Most of the people think that any one who can draw a plan of the house is good enough as long as he demands lesser money for the plan or nothing! Nothing is definitely better!

Plan of the house is the most important critical document which decides or avoids unwanted cost in construction of a house.A more qualified more experienced professional can give you a better design as experience might have taught him to make use of the available space for better use, avoiding wastages in space and cost.So ,do not go for that low cost plan of the house if you want lower cost of construction.To save a few thousands to an Architect,you will be loosing lakhs in cost of construction and finally you will end up with a house with lots of inconvenience,improper unwanted spaces in the house.Quite of lot of people realise the defects in plan and design of the house after they spend many lakhs and reach structure completion stage of a house construction.Many people call me to correct mistakes at that stage of construction.I express my inability to do anything to correct it at that stage.

Some people or most of the people also think that getting a plan and Elevation from a qualified person is all that is required.They think contractor will manage everything afterwards.Yes.He will manage to save his money and increase his profit in doing the construction.To save your money and to get quality construction,a qualified experienced construction professional should give continuous detailed drawings,instructions and supervision at every stage of construction from beginning to end.Naturally contractor may increase his rates if such professional monitoring of work is brought in by you as he cannot do many of those adjustments to save both material and labour costs, not for you but for increasing his profit.

Apart from all these construction technology is rapidly changing bringing new construction methods ,technology and trends.A professional if associated with the work continuously can guide you on this saving you money and getting better quality and utility for your construction

Free Consultation,22/8/2012

WHO IS AN ARCHITECT?

An Architect is not some one who has simply gone through five year course in an Engineering College and passed those exams.That will not make a person an Architect.It can only train a person on tools used by an Architect to express his creative inputs.
An Architect need creative capability and capability to dream just like a poet.He should have capability to observe from earth and create forms to enhance beauty and comforts of nature.
An Architect takes up work which God has left undone,of course in a very small extent.Architect take inspiration from nature.So the architectural creation will have to be in synchronisation with nature and surroundings around it
An Architect will have to be a dreamer and should be capable of thinking, dreaming in a different manner to create something new which fascinates others and enhances utility of space given to the Architect to design.

Each new work bring new challenges before the Architect.He learns continuously with each new work and with experience,his ability to give you a better design,better work improves.He is never shy or afraid to question what was done regularly for years by others and his quest for new skies bring new dimensions to architectural work.Continuous dreaming.learning,observation make him a better professional

CHECKING UP PLAN PREPARED

Quote

Hi Thomas,

My father has consulted an architect in Ranni,  he is drawing a plan for us. Do you consider having a look at the plan once we get it? Obviously I will pay for it. I would appreciate if you would give some suggestions on it.

Gigi.

My reply

Dear Mr. Gigi

Plan is the most important and critical document for a house to be built.A better plan can give you better facilities,less wastage of space and it can save lakhs of your money.

Any one who can draw with Auto CAD can draw a plan.But the most appropriate plan can be designed only by an experienced qualified professional.Few thousands you may save by not availing his services can make you loose  lakhs of your money and no one can correct the mistakes and wastage of space after completion of structure of building by which time even you will start noticing defects in the plan which you might have got free or for a song.

Vasthu defects

1.Master Bed room at South East harmful to those who use the room

2.Kitchen at South West harmful

3.Kitchen cooking to face East

4.Toilet at South west corner harmful

Architectural defects

1.Living room size not indicated.But insufficient

2.Stair climbing at one stretch not good.Stair arrangement not properly drawn

3.Dining space not having adequate ventilation and lighting .Wastage of space

4.Toilet width of 150 insufficient

5.Sit out too long.Wastage of space

Plan will have to be totally revised by some one who has better knowledge in Architecture ,Structural Engineering and Vasthu

It will be mere wastage of money if you build a house with this plan

Construction using interlock bricks

Quote

Dear Sir,

I am Abraham Thomas from  Kottarakara, sir I have single store building of 1300 square feet  made with ordinary bricks. I wish to construct on the first floor with two bedrooms with attached bathroom and a hall. Can I use interlock brick for making first floor rooms that  I mention above. you know any contractor doing this job in Kollam. I am waiting for your suggestion.

My reply

Basically you should attempt to do first floor of your building construction only after availing professional assistance in design and construction.He will advise you on most appropriate materials to be used.

There is nothing wrong with interlock bricks.Quality of product and proper workmanship will have to be ensured for obtaining better results,

I do not recommend any particular contractor for any type of work.Here again your professional consultant for the work can help you locate and assess capability of the contractor

Concrete slab Thickness

Query

Dear Thomas,

Can you please suggest whether it is advisable to have different slab thickness for each room (based on the room span) for a first floor slab. I have seen your postings on Kerala life- blogspot.com

In fact i am a mechanical engineer. I am well aware of the slab/ beam/ column design (IS 456/ BS 8110). The intention behind my query was that as you know based on the room span, the slab reinforcement thickness may vary and is it advisable to maintain uniform thickness (based on severe span and loading) or keep different (cost effective). Appreciate if you can provide reply.

Shijumon.

My reply

Without studying your building plan and load conditions I cannot give a general reply.

Let the Engineer handling the design and supervision of the building decide on the matter

House design and construction is an Engineering work

Qualified and experienced professionals will have to design the house and provide detailed drawings ,design details and instructions at every stage of construction

Slab thickness can  be decided only after studying the concerned drawings by a professional

Hoping to buy a house in and around Cochin

Query

Hello Sir,

I came across your website in a Google search.

I am an NRI with a monthly income of 1.5 lakhs,

I was brought up in Mumbai and wish to buy a home there but it is above my budget for now.

I would like to buy a house in cochin area.

I believe that you are the best person to advise me.

Please suggest!!

Warm Regards,

Gokul

My reply

Our company can assist you in locating land meeting your budget and requirements.We can arrange  technical ,Vasthu and legal evaluation of the property to check whether the land purchase is safe and good.

We can also arrange professional assistance for registration formalities and related documentation and follow up

After this our company can assist you in design and construction of your dream house from concept to finish with professional care and guidance

Free Consultation-8,August,2012

CAN PANCHAYATH ACQUIRE PROPERTY AS IT MAY FEEL?

Query

Dear Sir,

I like to clarify few points from you, Is there any Rule that a Panchayat can acquire private owners property?My father in-law has got a plot near the panchayath office and its facing to the state highway. this plot has some coconut trees that is all and he is not planning to construct anything in the near future. some one told him to construct any building otherwise panchayath is trying to buy most of the property near by. its true also panchayath has bought some paddy fields and filled with soil and now its used for some storage place for panchayath.

My question is  there any rule that a private property can acquire by panchayath ?.

Dinesh

My Reply

No panchayath or government body can arbitrarily acquire your property without your consent.

In panchayath areas for road widening sometimes property is acquired even without seeking your written permission especially in cases where the property is left unattended with owner possibly away.But you can legally challenge such arbitrary acts of any government body .

Hence it is always better to have a proper compound wall done for the property.There can also be unlawful encroachment by others which you will not know in case you are living far away.

RENOVATION OF OLD HERITAGE BUILDINGS AND REMODELING OF EXISTING HOUSE

Query

Dear Mr.Thomas,
Went through your site and understand that you offer assistance and advise for renovation of old heritage buildings.   I need your help for renovating my old residence.
This building is unwieldy and difficult to maintain today and I would like to know if any good suggestion could be carried out effectively for a moderate cost so that I get additional effective space to meet the modern requirements.
I would like you to first visit my house if you can for which you can lay forth your terms.
Mohan

My reply

To start with, I will have to visit villa to be remodeled and study work involved for remodeling/extension

After the site visit, I will give a report on what exactly can be done on the existing structure to meet your expectations/needs

Based on this initial evaluation of work, using measurements collected from site and your old drawings related to the house if any, I will prepare what we call a Basic Plan for the modified house which will show positions and dimensions of rooms, doors and windows of the remodeled house  This Basic Plan if required can be revised  to meet your requirement fully, subject to our acceptance of your change requests.

After this, we will go systematically in a professional manner by providing complete professional care and technical guidance to reach your dream house.

Building Project at Palakkad

Query

Good Morning Mr.Thomas,

I happened to view your free consultation web-site and would like to know that whether you undertake any projects at Chittur Palakkad, I am planning to build a house together with some professional advisers like you, please let me know whether you are interested and how much does it cost?

Have a great day.

Ramesh

My reply

Building construction has to start with a Site visit by an experienced learned Architect to study site conditions and surroundings.A detailed discussion with the client and Architect is required to study your needs for house along with your expectations and budget constraints if any

Once this first stage is completed,Architect will prepare a plan of the house considering these aspects:

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

A well-designed plan by a qualified professional with good experience in designing and building houses can give you better facilities, appearance and lesser cost of construction as the plan will reflect wealth of experience of the professional obtained by designing and building hundreds of houses

Most important factor for reducing cost of construction is to avoid wastages of space and wastage of money in building procedures.A good Architect can provide you that and also can give you better space utilisation for every bit of built up space

Whether construction can be done by us directly or acting as consultant can be decided only after assessing all aspects.We have directly built houses in different parts of Kerala state and outside also

PLAN TAKEN FROM WEBSITE OF BUILDER

Query

Hello Thomas Sir,

This is Baiju here, I am planning to buy a plot of ( 33ft front width and 55ft Length)
This is facing a private road of 3meter width, which is the approach to the 3 plots. Mine is the last plot.

Please find attached the plan which I am considering to build. Can you please check and confirm if I can construct the house in 33 * 55 plot.

My reply

Plan taken from websites of builders or from any other source may not suit your plot dimensions,Vasthu considerations and your budget and needs for the house.

I have seen people wasting lakhs of rupees by using improper plan for the house.Only an expert can understand defects in plan just by seeing the plan.Any one can understand defects in plan after completion of structure of the building.Many people call me to see the building after completion of structure of building to advise them about what can be done to rectify defects noticed by the owner of the house .But nothing much can be done by me or any other expert at that stage

People generally are very happy to get plan of the house without charges or at very little charges.By saving a few thousands for getting a better plan from an expert,you are actually causing great financial losses in the building construction.Plan of the building is the most critical document for any construction and you will have to pay heavily for your careless behavior in going for any plan obtained from anywhere.

Free Consultation,2/8/2012

SQUARE FEET COST OF CONSTRUCTION

Query

Dear Sir,

Can you please provide me the Square Feet Rate of House construction.

I would like to use
Concrete Blocks (solid block)
Concrete Frame with Wooden Doors / windows.
M sand

Arun

My reply

Term "square feet rate of construction" normally used by non professional contractors to woo clients has no scientific basis and it is just a bait used by contractors to catch less informed potential clients.

When no one can predict cost of even one material or labour cost for one item after one year or more ,how can any one predict cost of more than a hundred materials and different type of labour after one or more years when construction of house is expected to complete,if commenced now?

And no two contractor does construction in similar manner using same amount of material and labour for a particular house construction.Then how can you compare rates given by two contractors?

HOUSE CONSTRUCTION DIRECTLY BY US AWAY FROM COCHIN

Query

Good Morning Mr.Thomas,

I happened to view your free consultation web-site and would like to know that whether you undertake any projects at Chittur Palakkad, I am planning to build a house together with some profession advisers like you, please let me know whether you are interested and how must does it cost?

Ramesh

My reply

Only after a site visit to study site conditions and preparation of Basic Plan which is the most important and critical document for house construction,I can say whether your house can be constructed by our team directly or even as consultants giving detailed drawings,occasional site visits to give instructions to the contractor taking up construction for you.

Of course we will prefer a location closer to Cochin.But we have taken up construction directly with our team of workers in different parts of State of Kerala and even outside state of Kerala.

Cutting down portion of house

Query

Anonymous   has left a new comment on your post "Kerala House design and Construction:Replies to ...":

Dear Sir,

I have a house in Cochin ,but due to certain reasons I need to change some layouts and would like to cut around 5 -7 meter length of wall (double brick masonry) The building has proper pillars and beams . Is there any cutting services available in Kerala , if if is so what is the cost of such services.

John

My reply

Do not try to cut portions of house or even make alterations to the structure of building without getting professional advice on what you intend to do on the building

Trouble with house construction is that almost everybody thinks that he knows a lot about these things and all that he need to know from others is bits of information.People are willing to take opinion and advice of any one they may meet on such matters and finally land up in wastage of huge amount of money and trouble .

They think that saving few thousands which one may have to pay to a professional Architect/Engineer has to be avoided even at the cost of wasting lakhs of money

After Structure work

Query

Dear Sir,

I have finished my concrete for ground & first floor, plastering, electrical wiring.

Could you please tell me now about the quality of steel doors, is it preferable than wood comparing to cost, quality & design, where i can select this.

Another thing now a days people go to Bangalore / Rajasthan to select their flooring materials like Marble and granite. is it profitable to do so. where i can locate the best supplier.

I appreciate your valued response.

Shihabudeen.

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 will 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 would like to visit your site.

Use of Marble and Granite for flooring is an outdated issue.There are better flooring products which are less costly and more trendy

Use of wood for door shutters are less costly and better compared to steel doors

Total Cost?

Query

Joe has left a new comment on your post "Free Consultation,25,July,2012":

what is the total cost to build 3200 sq. ft. individual home including furniture and interior designing

My reply

Is the cost calculation for a house construction that simple? just by knowing possible square feet plinth area of a house to be built can anybody correctly predict cost including every type of work that can be done for the building?

Answer to these questions are simply a NO.

Cost of construction depends upon so many factors like

1.Site conditions

2.Soil nature

3.Design of the house

4.Materials used for the construction

5.Quality of work

6.Options you choose from different options for every type of material required for house construction

Most important of all these factors is to get a professional design from the better qualified experienced professional.Not only the initial drawings but each and every detailed drawings for construction adapted to site conditions and your requirements will have to be given by your designer from beginning to end of construction with close professional guidance and monitoring

Most important reason for cost increase during construction is wrong design which creates lot of wastages and unutilised areas in the building.Any one without proper knowledge and experience will be able to notice defects in design only after the building is completed.But then your reluctance to pay few thousands to a professional will make you loose lakhs and you will have no other option but to live with defects in the house forever.

Ecofriendly house

Query

Sir

I  plan to construct  ecofriendly/green architecture house . Do you undertake similar projects ?

Sanoj

My reply

People may get confused about what this term “eco friendly house” mean.

Look at some of the ecofriendly options possible in building a house

1.Rubble work in dry pack for foundation where soil has required strength for rubble foundation:It reduces cost and increases foundation strength when properly done with professional supervision

2.Concrete frames for door window frames:cost reduction and you can avoid frames getting deteriorated with low quality wood that the contractor may supply to increase his profit

3.Filler slabs for roof slab:It will reduce heat inside rooms and will reduce cost of concrete and steel reinforcement

4.Clay tiles on roof top,both flat and slope roofs:It will reduce heat inside building and  avoid leakages of concrete roof

5.Solar heaters to heat water:It will avoid cost of electricity for heating water and will provide hot water at practically free of cost wherever you need in the house

6.Solar panels to generate Electricity:even though there will be an initial installation cost,you can simply forget about power cuts and can get Electricity at practically zero cost in the long run

7.Rain water storage:You can use rain water stored for your daily use.It will give good quality water at practically zero cost throughout the year.initial cost of rain water storage tank is the only cost involved

8.Waste water pits:This will ensure recycling of used water to your soil

9.Clay tiles or wood for flooring:Flooring materials like Marble,granite and manufactured tiles are not healthy for living

These and several more eco friendly features can be used for your house to be built.We can guide you on these

Plastering and Flooring work

Query

Anonymous   has left a new comment on your post "Elevation for 3000 sft 4 Bed house at Thoppumpady,...":

Hi sir,

I need your advice.,that first i need to do the  wall plastering or flooring work..please guide me..

My reply

How can I give reply to such comments posted on to blogs? There is no name or email id of the sender

Write directly to my email id given below for faster response from me:

vhthomas@viruvelil.com

Checking of Plan prepared

Query

Dear sir ,

Please find the attached pdf file of my house plan,

Please check the room setout is as per Vasthu.

My main gate of plot from southeast .and how much will be the cost for this house

Thomas Mathew

My reply

On quick checking following are the defects

Vasthu aspects

1.For East facing house,Car porch,Main door and Gate should come at Northern half of the frontage

2.North East is Esaana Konam ideal for Pooja and not for Kitchen.There is no need to put Kitchen in the front side and create inconvenience.For this house,better keep Kitchen at North West as Agnikonam (South East) is also in the front side

Architectural

Light and Ventilation in dining area is poor owing to placing Stair close to light passage wall thereby  preventing light and ventilation to that space

As per Vasthu Master bed room should come at South west.But this is far away from your Kitchen which will be inconvenient

There are several inner spaces like Foyer,Wash etc which are completely dark during day time without light and ventilation.A good Architect would have avoided such dark spaces

In view of the above I feel a total revision of plan is required before going in to Construction