Free Consultation

Clearance from front side facing road

Query

Dear Thomas

i have 4.5 cents beside Alappuzha-Thanneermukkam road i build a basement for house with three shop.before 21 years now i just build only one shop then went to Panchayath authority for numbering they want a certificate from village officer for location and the distance from the main road.but the village officer say to me the certificate only get after the survey done by  the thaluk  office because there is some purampoke lands in front of my land please guide me about how much space want to leave in front of land to main road?and how to save my money from waste expenses.also there is many buildings both side my lands.

My reply

Normally 3M clearance is required from the road facing the building.But your local authority(Panchayath in this case) will only be able to specify clearly how much space you have to leave in the front side.As there is said to be Purampoke land,that issue also has to be cleared by proper measurement by appropriate authority.

In the case of building construction you should not drag the numbering for long time like this after completion of construction

NALUKETTU HOUSE

Query

Hi I am mr.jovins ,I am from  Thodupuzha.i am planning to move to Mulanthuruthy which is my ancestral home.so my plan is to build a Nalukettu house,it is my dream ,so can you kindly help me .my plan is to construct a 2000 s ft. house,so is it enough for a Nalukettu type house? Please give me advice

My reply

There seems to be lot of confusion among people about Nalukettu house.

Basically this form of construction in Kerala Architecture was adopted in olden times due to requirement and living style of those days and it has almost nothing to do with present day life style of Malayalees

In earlier days people used to live in a house as Joint family with old parents,grown up children and their families living together.In such a situation each family unit may stay together in a large house with a common open space in the middle called Nadumuttom and surrounding common area for children to play inside house.

For A Nalukettu house,apart from Nadumuttom a prominent poomukham in front where the Karanavar(Chief of Family) of the joint family used to relax in a reclining chair was quite common.For the others to relax around the house,there will be open verandah around house with wooden charupady.

there is no point in replicating all these features in present day houses as joint family system has gone away giving way to nuclear families.Nadumuttom which is an open to sky feature in the center of the house is no more feasible with security and weather protection given importance.

For those who would like to have Nalukettu features due to sentimental reasons,I will advise to go for Poomukham with Charupady and Chuttu verandah to a lesser extent as a bigger sit out.

In any case adding such features will increase cost of constructing the house.For those who can afford to spend more on the house,adding Nalukettu features can be considered.For budget conscious houses,it is better to leave the design to your Architect to suit your plot,needs for house and budget.

SEEKING SOME DESIGN FOR HOUSE

Query

Hi Thomas,

Hope this mail find you in good health .Let me introduce my self first. Am a Computer programmer by profession having 0 % knowledge about construction and civil engineering.

Happened To visit http://viruvelil.blogspot.in/2008/06/building-your-dream-house-in-kerala.html . Hats for the beautiful effort.People like  you who take effort and  find time to spread the knowledge always make big difference

.Let me come to the point.I have plans to build a house at Ernakulum (varapusha). Have a 10 cent plot in hand which was handed over to mom after partition. wish to construct a 2 storied  4B house.But am not sure is it good to go for a 1 storied or a 2 storied.Also i am not having much clarity about room size 318*320 is a room having well space i believe. I wish a home to be built rather than a House with mere concrete and bricks.Regarding the budget have to solely depend on loans.Hope i can afford some thing between 18-20 lakhs. Look forward to suggestions from you as i feel you are more experienced and knowledgeable in this area. Also  Could u please send me some designs  house i can use. Waiting eagerly for a reply from you.

Thanks

Abhilash

My reply

Thank you for your good words

Any plan which we may have or some website can give may not suit your needs,your plot conditions,your budget and you should take professional guidance from beginning to end of house construction.At least you agree that you do not know much on house construction.Without knowing much people tend to say that they they know everything about house construction.Some people even draw plans on their own and ask Architect to draw like that !