CHOICES - MATERIALS

While making the Project Brief, you will be faced with a number of choices regarding the material to be used, the design of the interiors, the exteriors and so on. Each of these choices have their own pros and cons. 

Here are some of the choices which you could consider while planning the MATERIALS to be used for the  Doors, Windows, Flooring, Electrical, Plumbing, Grills, Building material.



DOORS - TEAK VS STEEL VS MOULDED:

  • Moulded doors are the cheapest option followed by steel doors and then Teak doors. So most people opt to have moulded internal doors and a steel or teak main door.
  • A teak main door looks good, however it must be maintained well and you should ensure that no water hits it during the rainy season.
  • A safer and cheaper option is a steel door with wood finish (powder coating).  But this does not look as good as a teak door

WINDOWS - WOODEN VS ALUMINIUM VS UPVC:

  • Wood windows are costly Rs700 - 750 /sq ft but look very aesthetic. Wood windows need to be well protected from rain and harsh sunlight. They need regular maintenance. 
  • Aluminum windows are not strong. 
  • The cost of upvc windows ranges from Rs350 /sq ft for sliding designs and Rs500 /sq ft for casement windows both without grill option. Upvc windows are cheaper but do not look as good as wooden windows. 

GRANITE VS MARBLE VS VITRIFIED TILES: 

  • A white floor reflects more light, brightness into the room. Flooring options include Granite, Marble, Vitrified Tiles, Kota etc. 
  • Granite and Marble can be polished to a high finish and this flooring looks very elegant and luxurious. But over time, these materials lose their sheen. However, they can be re-polished, though each time, 2mm - 3 mm thickness of the stone surface will be removed. 
  • Granite and Marble are expensive. Finding shades of white Granite is difficult and Marble is soft and gets stained easily. They are naturally occurring and so, getting stones of the same quality, without fault lines is difficult.
  • Vitrified tiles have a lot more options and is definitely cost effective. Vitrified has the tendency to chip and crack when heavy objects are dropped on it. Vitrified does not look as natural and elegant as Marble or Granite. The joints between vitrified tiles are visible and get very dirty. Make sure you buy good quality Vitrified tiles so that they will last long.  

BRICK VS CEMENT BLOCK: 

  • Cement blocks work out cheaper than Bricks. Cement block walls are 6" thick compared to 9" Brick walls which gives added inches to the room dimensions. Also, Cement block walls are easier to construct. However, a room built with Cement block will heat up soon.
  • Brick walls are more expensive - Bricks come in 2 varieties- regular which is around Rs 6/brick and wire-cut which is Rs 8 /Brick and suitable for exposed brick work. Brick walls require skilled masons to construct. But the advantage is that rooms with brick walls will remain cool. And in terms of safety,  brick walls are much safer and stronger than cement block walls.  
GRILLS VS HEX RODS:  
  • Security is a major concern today and iron grills are mandatory to prevent burglary. There are two ways of fixing grills - screw on the grill to the window frame or pierce 12 mm hex rods through the wooden frames into the walls. 
  • Grills are more aesthetic compared to hex rods as they are available in various patterns. However grilled windows are easy to break into as the grill can be unscrewed from the frame. 
  • Hex rods are hard to break through as they run throughout the window frame, and the spacing of the hex rods is usually at 3" intervals. Moreover, these rods are thick and hence hard to bend.
Similarly, you will be faced with different choices for the EXTERIOR  and INTERIOR your house. Read about it here:
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CHOICES - INTERIORS

While making the Project Brief, you will be faced with a number of choices with regard to the design of the Interiors, Exteriors and materials used. Each of these choices have their own pros and cons.

Here are some of the choices which you could consider while planning the INTERIOR of the House: Privacy vs Open plan, Modular vs traditional, Cut lintel vs Through lintel, Sunk vs flat toilet.

PRIVACY VS OPEN PLAN:

  • Do you prefer privacy or do you prefer a large, flowing open plan? If you want privacy, then you need to separate out the living and dining rooms. The bedrooms should be tucked away from the living room and the front of the house. You should avoid large windows facing the front road. The house should be inward looking. The disadvantage is that the rooms will appear smaller as they are defined, separate spaces.
  • On the other hand if you prefer openness, then you can have rooms flowing into other rooms like a combined living and dining, an open kitchen etc. You can have large windows opening out to the front and sides to let in a lot of light. You can use a lot of glass. But privacy will be compromised.

KITCHEN - MODULAR VS TRADITIONAL:

  • Modular kitchens are easy to install and look glamorous and neat. The hinges open and close smoothly when compared to the ones installed by a carpenter. However, they are hard to clean and maintain, the corners become inaccessible and a place for cockroaches if not maintained properly. The metal will rust after 5-10 years of usage and will look bad. The cabinet shutters-hinge assembly will come off after repeated opening and closing. Then the entire shutter-hinge  has to be replaced. Modular kitchens are very expensive. 
  • A Traditional kitchen with granite counters, hinged shutters will be easier to maintain and more cost effective than Modular kitchens. You need to invest in good hinges and good wooden shutters or  water proof plywood shutters with good veneers. The disadvantage is that a traditional kitchen will not look as sleek as a modular one. Also, there will be bigger gaps  between shutters.

INVERTED T-BEAMS VS CONCEALED BEAMS: 

  • If the room dimension is bigger than 15'x15', then its ideal to go in for a T-Beam. An inverted T-Beam gives the room ceiling a clean and beam-less appearance. 
  • The other option to get a flat, beam-less ceiling is to go in for concealed beams which have extra steel rods and thus are slimmer. But a concealed beam does not function like a beam and care has to be taken that it is not overloaded at the upper floors.

CUT LINTEL VS THROUGH LINTEL: 

  • The purpose of a lintel above a window, is to support the weight of the bricks on top and make sure the window does not deform. There are 2 types of lintels - cut and through: A cut lintel is one which is cast separately above each window while a through lintel is one that runs round the entire perimeter of the house. 
  • The advantage of a through lintel is that the weight is equally distributed in a through lintel. Through lintels also give you the liberty to do alterations to the house later, as you can move doors and windows. Through lintels also give additional support during an earthquake. However, a through lintel will cost at least Rs 30,000/- more than using cut lintels.
  • In 'RCC framed structures, a through lintel can be avoided if beam interlocking is done at the plinth level. 

SUNK VS FLAT BATHROOM: 

  • A bathroom floor slab needs to be sunk by at least 6" and filled with cinder to accommodate the sanitary pipes from the WC, wash basin and shower. So the room below the bathroom will have a lower ceiling. Therefore it makes sense to have both the first floor and the ground floor bathrooms in the same line. This way the pipes can be shared and the slab can be sunk without affecting the room below. 
  • If  you cannot have toilets above toilets, then you will have to raise the floor of the upper bathroom by 6" to accommodate the sanitary lines. 
Similarly, you will be faced with different choices for the EXTERIOR or MATERIALS of your house. Read about it here:
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CHOICES - EXTERIOR

While making the Project Brief, you will be faced with a number of choices. Each of these choices have their own pros and cons.

Here are some of the choices which you could consider while planning the EXTERIOR of your house: Basement vs No Basement, Stilt vs Ground Parking, Serial vs Parallel parking, Garden vs Paved areas.


BASEMENT Vs NO BASEMENT: 

  • Most people debate whether to have a Basement or not. It seems like a space saving option as multiple cars can be parked there. However it is risky to have a Basement especially in low lying areas. 
  • During the rainy season the clogged drainage system can lead to reverse flow which in turn can flood the basement. You need to be present in the house every time it rains to monitor the flooding. Even then, you cannot depend on water pumps to pump out the water as electricity could fail during the rains. Whatever system you have in place it may not be enough to tackle the flooding in the basement.

  • Some people prefer to have gyms or media rooms or games rooms in the Basement with the entry provided from inside the house. This type of Basement is preferable to a Car parking basement as the question of flooding does not arise. 
  • However, the  tropical Indian climate invites cockroaches and rodents which can enter the basement via the basement windows. If you keep the basement windows closed always, then it leads to expansion and dampness in the walls. 
  • Dampness in walls is a common problem in Basements and you can actually smell the dampness when you go down. It is not healthy to spend much time in this environment.

STILT Vs BASEMENT Vs GROUND FLOOR PARKING:
  • If you have more than 2 cars, parking at the ground level eats up valuable space on the site. Instead, Stilt level or basement parking are the best options. 
  • However, houses with Stilt parking do not look aesthetic, as the columns are visible at ground floor level. Also, there is a security risk as you will be unaware of what is happening in the ground floor.  
  • A Basement allows multiple car parks below your house, leaving a lot of free space at ground level. 
  • However, a Basement used for car parking will require a long ramp, at least 9' wide, from the road.  This means, a lot of the site space will be eaten up by the ramp. Also there is always the risk of flooding.
SERIAL PARKING Vs PARALLEL PARKING Vs GARAGE
  • For 1 or 2 cars, parking at the ground level is the cheapest and best option. But here again you have a choice between Serial and Parallel parking options.
  • Serial car parking requires you to park the cars one behind the other which makes it difficult to take the cars in and out. Minimum space required for a sedan is 8'x16' and for a compact car is around 8'x14'. Minimum space required for 2 cars in serial order will be 8'x28'.
  • Parallel parking allows you to take 2 cars in and out without difficulty. But it uses up valuable front space in the site which could otherwise be used for landscape. Minimum space required to park 2 sedans will be 18'x16' and 16'x16' to park 2 compact cars. 
  • Garages have the advantage that they can be closed. In earlier days, the garage was put in the corner of the site as there was no need to leave setbacks on the side and back which was an advantage in terms of space utilization. However, this required a 9' wide car-way to the garage which resulted in a lot of site space being used up. In today's scenario, where every inch of land is precious, it makes better sense to have a garage in the front of the house, though the rolling shutters do not look very aesthetic.  
GARDEN Vs PAVED AREAS:
  • Even though there might not be much space around the house, you have the choice to have a garden or not.
  • A landscaped area, even small can give colour and life to the surroundings. It encourages birds, butterflies and other insects and is a soothing picture to look out to, from inside the house. A kitchen garden is useful for growing herbs and even vegetables. However, any garden  requires a lot of care, time and water. 
  • If water is a problem or you do not have an inclination for gardening, then you can opt for verandahs or hard landscaping with stone, pavers etc.
BOREWELL Vs NO BOREWELL: 
  • Most people dig a borewell before the start of the House Construction, since the Water Supply Board of each area will not provide water for the construction and a borewell is a life saver in areas where there is water scarcity. Nowadays, it is difficult to rely on the municipal water supply as cities get crowded. If you find out that water supply is erratic in your area or if you have more than normal water requirement  due to tenants or a large family, then it makes sense to have a borewell before the start of construction. A borewell costs around 1.5 - 2 lakhs depending on the depth to which it is dug. 
  • But having said this, there are chances that the borewell may fail you - you will not find water at all, the water table may be too deep, maintenance problems, broken pump, drying up of borewell etc. Take all this into account while making your decision to dig a borewell. 

  • If you decide to go ahead with a borewell, then make sure you have RWH (Rain water harvesting) via the pit method in place, to replenish the water table. But that doesn't necessarily mean you will get the same amount of water  If everyone in your area is drawing from the same water table then your yield will be impacted as well. If your neighbour has a borewell then chances are that, you both will draw water from the same table. 
  • If on the other hand you decide to use a tanker to supply water for the construction you will end up paying Rs 6,000 for 60,000 litres / month assuming you are paying Rs 600 / 6000 litres / tank. This works out to around Rs 70,000 for the whole construction (that will take around a year to complete). You would have shelled out only half or less than half the cost of a borewell. So, if you do not need the borewell after the construction, (assuming you will get good water supply from the municipal water board), the extra cost is not justified. 

  • Similarly, you will be faced with different choices for the INTERIORS or MATERIALS of your house. Read about it here:
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