Free consultation on Architecture,House Construction and Vasthu

I can give you free consultation on any matter related to Architecture,House Construction and Vasthu or anything related to construction of houses through this blog.Just send me your doubts,clarifications required or information you need to my email id
vhthomas@viruvelil.com
I will send you reply within 48 hours

Our Blogs on Kerala Architecture, House construction, interior design, Kerala life, travel and politics

Completed works
http://kerala-houseconstruction-irinjalakuda.blogspot.com/
http://kerala-houseconstruction-cochin.blogspot.com/
http://kerala-houseconstruction-nilambur.blogspot.com/

Work in progress
http://kerala-houseconstruction-vyttila.blogspot.com/
http://kerala-houseconstruction-sunny.blogspot.com/
http://kerala-houseconstruction-cherthala.blogspot.com/
http://kerala-houseconstruction-elamakkara.blogspot.com/
http://tamilnadu-houseconstruction-ootty.blogspot.com/
http://kerala-houseconstruction-chengannur.blogspot.com/
http://keralahouseconstruction-koratty.blogspot.com/

Blog and Knoll on Kerala Architecture
http://viruvelil.blogspot.com/
http://knol.google.com/k/thomas-viruvelil/kerala-architecture/
http://kerala-architects.blogspot.com/
Blog on Kerala life, Politics, travel and on Kerala Architecture
http://kerala-life.blogspot.com/
http://kerala-present-trends.blogspot.com/
DISCLAIMER
Every effort is taken to provide you authentic information on Kerala Architecture and it is features and other relevant information on building a house in Kerala. VIRUVELIL group of Companies or V.H.Thomas or any person interacting through this website on behalf of VIRUVELIL group of companies will not be responsible for the authenticity or correctness of the information provided through this website or conveyed by email to any person contacting us for information, assistance, guidance or for any commercial activity related or followed after any enquiry or request for services /assistance/guidance.
We do not accept responsibility for loss or damage arising from the use of the information provided through this website which may be creative work/technical data without our consent/involvement and guidance. We have complete, unchallenged copy right for all information, data, pictures, design details provided through this website. Any dissemination, use, review, distribution, printing or copying in part or full of information, data, pictures design details provided through this website is strictly prohibited

Buying land in Kerala for house construction

When you want to buy land in Kerala for the purpose of constructing a house, several aspects has to be considered and verified before you make a decision on land purchase
1. Technical aspects
First of all, try to buy original land without any filling during the last ten years. Construction cost especially foundation cost can go high with concrete piling even for two storied building if you buy filled up land which was originally marshy land with clay . When you buy land in Cochin most places of Cochin are filled up land without even a trace of sand for several meters depth
Plot should have free access to road with at least seven feet width and preferably not less than 10 feet width. If you buy land without road wide enough for easy passage of truck, transporting construction materials to site will become very costly
As per building rules you have to leave 3M from front road and from sides 1 or 1.2 M if the side of the plot does not have any road or even private passage. In the case of passages ending with dead end coming in sides, you will have to leave minimum 2 M in that side. Otherwise for a regular road on sides, you will have to again leave 3M on the sides also. Thus a plot having roads on all sides will have much less space for building when you have to comply with Kerala Building rules. In the case of a normal two storied building you will have to leave 1.5 M on the rear side also
Plot should preferably have larger length in the side where it faces road. Do not simply go by area of the land usually referred in Kerala as cents. One cent is an area of the land which is equal to 435 square feet. A plot with lesser dimension in the side facing road with larger depth will be inconvenient for construction of the house and due to lesser frontage your Architect will not be able to design a house with better front appearance for such a plot
A plot should preferably have not less than 12 M frontage for small plots. But for bigger plots frontage length of about 25 M will be better. Even though too much depth will not be of much use, for smaller plots again 12 to 15M depth is preferred when you have an almost equal or nearer frontage length. For bigger plots again depth of about 20 M is preferred
You have to check up with local authority whether the plot is included in any of the government schemes. If so you may not get building permit after buying the land for construction of house
As you may not be fully aware of all aspects it is better to get the plot inspected by a technically qualified person experienced in construction of houses before you decide to buy the plot
2. Vasthu aspects
As per Vasthu plot with road facing the following directions in that order is best suited for construction of house
1. East
2. North
3. West
4. South
However Vasthu stipulates ideal positions for rooms for houses facing each direction. Even for house s facing south, there is no problems expected if you follow instructions for South facing house as per Vasthu while preparing Plan of the house by properly placing each type of room of the house
You should avoid buying plot where a road or passage ends. This plot is expected to bring all sorts of problems and misery to those who live there
There are several other aspects to be considered as Per Vasthu before you buy a plot of land. Hence it is better to get the land inspected by a Vasthu consultant before you decide to buy the plot
3. Legal aspects
You have to get all documents related to the land verified by a lawyer experienced in civil cases. The following documents will have to be obtained in original before making payment for the land in addition to what additional documents a lawyer may call for after examining documents related to the land which you plan to buy
1. Original deed
2. Original previous deed if the property was not divided earlier and copy of previous deed if the property was divided prior to earlier transaction
3. Land tax receipt in the name of seller issued by concerned Village office
4. Possession certificate issued by concerned village Office in the name of seller
5. Location certificate issued by concerned Village office in the name of seller
6. Non encumbrance certificate for 14 years issued by concerned Registrar office
You will also have to get services of a reliable document writer for carrying out all formalities related to purchase of property. If you can get the services of a professional agency like ours who will arrange and coordinate all the above by various agencies together, it will be better and less troublesome for you as a buyer of land

Design and Construction of house

I keep getting mails from Keralites living in different parts of world saying that he/she intend to construct house in Kerala. Most of them simply ask me how much it will cost to construct a house without even bothering to tell even the place for construction. Most of them simply think that construction of a house is as simple as going and buying something from the market. It is definitely not that simple
1. Prepare a list of what you need in the house
Starting point for construction of a house is preparing a list of what all rooms, facilities you need in the house. Try to make this list after detailed discussions and obtaining inputs from all members of the family. Of course later while discussing with an Architect he may suggest changes and improvements on this wish list based on his knowledge and experience in designing and building houses for many
2. Site visit by Architect
Site visit by an Architect is essential for him to properly visualize your dream home. An experienced Architect can see in his mind how the house should look when completed. If the Architect is well versed in Vasthu, he can also decide on appropriate positions for each room as per Vasthu requirements. A well designed plan is the most important aspect of construction of a house. Even if you pay more for a good design by obtaining a better qualified and experienced Architect, you will save lakhs of rupees and can avoid inconveniences and wastage of space that can occur due to improper design
3. Finalising the Plan
Based on initial requirement details given by you, Architect will prepare a plan showing positions and dimensions of rooms, doors and windows. From the plan drawing you may not be able to understand properly features of the Plan. Hence it is better to get a detailed briefing from the Architect on features of the plan, advantages and disadvantages of the Plan. It will also be better if you obtain a second opinion on the plan from an equally qualified and experienced Architect and try to discuss points raised by second consultant with the first consultant so that you can be sure that the plan prepared is the best considering your site conditions, requirements and financial arrangements
4. Engineering Estimate
Before finalising on the plan try to get an Engineering estimate giving item wise costing at least for the structural part of the building as interior and finishing works can be estimated after completion of structural part of the building depending upon your financial condition at that stage. On the finishing work to be done you will get a clearer picture after the structural work as you can visualize better works required at that stage. If structural costing is not within your reach you can revise the plan at that drawing stage itself rather than waiting for changes after commencement of work
5. Selecting a contractor for the work
While a selecting someone to carry out the work you should try to get someone associated with a professional Architect who will follow procedures of work strictly as per quality standards of an Architect/Engineer with proper structural design for each steel and concrete parts of the building. You should not simply go for the lowest quotation as it can be costly for proper construction of your building in the long run
Like above points there are several matters to be carefully implemented during design and construction of house.
You can mail me for free consultation on any stage of construction of your building by writing to vhthomas@viruvelil.com
You will get a prompt reply from me

Square feet cost of a building

There is a general mistaken notion that there is something called square feet cost for construction of a building irrespective of location, site conditions, soil conditions, difference in design and input costs.
No professional can predict cost of any building simply on square feet basis.
We have to first prepare a plan of the proposed building.
Prepare an Engineering estimate for the proposed building after considering site and soil conditions, based on structural design of the building to be prepared by a qualified structural consultant.
Only after these steps an approximate figure of costing can be arrived at.
Without even preparing a plan, only non professional contractors can talk of square feet cost.No such contractor has ever completed construction of any house within that promised cost except in cases where he has kept the figures comfortably high thereby extracting a bigger margin. Otherwise he will compromise on quality standards and input material and labour.
Only after preparing the plan we will know the exact area of the house to be built.Square feet area is not directly proportional to the cost.It is only one of the several factors contributing to cost of building
Engineering estimate is not based on square feet plinth area of a building. It is based on quantity of each item of construction like brick work, concrete, plastering etc.To make it more clear to you, 20 feet by 20 feet hall is of 400 sft in the carpet area. It will be about 500 sft in Plinth area. In the same square feet area, if you build two rooms, cost will be high as the material and work input changes. Square feet plinth area is not the deciding factor for cost. If you have larger rooms, cost per square feet decreases and if you have smaller rooms, cost per square feet increases. A person who has taken up construction of the house simply based on square feet plinth area as basis of costing will find it difficult to follow instructions of structural consultant to use steel reinforcement as designed by him for all concrete components of the building. Similarly he will find it difficult to comply with demands of the Architect for the building as per architectural detailed design to be developed by the Architect.
After the structure work is finished we will have better picture on the finishing works for the house.For items like Electrical, Plumbing, Flooring, Painting usual contractors talk of certain type of material as their standard and for anything better extra charges will be applicable .
Initially data will be available only for the structure work. That too only after finalisation of the Basic Plan.At this stage, without even preparing a Basic Plan, we will not have any data to predict cost of a building.Non professional contractors give some figures and try to adjust on quality of construction to obtain profit within the price quoted, in cases where client insists on paying only based on plinth area costing. Otherwise he will go on demanding extra charges and rate revision due to price escalation and “special and extra works”.
Major cost saving and better utility of the house is obtained from proper design of the house. A good experienced Architect can provide you the following at the design stage itself and a well designed plan can save you substantial amount of money and proper utility for every inch of your building.
1. Utilization of available space of building in the most appropriate manner without any wastage.
2. Modern architectural design.
3. Proper ventilation for each room and scientific placing of rooms and other areas to get maximum utility and better appearance.
4. Compliance to Vasthu principles.
5. Multi dimensional elevation, giving you bigger appearance from outside and attractive views from different sides.
6. Cost effective design which reduces cost without compromising on quality.
7. Complete professional structural, architectural design and interior and landscape design.
If you go for cheaper designs, such designs can be extremely costly during construction and you will have to live with inconveniences and sacrifice many advantages you could have obtained with a professional design.
While designing your building you should not simply go to a personally known architect or even a relative. You should go to a better professional even if his charges are a bit high. May be by charging you high he can save you many lakhs of rupees by proper design and remember that an improper design cannot be wished away after construction. You simply will have to suffer it for the sake of a few rupees saved towards design charges

Features of Kerala architecture

23. Interior wood work with carvings
Traditionally Kerala houses had interior wood work done with wood carvings by skilled artisans. In the earlier days house was built with wood, brick and clay tiles. Content of wood was very high as the cost was not high.Arappura, Pathayam, Machu (sealing between tiled roof and Room space) were all done by wood and mostly teak wood. Verandahs and living halls were having round pillars in woodof rosewood or teak with decorative carvings on top and bottom
Even today this wood work and carving work is used in high cost houses being built in Kerala with all the beauty and splendor of yester years. Some of the wood work now being used can be classified into following types
1. Charupady for sit out and balcony (Fully covered and partially covered)
2. Wood paneling of wall on either side of main door which can be opened as two parts to either side with carving work and possibly with pictorial lock like manichitrathazhu
3. Wood paneling for round pillars inside the house
4. Wooden flooring
5. Wood paneling with top carving work for inside room walls
6. Decorative cots in wood with designs similar to cots of old Kings
7. Stair case posts with carving
8. Cup boards and sofas with carved back rests
9. Modular kitchen with wooden cabinets for storage and proper keeping of kitchen utensils and tools(This is a modern day addition)
10. Wood carved Mukhappu above tiled slope roof
11. Wood carved Thoomanam
12. Aattu Kattil
Conclusion
Kerala Architecture has rich tradition and there was never an attempt to collect valuable details and traditional styles and methods used by Kerala Architects of olden days. Anyone with more information on features of Kerala Architecture and practices earlier used by Kerala architects may please write to us with details to be included in this website. Corrections or additions to details already given are also welcome
You can email to us at vhthomas@viruvelil.com or
vhthomas@eth.net

Features of Kerala Architecture

21. Clay tile laying on roof and floor
Traditionally clay tiles were used for floor of the Kerala House and Kerala houses or rather Kerala style of roof is supposed to be slope roofs with clay tiles laid over wooden reepers and wooden koodu with wooden thulam,kazhukkol etc properly installed by old asaris with precision
As wood became costlier and when concrete roof became popular, Kerala Architects tried to give similar old Koodu appearance with slope roof concrete as roof which will later have clay tiles laid over it complete with old Mukhappu and Thoomanam. Mukhappu comes at the top of the sloping portions of the slope roof and sometimes in the middle of one side of slope roof. This appearance is also achieved by using steel fabricated koodu structure with tiles laid over steel reepers
Thoomanam used to be made by wood at the bottom end where clay tile reaches at the bottom. Rain water falling on the slope roof will flow down fast due to the slope and when water reaches the bottom of the slope roof, Thoomanam will act as a diverter to direct water directly towards ground instead of it flowing inside to wall of the house
In the earlier days plain or carved with picture design wooden Thoomanam used to be fitted by traditional Kerala asaris, usually painted dark blue. As wood is now costly, precast concrete Thoomanam with attractive designs are now being used in place of wooden Thoomanam
Now clay tiles of smaller dimensions and of different shapes are available. I can give website details of one of the clay tile manufacturers in Trichur.www.kapindiatiles.com
Even on floor we can use these clay tiles which are healthier to use as they do not have negative energy unlike other normally used flooring materials. Here again different models and designs are available of course with better strength and practically wear and tear resistant. If you give an antifungal exterior paint over these tiles it will go without any fungus for about five years. Costly baked with antifungal paint claytiles are also available which will last longer fungus resistant
22. Wooden flooring
Earlier we used to have wooden flooring in Kerala houses with less finish and without modern wood polishing. Now different type of wood in small to slightly big pieces arranged neatly to give good appearance with good polishing which last longer is available for flooring. As wood cost is now going up, cost of wooden flooring is also on the rise. But wooden flooring is really comfortable and healthy also