After going through several emails I get and phone queries from different parts of world from Keralites who plan to construct their dream home usually in their native land even if it is far away from comforts and infrastructure facilities available at better known places in Kerala, I think it is high time I share with you few basic facts of design and construction of house in Kerala:
1. Square feet cost of construction
Almost everyone think that there is a uniform fixed square feet cost of construction of house in Kerala irrespective of location, site conditions, soil conditions, design of house. They think just like buying few Kg of rice from market, they can decide how much square feet area there house has to be, get square feet cost from a contractor and start construction
Nonprofessional contractors practically do not know anything about Architecture, Structural Engineering and how to construct house by saving cost and getting better utilisation for built up space. They are in business simply to get profit. They simply go on telling you lie about their expertise, smile a lot, and talk in pleasing manner to get money out of you. They are least bothered about engineering, quality standards and Architecture
Most of the people have a feeling that experienced expert Architects and Engineers are for rich people building large houses and other buildings. When you have limited funds and when you need maximum facilities at lesser cost you definitely need services of an expert in building design and construction. Just anyone who has come out of an Architectural or Engineering college cannot give you expertise required. At the most, a less exposed qualified person may be familiar with little vocabulary and may be able to draw using Auto CAD software.
You need expertise in designing and building houses obtained through experience. For example, I have designed and directly built more than 200 houses in different parts of Kerala in addition to designing many more and constructing directly even outside Kerala state. Each new construction is a new challenge to me and my expertise is tuned and polished with direct experience at sites and I learn more with each new project. When you get my services you get advantages of my attained wisdom by doing work directly learning and enriching that
In my opinion, there is no point in engineering colleges giving out students with certificates who can do nothing on their own. As part of their study they should be spending at least a year with industry experts from whom they can learn to do work. Present central Government has already understood this defect in our education system and GOI is already planning to impart skill development as part of education
2. Square feet area of a house
Most of the people do not consider it important to pay for design of a house. They will be happy if they can get design of house free. They search websites and come to me with elevations and plan they see on websites and ask me simply how much that house will cost. Your site measurements, other site conditions, your needs for house, budget may not suit at all with that house picture you get from internet sites
As you think square feet is cost you tend to fix up square feet plinth area of the house using square feet cost you may hear from any one. An experienced designer can get you maximum facilities at lesser cost. For example, my office building at Cochin is built on a 3.5 cents land and built like a four bed room attached house with all usual common facilities in a house. Square feet plinth area of this two storied house is only 1400 sft .Don’t try to get a plan of this house and give it to your square feet contractor. He will not be able to build this house with his usual square feet charges
To tell you the truth, no square feet contractor has completed a house till today with originally promised square feet rate. He will do all sorts of compromises in quality and strength of construction to increase his profit and still demand extras one after another. By the time the house reaches finishing stage both you and your contractor might have forgotten the originally agreed square feet rate. It was only a lie to get work from you and you are cheated from day one to end of construction
You tell your requirements and budget constraints to an expert in building design and construction. He will guide you on what design you can have, how much square feet plinth area your house can have and how to go about reducing cost and improving facilities. Payment you make to an expert is not at all a loss .You will save lakhs in construction and will get a better house at lesser cost
3. What you need is a better house at lesser cost
More than those who have lots of money for construction, if you have limited budget you need services of an experienced expert who can guide from beginning to end of construction .You need continuous guidance, your workers need continuous instructions, drawings and engineering, architectural designs so that you get a better house at a lesser cost
You may say that your contractor does not need any design, drawings. Yes. It is exactly what he do not need to put your hard earned money in the drains. If the workers have to do construction work with detailed design drawings, it will increase their job/cost as they will not be able to work comfortably without any engineering. Contractor and worker will leave your house after work. Better quality construction, better facilities and lesser cost is going to benefit you only, not the workers
4. Can cost come down by using certain materials?
Trouble with most of house construction in Kerala is that the owner of the house tries to act as Architect for the house collecting bits of information on house construction from any one he may come across. People give free advises, free cost indications, free material suggestions and by using these, you land up in trouble. Some people may have ego so high that they will say: “I am spending my money. So I will decide on everything on my house” If so, do you need experts? If not, you end up spending more and getting a house with lots of defects which you cannot rectify later
Cost of construction can come down only by appropriate design by an expert in house construction. He will guide you on materials to be used considering all aspects. Do not simply listen to any one whom you may meet to get building design and construction ideas. There is nobody else who can give you correct and better advises and suggestions other than your Architect
5. Changes after construction
I have visited several houses after construction where I was called to advice on what can be done to correct defects. In most of the cases I have found that problems cropped up due to defects in plan of house which in most cases, obtained free from nonprofessional contractor. By saving few thousands as fee for plan of house, they landed up losing lakhs and ending up with a structure with several defects on all aspects. In most of these cases during visit, I could only say, nothing can be done at this stage
6. Professional design, professional supervision
Professional design of the house, continuous close monitoring of construction by an expert are very important and it cannot be taken lightly to save those few thousands fee to an experienced expert. Your nonprofessional contractor will advise you not to get any Architect/Engineer in to design and construction of house. Such people will destroy his profit margin and put him in to trouble
So while designing and building your house act intelligently and don’t be foolish by saving thousands to loose lakhs. Not even a super Architect cannot do much on defects in design and construction after completion of house
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