Free Consultation,09,March,2014

1.Building rules

Query-1

I have built a new house near my old house and the distance between them is 2 meter in front and from middle to rear end it is only 1.2 meter.Is it allowed.if not please advice me a rectification

My reply

I can comment on it only after a site visit.

You are supposed to carry out construction activities as per Building rules in consultation with a professional in the field.If construction is done violating existing rules,you may have to dismantle those portions violating building rules

Query-2

I have given token for purchasing a land from an Individual in a Panchayath area of Thrissur. This land was bought by the current owner in 2008 and he has done 'Pokku Varavvu' in panchayath and also he is paying regular Land tax.

This property was bought in a gated communitty where in the previous owner has not taken Land Development approval from Panchayath to split up his 1.7 acre land. Hence currently the Panchayath is not ready to give Building permit. And also no house has been constructed in the said Gated community.  

As the land has been sold to different persons, now there is no option to extend the road width from current 4mt to 5mt ( as panchayath per panchayath rule).

Kindly let me know, what could be done in such a scenario to get Building permit

Vinod

My reply

As per rules person who sub divide and sell plots of land should get division of land approved by Regional Town planning authority whether plot is in panchayath or other areas.RTP may insist on specified width for inner roads,drainage facilities etc.So you should buy land only after verifying that your seller has got RTP approval in writing

2.Architecture

Query-1

.I am planning to construct a home (nalukettu) in Aluva, the plot size I am having is 18.6 X 18.8 m,Can you please advise me whether this is enough for a nalukettu with 3 bedrooms, living, dining, study and kitchen.

Sajith

 

My reply

a Nalukettu type of house should have the following features in addition to what you may require for the house to call it Nalukettu type of house

1.Poomukham which is an extended sit out projecting towards front portion of house connected to verandah

2.Chuttu verandah which is an open covered space with usual width of 5 feet.It was around the house in the earlier days.Now restricted to front portions of the house

3.Nadumuttom or inner court yard open to sky

Basically without studying site conditions,your requirement details it is not practically possible to state exact dimension needs for the house

A Nadumuttom which is an open space in middle is not preferred these days due to security reasons and weather conditions in Kerala which is rains for nearly six months.There will be problems of pests like mosquitoes in an open to sky arrangement

If you are particular about having a Nadumuttom ,it can be done even with these dimensions.But basically these things can be confirmed only after preparing a Basic plan and site study

Query-2

My name is Kabeer and i am working in Qatar. I have decided to construct a house of plinth area 1500 Sq. feet (single floor). I am thinking to do the Column - Beam structure and Asbestos sheet partitions for the inside wall. In this regards i need your advice in the following things

1. Which cost is more for the inside partitions with finishing Asbestos or Block work?
2. Is there any health problems while using the Asbestos sheet.

Waiting for your favorable reply. 

My reply

If you want a good house to be built with your money,first of all you should avoid trying to be Architect and Structural Engineer for your house.Leave that role to experts even though money is yours.A house construction require getting the services of a qualified experienced professional from beginning to end of construction.He will advise you on all aspects.You should not try to get bits of information from any one you come across.

House Construction

Query-1

I am confused to decide to select what type of flooring best for our new home . I came to know that many people experiencing leg pain due to tile flooring. But our builder telling that it is because of vitrified tiles and if we use ceramic tiles, leg pain will not occur. Our budget for flooring is around Rs. 50 per sft. Sir, Kindly guide me in this

My reply

Vitrified tiles ,ceramic tiles,granite and marble are not healthy materials for flooring.Clay tiles and wooden flooring is good on health point of view.While doing finishing work of house,you need continuous guidance from a building consultant and definitely not from your contractor.

You need advice and guidance of a qualified and experienced person to know various options available to you, latest trends and ways and means to decrease cost while improving utility and appearance of the building.

Look at some of the pending works

1. Putty finish for walls and painting

2. Flooring and toilet wall/floor tile laying with latest trend designs/patterns

3. Plumbing and sanitary works

4. Electrical wiring and fittings

5. Interior woodwork like modular Kitchen, cupboards and Interior lay out design

6. Furniture work with woodcarving

8. Land scape design, arrangements and much more

We can undertake these after structure work by providing professional guidance and expert workers

To assess work already done in the house and to suggest/advise on pending works to be done I can visit your site and give proper guidance

Query-2

I am planning to construct a my dream home in a plot where  nearby houses exhibits wetness from under (walls are found peeling and wet from down). there is a  canal stream within 500mts. people say there is "adee-ozhukuku". kindly please advice us on the most suitable foundation for a 2storeyed house. lack of experts in our locality has added to our agony. seeking your professional advice at the earliest.

My reply

I cannot make suggestions on design without site visit and study of your needs for building.Basically the question of type of foundation has to be left to qualified and experienced building professional.Even though you are spending money,trying to act as Architect or Structural Engineer with bits of information obtained from any one you meet and deciding on design of building on your own is not good for you and your building

Query-3

I am residing in Cherthala, the ground soil is firm and is with silica sand

I am thinking of a foundation with rubble packed with this sand under pressured water , bottom portion like to make PCC for 10 cm and the total cavity as 60 cm, Is it okay for the foundation for 1600+600 (FF) sqft house.

Also I have a doubt on the heat generation aspects of solid cement block, clay brick and laterite block, which is better

Looking for your valuable reply

My reply

This is the most important problem in house construction and design in Kerala.Person who spend money for house construction think that house design and construction should be done as he feels.He is not willing to accept the fact that he is not an expert in Engineering or Architecture

Why do you want to avoid a building professional that too the best expert you can find when you are going to make major investment in your life spending almost major part of your earnings in a life time?

Involvement of an expert with experience and knowledge  will get you the following if not more

1.Right design for the house which can get you better facilities at lesser cost

2.Better utilisation of your limited space and money

3.Advantages of latest technology which you may not even be aware of

4.Continuous professional guidance from beginning to end of construction

We are one of those professional agencies based at Cochin which can give you the best expertise to save your money and get you a better house by design and construction.Mail to me to

vhthomas@viruvelil.com

or call me

0091 9388701702

0091 9388701700

Haripad House,nearing completion

Compound wall and gate with different style based on traditional Kerala Architecture and modern architecture elements.See pictures:

Front Main door in teak wood with hand carving using features of traditional Kerala Architecture with excellence in hand carving.See pictures:

Stair case with hand carving in Kerala Plantation teak wood.The best you can get with traditional glory of Kerala Architecture.See pictures:

Front views of the house

This 3000 sft plinth area house with four bed rooms and all usual features of a modern house is also pleasant in external appearance with richness of Kerala Architecture features.Once,hand carved teak wood charupady is added to traditional Poomukham,this house turns out to be another unique work of Architect Thomas Viruvelil.A house you can be proud of being an achievement in your life time and almost a dream house,come real.

If you would like to have a similar dream house,contact

vhthomas@viruvelil.com

9388701702,9388701707,9388701700

See few pictures of front views:

 

Hand carved teak wood Stair case with a difference,Cherthala House

Cherthala house designed and built by us has a special hand carved teak wood stair case.You cannot see a similar stair case any where as each of stair posts are carved by our expert craftsmen in the form of a tree.See the pictures:

If you need a similar or a different type of hand carved stair case for your house even if it is not designed and built by us, write to

vhthomas@viruvelil.com

or call

9388701702,9388701707,9388701700

All those years of study,research and hard work do not mean anything?

It is nearly twenty years since I started designing and building houses for my clients in Kerala. During these years I had been studying closely with utmost attention on details about house design and construction. I have done several experiments, attempts, trying out ideas, developing new ways of doing while studying and questioning old established ways of design and construction. In fact it was a long journey of study, research and development. What I am today is mostly due to this hard work over years almost fully dedicated to the profession.

I have also tried communicating with lots of people in different parts of the world through my blogs trying to create awareness of need for professional design, involvement and guidance from beginning to end of constructing a house in Kerala. I knew it is tough to change mindset of Kerala people who still have the feeling and belief that a local mason without any formal education or training is all that required to design and build a house.

One thing which surprises me a lot is, people still ask me about Engineering college which I studied as if those four years is the only period in my life when I got all knowledge for being a professional in building construction. I quite often smile or laugh hearing a question like that. In fact those four years I hardly studied anything. May be a few vocabulary in technical jargon. Nothing more. May be building up few friendships which in later life do not mean much. Those four years were an attempt to get through those exams somehow or the other, rather than a determined quest for learning and developing knowledge in Architecture, Structural Engineering, and Art related to design and construction and Vasthu.

I do not know why people still think that those years in college are the most important part of learning. On this aspect there was a funny incident in high court of Kerala recently when a Judge asked a lawyer how much VS Achuthanandan studied in school. Lawyer replied: “Possibly up to seventh standard” Judge then offered to teach legal procedure to “ignorant “VS. His reply when this matter was brought to his attention is similar to my ideas given earlier:

”I have studied for 70 long years in the school of world interacting with people. No one can give a better education to me”

A successful professional is not produced by any engineering or other professional training schools/colleges. It is the result of determined efforts of the person to become a successful professional. In this process, no chapter is left out of study. No copying of assignments is done. No cheating in exam hall is there. No favour from any teacher is required.

A good professional try hard to win full marks for his study. He does not want to miss even one mark. Because, he is not trying to convince some one about his capability and efforts. He is doing it to satisfy his own mind trying hard to reach perfection and no compromises are acceptable in that process.

#Spiral stair case in Mahagony wood:Cochin house project

We, at Viruvelil Group of companies specialises in designing and building houses in Kerala with glory and fine nature of traditional Kerala Architecture.

We simply do not build houses to compete with those contractors fighting with each other quoting square feet rates of construction. We design and build your dream house with all goodness of traditional Kerala Architecture using latest technology in Architecture and Structural Engineering

Houses designed and built by us are designed to comply with Vasthu requirements fully to ensure that you get a peaceful life in the house with prosperity caused by Vasthu compliance

Every bit of your house is designed and built with expertise gained by designing thousands of houses in Kerala and building directly more than 200 houses in Kerala with each client treasuring the unique house designed and built by us for them.

We do not treat stair case of a house as something to be hidden in a corner of house with U shape which gives a dark area underneath which cannot be used in any manner. Instead we keep stair case as a central attraction and display portion of your house as each of our teak wood stair case  are made for you  specially  hand carved by our expert craftsmen with all the glory and traditional excellence of Kerala Architecture. Look at some of the stair cases done by us.

Look at spiral stair case done for a Cochin house project in Mahagony wood without hand carving. This stair has a sort of balcony in between while you climb stair up

You can also have such stair cases designed and installed at your house even if house is not designed and built by us

Contact us at

vhthomas@viruvelil.com

or call us at

9388701702 or 9388701707 or 9388701700

See pictures

#Kerala Architecture:Hand carved teak wood stair cases with traditional look

We,at Viruvelil Group of companies specialises in designing and building houses in Kerala with glory and fine nature of traditional Kerala Architecture.

We simply do not build houses to compete with those contractors fighting with each other quoting square feet rates of construction.We design and build your dream house with all goodness of traditional Kerala Architecture using latest technology in Architecture and Structural Engineering

Houses designed and built by us are designed to comply with Vasthu requirements fully to ensure that you get a peaceful life in the house with prosperity caused by Vasthu compliance

Every bit of your house is designed and built with expertise gained by designing thousands of houses in Kerala and building directly more than 200 houses in Kerala with each client treasuring the unique house designed and built by us for them.

We do not treat stair case of a house as something to be hidden in a corner of house with U shape which gives a dark area underneath which cannot be used in any manner.Instead we keep stair case as a central attraction and display portion of your house as each of our teak wood stair case  are made for you  specially  hand carved by our expert craftsmen with all the glory and traditional excellence of Kerala Architecture.Look at some of the stair cases done by us.I will start with Irinjalakuda house stair case which is centrally placed in a 4000 sft plinth area house.Stair case acts as major attraction of the house

You can also have such stair cases designed and installed at your house even if house is not designed and built by us

Contact us at

vhthomas@viruvelil.com

or call us at

9388701702 or 9388701707 or 9388701700

Irinjalakuda house stair case pictures

Free Consultation,25,October,2013

 Topic 1:House Construction

Query-1

I made a house 2000 s feet,I have to plan laying full granite,please advise how much it cost and more used colors.

Kumar

My reply

Present trend is to avoid use of granite and marble for flooring as much more attractive tiles with lesser cost and with anti slippery properties are available.If you need advice on flooring and other finishing works of house, please get back to me to vhthomas@viruvelil.com

Query-2

My name is Sony ,currently working in Saudi Arabia.  I

I am planning to build a small home in , Pathanamthitta District.  My plan is a small home of maximum 1500 Sq. Ft. built up area.  I prefer a small home because of the future cleaning maintenance cost & problems.  Moreover, i think,  for a small home i can use good quality materials for plumbing, electrical accessories and a good interior works also.

As per my plan, 03 Rooms (with 02 attached bath) a kitchen, work area, common & family living space, in this 1500 Sq. Ft. area.

Could you please advise me an approximate cost per Sq. Feet separately for the Structure, Electrical and Plumbing works with normal standard materials & specifications, to finalize the basic plan size for the home.  I know that you can't provide an exact cost without any details, and this cost is just to decide on an area to finalize the size of the home only.  

I plan to proceed on a plan, after deciding on a final area of the building.  This is important for me because i don't like to go for a home loan and i would like to make it on cash payment basis.

If you can provide me a vague idea of the cost involved, it will be of much help for me in this primary stage.

Sony

Query-3

My house work is going on...it is 2000 sq. ft. including car porch. 3bedrooms attached, one common bathroom, living dining etc.'we have given it on contract basis for 1600 per sq. ft. It will be around 34 lakhs...wish to know whether this price is too high?
My reply

Three bed room single floor house may cost around Rs.30 Lakhs(Guess Estimate).There is no such standard square feet cost of construction applicable anywhere. Each contractor in Kerala build house in a different manner to suit his profit and no two contractor build in the same manner with same quality and specifications. Even the Architect will know plinth area of the house only after finalisation of Basic Plan of the building.So how can you predetermine plinth area of house before preparing plan of the house?

Query-4

I own 18 Cents of land and want to build a 10 storey building and a space for commercial property. The plot is in rectangle shape 23 M X 35 M . The 23 Meter is facing the road and the 35 Meter is on either side.
Looking forward to your comments on whether this is possible and how much estimate would I need to mobilize on a budgetary basis to start with the plot.
Ben

My reply

When you plan to build a ten storey commercial building it is a major project which require expertise and assistance from building professionals

It is better you first contact a good Architectural firm who will have all kinds of experts in Architecture,soil testing,structural design and professional construction management.On our side we can  act as this professional agency for design and construction management.We can be contacted at email

vhthomas@viruvelil.com

Phone-9388701702

About clearance required for the proposed building from nearby roads and allowable plinth area for construction in a floor you can contact town planning section of your local authority with specific details of plot like Survey No and Location sketch

Query-5

I like to build a house with maximum cost effectiveness.From certain articles i have read that by using old materials like brick and wood we can reduce cost of construction.Is it effective?What percent of total cost can be reduced by that ?

Anil

My reply

As per Vasthu,it is better not to use old building materials used in old houses as such parts are likely to bring bad effects of old house to your new building
.Even if you go by engineering standards old building parts might have crossed its life to a great extent and hence they are likely to get deteriorated when compared to new materials used

Cost reduction can be brought in to building design and construction by following advice of an experienced building professional who can guide you properly after considering all aspects in a professional manner

Topic 2: House remodeling and extension

Query-1

Myself planning to renovate the house and add a room to the terrace side of house . The ambiguity is the type of roof to be used for extension , whether we will b in need of RCC slab or is there any alternative to it keeping in mind the difficulties for doing it (i mean the RCC work ) .would like to know whether truss work with false ceiling will help or not .so that the work is quick and less headache compared to RCC and will it be apt for our climatic conditions and heat insulation properties
reply will be much appreciated !!

Vaikundanathan

My reply

Renovation and extension of existing house is a tricky affair.Compromises in quality and structural stability of the building  done by the previous builder will be the major problem faced by the team of persons who attempt to do remodeling or extension of existing building.In all probability,house owner will be unaware of the problems as previous builder would have used all the nice words he knows to talk of quality of his construction even while trying hard to make profit in his construction contract while also trying to adjust to the limited funds available as per contract in the face of galloping cost of all inputs.

In one typical case where I did a remodeling and extension of a building done by a non professional contractor only after I started work on the building house owner came to know the following;

1.Height of walls are one feet less than usual wall heights of building which he never bothered to measure and check while taking care of only “square feet plinth area”

2.Height of doors were again one feet less and quality of wood used were inferior even though it was promised to be “best quality”

3.Quality of construction was very poor

4.Architectural or structural design of the building never even thought of

As unexpected problems will crop up while trying to do remodeling,cost cannot be estimated correctly and all estimates can go wrong

In view of these and more problems one may face while trying to do remodeling/extension,please ensure that the building to be remodeled is inspected thoroughly by a well experienced building professional and take his views on these aspects:

1. Whether the remodeling/extension considered by you is worth proceeding

2. Possible cost implications  at least on a guess basis without going through Engineering Estimate methods

3. What exactly can be done on the building without costing too much

In this case,I can only suggest remodeling/extension work possible only after visiting and studying existing building.You can call me on 9388701702 or email me

vhthomas@viruvelil.com

Query-2

We bought house in Thiruvalla.  it need some renovation. Is your company  undertaking such renovations. or can you suggest somebody who will do such works and are reliable.  Mammen

My reply

We can take up remodeling/extension,interior wood work and design and supply of interior furniture for the house,landscaping with professional quality and best workmanship.We can also arrange traditional hand carving work for interior and furniture for the house

Query-3

Sir, I am renovating my family home which is a traditional Nalukettu. We are planning to lay "Clay tiles" on the floors. We are doing it so as to get that traditional look. Would appreciate your opinion on this.

Kamal

My reply

There is nothing wrong in using clay tiles.In fact it is better and healthy as clay tiles are environment friendly.After laying tiles,apply anti fungal polyurethane coating to prevent tiles getting affected by fungus growth over it

Topic 3:Vasthu compliance

Query-1

How can one identify a Vasthu Expert? All proclaim that he is an expert?

Vasutan

My reply

Interesting question! You can get good books on Vasthu.Read them and get basic ideas on Vasthu.This will help you to avoid getting mislead by those who claim to know Vasthu without actually knowing much

Query-2

My bedroom is in the Agni kone and I am facing terrible illness after marriage. Please advise me what is the remedy.

Megha Agarwal

My reply

Using South East room(Agni Kone) of the building as bed room can create lots of problems.Avoid using that room as bed room and convert it as Kitchen.It will give you better life

Topic 4:   Building Permit

Query-1

i already constructed a house,i left 5m from panchayat road and front side there is one pocket road around 20 meter long.it is private road.From that road i left only 2meter.And behind the house, corner of work area (only corner) i left only 1 meter.I am staying at panchayath area.Expecting favourable reply.

My reply

To me ,it appears to be fine.But your local authority is the right agency to check and confirm compliance with building rules

Query-2

I have got a building permit from Trivandrum Corporation on 2010 January to construct a two storey total 1500 sq.ft. area.
My construction was done very slowly due to financial reason. Now 2013 September completed my house. But I didn't extent my building permit.
Now I am planning to submit my house for assessment to get TC number.
Shall I submit this as normal, or there is any penalty will come due to expired permit, if penalty is there, how I can avoid that.

My reply

If the building is constructed as per building rules,there cannot be much problem for you.If any penalty will be charged for not getting extension in building permit in time has to be decided by the local authority only

Query-3

I am from Kasarcode dist.I had purchased a flat in Kasarcode for which i have not received the building number yet.

There is some case going on with the building owner due to which the building number is delayed.

I have sold the flat and would like to know is there any problem on doing registration process to the new owner to whom i sold my flat.

The building owner has promised that as soon as he finishes the case he will issue the building number to all the flats in the 5 storey building.

My flat does not have Electricity meter.Is that because of the court case.?

In short i would like to know is there any problem in going ahead with the sale of my flat.I mean registration to the new owner buyer.

The building owner is very helpful and cooperative gentleman and my friend.

Kindly advice

Sanjay

My reply

It is not wise to buy an apartment or any type of property unless and until all legal documents are found proper and satisfactory by a legal expert and  construction found good enough to buy by a building expert

In your case I think title of the property is in dispute and it is not wise to invest your money hoping that documents will get cleared later by the builder.Without approval of the building by the appropriate local authority(numbering of the building as you refer to),Electric connection and water connection cannot be obtained

Query-4

hello sir my self Jestin from Trissur dist. .have only one property (5 cent) in my name in an agricultural area ( padam).but there is no agricultural work carried out for many years.can i get permission to construct my house over there.please give your advise .

Query-5

Want to ask you something: I have a 18 cent land which I bought an year back. In the deed, it is mentioned as land, but in the possession certificate, it is 'NILAM'.

Query-6

I have 25cent land, before it was agriculture land . Now I have plan to construct a house and I don't have other land.
Please give legal advice regarding this matter.

Vinayan

My reply

As a first step,you have to apply to local authority for building permit.If the documents related to plot show it as agricultural land,matter may be referred to a committee by local body for taking appropriate decision.You can present your views before committee for a favourable decision