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?