Build a home, not just a house

Thursday, 12 April 2012 14:58 / Last Updated on Thursday, 12 April 2012 16:37

In the last article we had discussed how important it is to select the right builder for your dream home. However selecting the builder might ensure the completion of a house but not a great home. The transformation of a house into a home is completely in the owner’s hands.

Many homeowners sign a contract with the builder for end to end construction which includes structure, walls and finishing. Lets look at each of these components in detail. The structure of the house is the basic foundation and deals with the columns/pillars needed. These are designed by the architect with input from the structural engineer. This requires less or no input from the homeowner since it is basically plot dependent (steeper the plot , stronger the structure to withstand natural calamities like earthquakes, landslides). The second component is the walls that make up the house. Here the owner has a lot of flexibility in determining what they want. The third is the finishing.

Walls could be made of brick, natural rock, cladded or just plastered after which painting can be done. Lets look at bricks first. If you are very particular about the external appearance of your home, you can go for wirecut bricks which Kannur (Kerala) is famous for. However the transportation charges would make the rate of each brick much higher than the actual rate. If you want to save on cost you can have your builder build the walls with regular brick without plastering on the outside (this might cause some leakage during heavy rains). Terracotta paint or powder can be applied to give the brick the red colour. You wll also get a rustic look with regular brick rather than a perfect look of the wirecut brick.

The other option is to use hard rock for the walls. However be aware that since hard rock come in various shapes the walls would occupy 30-40% more space than normal. So if you are planning a house for 2000sqft and planning to build rock walls, you need an area of 2700-3000 Sqft or more to get the 2000sqft carpet area. Also, rock needs to be brought in from palani and currently a load costs about Rs12000 or more. Also , if your home doesn’t have too much sunlight , rock can give a gloomy and dark look to the home. Also if the finishing isn’t good, there could be a dampness and a musty smell in the rooms.

Cladding is an option that can solve the problems in options 1 and 2 above. Cladding means plastering the walls and then pasting rock or brick like tiles on the plastered wall. Since these tiles look like rock or brick on the exterior they give a great look while still saving space and preventing leakage. However these tiles are a bit expensive and need special laying skills which are available only in major cities.

The final stage of construction of the home is the finishing, the stage that plays a vital role in transforming your house into a home. Finishing involves the flooring, furniture, windows, doors and other such internal furnishings. A time well spent in selecting each of the above will go a long way in creating a dream home unique to your tastes. Kodaikanal, due to its proximity to heritage shopping havens such as kaaraikudi, Theni, Madurai etc, the transportation costs wouldwork out cheaper.

For flooring, don’t forget to visit Kaaraikudi for some great hand made tiles in Athangudi. These tiles give your home a rustic and ethnic flavour. Kaaraikudi is also known for antique wood furniture (pillars, old tables, rosewood chairs etc) that you need to negotiate hard to get the best price. Theni is also well known for antique teakwood doors that are available for bargain prices. Tenkasi, Usilampatti are good places to buy wood since Madurai is relatively expensive. Pondicherry is also a great place for terracotta lamps and other antique lamps and furniture. Karur is very well known for cotton furnishings for bedsheets, curtains and other linen.

As long as you can spare a good amount of time you can create your dreamhome on a decent budget !

Choosing the Right Builder for your home

Monday, 19 March 2012 03:42 / Last Updated on Wednesday, 21 March 2012 13:27

Ok !, now that you have taken so much precious time out of your work and personal life and bought a piece of land in a nice and peaceful area in Kodai ! What now lies between you and your dream home is not the architect, not the money, not luck, but the builder ! Because the builder is the one who is going to be accountable for structural quality, building integrity and rich finish .

Lots of customers spend a huge amount of money on architects and pay very little importance to selecting the correct builder. Frankly speaking , an architect is just an outsider who is typically from outside Kodai (Bangalore or chennai or Trichy etc) and is primarily interested in how the house looks from the outside. Moreover, most architects are short on time and make site visits once in 2-3 months

So where does that leave your home, in the hands of the builder ofcourse ! Since the builder is local to Kodai, not only will his focus on the home be more, but he would also be aware of Kodaikanal specific practical considerations that most architects are unaware of. Most architects would apply standard design principles to homes while the builder could sometimes correct the architect when it comes to Kodai specific construction. Sometime back we met a customer whose home was flooded because they had full length glass windows. The glass windows couldnt contain water seeping through the ground in the rainy season. A good Kodai builder could have foreseen this issue.

So how does one select a reliable and smart builder. Since Kodai is a very small town , you can start enquiring about the builder in the neighbourhood including the registration office. If the builder is not reliable, you will hear it. If no one has anything bad to say about the builder , you can go to the next step. Ask the builder to show you a few sample houses constructed by him and ask your architects to judge the quality. Ask the nighbours of the house to give the contact number of the owner so you can talk to owners about experiences with the builder. A builder's past customers are the best sources of the builder's reliability (does he have good practical knowledge, does he overcharge, quality issues etc). If the feedback is good, check out his personality. See if his amenable and if he listens to inputs . The idea is, you are the customer of the house and the builder should agree to take your inputs on key issues. There are many builders who are overpowering in their opinions and you dont want such a builder

Last but not the least, check the qualifications of the builder. Due to the lucrative realestate market in Kodai, lots of people take building contracts though not qualified professionally. So check the builder's credentials (is he a civil engineer or does he have a building diploma?) . Banks are a good source (ask the Bank Manager) to check builder information. Also ask the builder if he is comfortable with email form of communication. Since the Architect would make occasional visits, it would be easier if the builder can communicate with the architect as well as yourself, the owner, over email so each of you knows what is going on. All communications regarding plan, approval, structural drawing will be recorded online for reference in case of future issues.

Any builder who meets the above criteria should be get you one step closer to your dream home !

Basics of Land Documents

Monday, 05 March 2012 15:35 / Last Updated on Tuesday, 06 March 2012 17:08

Buying land in Kodai , as much as it is a dream come true, could also end up as a nightmare ! If you do your basic checks as listed below, you could be a proud and happy owner of a piece of land in the breathtaking hills of Kodaikanal.

For any specific questions on construction please contact us on the Construction Forum .

Owning land in Kodai involves 3 major steps 1) Registering the land/sale deed, 2) Transfer of ownership through relevant documents 3) Regularizing continued ownership of land

Let us look at each step in detail:

1) Registering the land/sale deed

Registration is basically an official record of the buying of land by one party (buyer) from another party (seller). This happens at the registration office through a sale deed. A buyer needs to do a thorough investigation of the land before buying. This involves legal opinion of the land by a reputed lawyer. This also includes getting the latest  "Encumbrance Certificate" dating back to 13 to 30 years. The EC ("Encumbrance Certificate") would list out all transactions involving the land till date. Any loans or collateral or legal issues regarding the land would be listed. Make sure the EC is clean and make sure your lawyer looks back 30 years into the EC. The buyer also needs to make sure that the person selling the land owns the patta unless the land is being sold by an agent who has a "power of attorney". If not, you need to make sure the seller gets the patta transferred in his name before you buy the land from him. It also a good idea to check the 'A' register at the VAO's office to confirm that the name of the owner of the land on the A-register matches the seller's name on the sale deed.

An "A register" is a record of the land held at the VAO's office (Village Adminstrative Officer). A register is the government record that contains all the survey numbers and its subdivisions with their classification of land and extent in acres or hectares. It has details on the property such as it's classification, tax assessment, owner's name, etc.

When you buy land, you want to confirm if the details in the sale deed are authentic. Apart from checking the FMB sketch, parent docs, etc. it's important you verify ownership and land details in the A register extract.

'A' register extract can be got at the VAO's office when you hand over the survey number for the land

Some of the pertinent details are

• Classification - Specifies if the land is a nanjai, punjai or a manavari. This essentially says if the land is a wet or dry land and how it can be irrigated, meaning through canals (nanjai) or rain (punjai). This is an important detail for non-Indian or dual-citizen property buyers in India, as they cannot buy agriculture land.

• Area specs - Specifies the area of the land in hectares.

• Tax - Lists the tax assessment for the land. It's usually a ridiculously low price, compared to what you have to pay in other countries.

• Owner info - Lists the property owners name. Pay attention to this piece of information. You want the owner's name match the sale deed doc. If this property is owned by the government (e.g. road, acquired land, etc.), it'll say so.

Another important document you check at the VAO's office is the FMB sketch (Field Measurement Book) which is used to verify land measurement details such as survey area, plot area, boundary details, etc

2) Transfer of ownership through relevant documents

This is basically a proof that not only has the buyer bought the land but also owns it. The first step after registration is to transfer the patta to the buyer's name. Once done, check to confirm that your name (buyer) has been updated in the "A" Register.While the patta is a proof of ownership, it does not provide too many details of the exact nature of the holding except that it is a piece of land. A more conclusive evidence of ownership is provided by the chitta and adangal documents. You need go to the office of the VAO and furnish a copy of the updated 'A'-Register (with the buyer's name updated) and get the latest copy of the Chitta and Adangal. These copies will tell you if the previous owner paid the taxes or if anything is due and who are the tenants who cultivated the land (in Adangal) . Ask for this if you dont see it.

Chitta - This document will be with VAO (Village Administrator Officer), and also a copy in taluka office. This will contain details such as survey number, who is the current owner, Patta Number etc. Before you purchase you need to verify this document and also after purchase this document will be sent to you as a copy. For example, after the registration ,along with the other documents this will also be sent to you.

The chitta contains the following

• Patta number

• Survey number with subdivision

• Village

• Taluk

• District

• Property owner with father's name

Adangal - It contains details about each piece of land in a particular village by survey number, the tenants, the crop that is raised and its condition.

The Adangal records contains information such as

• Survey number

• Wise holdings

• Extent of field

• Duration of tenancy

• Details of first crop

• Details of Second crop

• Month and date of harvest

• Approximate yield of crops

• State on ground particulars

The Land Holding Details (A-Register) and Land Ownership details (Chitta) are the Master Records. The other records are updated depending on the transactions.

An advantage of buying land from promoter is that they will do the following up with VAO and surveyor for the above documents. Private seller will not get this document for you. Make sure you update these documents in your name.

Then there is the FMB [Field Map Book] Sketch [-or known as just the “sketch”] which is a scale drawing of the survey numbers involved. This is again obtained from the VAO.Between, the patta [which describes the borders of the property], the adangal, the chitta, the sketch and the stamped, registered document of ownership, you are pretty much a legal owner !

3)  Regularising your ownership - In order to ensure smooth disbursement of home loans for construction on your land in the future it is important to make sure you pay all property and water taxes relevant to your land on a regular basis. Just to verify proof of your ownership you could request and obtain a copy of the latest copy of the "EC" (Encumbrance Certificate) that should list your name as the rightful owner. Also make sure you have all the parent documents of the land in your possession (since banks will want all parent documents for loans). This includes all the sale deeds of all past owners who owned the land .The Sale Deed or other document under which a person derives title is known as “Title Document”. All earlier documents that indicate the title of the persons who are predecessors in interest establishing the flow of title up to the present purchase are known as “Parent Documents”. In order that a title is clear, both the present title deed and parent documents have to be in order. In some cases you might share a joint patta with another owner if you have bought a portion of a larger piece of land. In such a case you can request a survey of your land have the land split with your name as a single owner. It is also a good idea to get all the tax receipts paid in the past by the previous land owner and a "No Tax Due" certificate from the VAO upto date. These tax receipts will help secure a loan in the future as it will very clearly establish you as the rightful owner.

Basic Classification of Kodai Land

Tuesday, 14 February 2012 16:22 / Last Updated on Monday, 05 March 2012 17:31

This article was written by the Portal with the help of document experts in the Kodaikanal Registration Department.

RealEstate is one of the hottest markets in India today. Real Estate in the Hills is even hotter due to the climate and investment potential not to mention a perfect getaway for a summer home. However if you look at the other side, there have been many cases of cheating and land being sold to innocent people fraudulently. The purpose of this article is to familiarize land buyers with a few basics of land classifications so they are aware of the simple checklist to verify before subjecting a land document to detailed analysis. This document is BY NO MEANS an official guide for land document verification

A PATTA is basically a document that shows ownership of property and comes under the Revenue department. In Kodaikanal , there are two types of patta granted to a land - 1) Settlement Patta and 2) DKT Patta. "DKT" means DARKHAAST in hindi which means application.

Pattas that were given before 1980 are Settlement Pattas and all Pattas issued after year 1980 are DKT Patta. While settlement Patta gives the owner the authority for construction on the land (after following all construction approval procedures), the DKT Patta is a patta granted to a farmer for agricultural purposes. The main clause of the patta is that the owner ("Farmer") cannot sell the land for a period of 10 years from the date when the patta was given. After 10 years the owner must get written permisson from the government in order to sell the land to another person and the DKT Patta clearly states that the person buying the land MUST USE it only for agricultural purposes. In other words, a DKT Patta is issued only for agricultural purposes. It cannot be used for personal or commercial constructions such as cottages or hotels. SO next time you hear a broker mentioning DKT you know that the land cannot be used for building a house.

In addition to the above Patta classifications there is also what is called "BHIMAM" land. Many years back the government had issued some extent of land to buyers (over and above the registered patta land) as "Bhimam" land. "Bhimam" means "anubhavam" . Land owned by government which is given to owners to use till they sell their land. However this extent of land is never on record and is issued to owners as a notice. As "Bhimam" land belongs to government it is also not suitable for construction.

Tips for buying land

Tuesday, 07 February 2012 05:29 / Last Updated on Sunday, 19 February 2012 17:55

This article is written by Mr S Ramachandran who runs one of the leading construction services in Kodaikanal , Haris Builders .

For any specific questions on construction please contact us on the Construction Forum .

Today i will talk a little about important things to consider when buying Land in Kodaikanal. Most people focus on land documents before deciding on a specific plot. However there are other important considerations that would go a long way in saving additional costs of building and maintaining your dream house.

People buy land in Kodai either to 1) Build a hotel or 2) Invest in property to sell later or 3) build their dream house . Persons looking to build a dream house are the ones for whom cost is a key consideration from the time they buy land till the successful construction of their dream home. My tips are specific to this group of people planning to build a home.

As discussed in my previous article there have been significant increases in building material costs in the last few years. To counter this increase landowners need to capitalize as much as possible on the natural resources that Kodai has to offer without depending on external sources. For example, when you are looking to buy land, it is very important to keep in mind road access, electricity access and water availability as primary factors. While prices might be less for plots without road access , in the long term, the costs that would be incurred would be much greater. Groundwater has depleted significantly and hence one needs to keep water availability in mind when buying land. Due to steep terrains, building a bore well might not be a solution as water does not remain unless the land is flat and it is not recommended to build borewells on hilly terrains. Besides Borewells have become incredibly expensive due to the need to dig beyond 200ft. You could enquire with natives living around the land if there is any water source (like "Oothu") on the land. Many of these natives know the area pretty well and will be able to tell you if water is available or not. Of course Rain water harvesting MUST BE on your list while building a house. It saves a lot of money. Also, since many of the patta lands have been converted from agricultural owners, buying a fertile land could save additional money by growing your own vegetables for personal use.

In our experience we have seen many landowners using a JCB to flatten their land before building a home . In many cases this might not be necessary if your building plan is designed around the terrain itself. Many of the plots in Kodai have solid rock foundation and it is better not to disturb the ecology of the land as the rock gives a lot of strength and could be used as foundation for the columns thus saving a huge cost. Infact we have had a few landslides in Kodai where there were no hard rocks to hold the land from sliding. Natural rocks are the greatest retaining walls that could provide support to the land in the worst circumstances and add an element of natural beauty among concrete structures.

To save on the structural costs (column etc) you could consider buying a square piece of land so that you could build your home on a single floor rather than two.

Last but not the least, there have been significant power problems in Kodai. Powercut is almost 6 hours a day. Under such circumstances, it is very important to consider natural light (since fan is not needed) as an important criteria while buying land. Is there an open area that will allow sunlight or if you are buying land in between existing houses will it affect natural light coming into your home. Also availability of sunlight would mean you could consider solar electricity in the future.

Hope these tips would be useful in finalizing a nice plot of land for your dream home !

Regards

S Ramachandran

Construction rates in Kodaikanal

Sunday, 22 January 2012 03:14 / Last Updated on Tuesday, 06 March 2012 02:12

This article is written by Mr S Ramachandran who runs one of the leading construction services in Kodaikanal , Haris Builders .

For any specific questions on construction please contact us on the Construction Forum .

Every year several people buy land in Kodaikanal for commercial purposes and personal reasons. When they start enquiring about construction rates they find a 30-50% difference between construction rates in the plains and in Kodaikanal. There is always a discussion and probably an argument between the customer and builder to arrive at a mutually acceptable rate.

The objective of this article is to provide landowners some visibility into why construction rates are higher in Kodai. Let us start with key components that make up construction costs in any place. They are 1) Cost of raw materials (sand, cement, jelly, rock , brick etc)  2) Cost of Labour  and 3) Cost of transportation to construction site. Let us look at each component in detail

COST OF RAW MATERIALS :

Since Kodaikanal is a hill station all the raw materials come from the plains. For example, Jelly, bricks are sourced from Palani. Sand comes from Trichy while basic material like cement, steel are sourced from Madurai. A brick which currently costs Rs 5 in Palani would be around Rs 8 when sourced to Kodaikanal. Similarly one load of sand that costs Rs 7500 in Trichy would be around Rs 15000 when sourced to Kodaikanal. As you can see, the rough cost increase is from 30% to 100% and a net of about 50-60% .

COST OF LABOUR:

Normal working hours in the plains is from 9am to 5pm. However, Kodai, being a cold place, most labourers do not reach their place of work before 10am. Due to the climate their productivity is also much lesser than in the plains. Morever they take frequent rests to drink tea (again due to the cold). Most importatntly labourers walk to the site and due to the terrain they are already tired when they reach the site.  They also leave early especially during winter when it gets dark and cold by 4:30 pm. So the actual work hours are between 10:30 am to 4:30 pm. This contributes to a significant increase in cost.

COST OF TRANSPORTATION TO CONSTRUCTION SITE:

When we talk of transportation here it is not the transportation of the materials to Kodaikanal but within Kodaikanal. All materials either get delivered at the Ellaiarasu office from where they need to be transported again to the site or get delivered directly by lorry to the site. In the site itself, there might be a labour cost for shifting materials from one area to another. For example lets say a truckload of rock is delivered to a site. The rock needs to be unloaded and stored in a secure place before being used. This can incur significant labour cost. So there are 2 costs incurred here - Cost to transfer materials to site and then cost to unload it within the site.

So whenever a builder takes a contract for construction he has to keep in mind future increases in material cost, labour cost and transportation cost since the construction time for a house can range from  1 to 3 years depending on the complexity. So a landowner needs to keep the above in mind and determine if they rate quoted by the builder is reasonable or not depending on site location, material requirements and transportation costs.

Regards

S Ramachandran

Haris Builder