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Thomas Viruvelil
Remodeling of existing house
Query-1
This is Saju ,i planning to remodel my old home ,kindly sent me your mob no to contact you & what is your service charge to see my home in Trivandrum
My reply
What I have observed during most of the remodeling cases which I attempted are the following:
1.In most cases houses are not in a condition of remodeling or renovation as most of these houses are built by non professional contractors without any consideration for Architecture or Structural Engineering
A house built without compliance to Engineering and Architectural standards may not last more than 30 years as non professional contractor would have done the work purely on profit making basis with only lip service for quality
2.It is almost impossible to assess exact cost of remodeling and renovation with additions.alterations to existing building as the structural stability of the existing structure will be known only when we start breaking portions of existing building
3.Some people resort to remodeling thinking that it will be cheaper compared to new construction.It will never be the case
4.Certain inherent defects in design and construction of existing building cannot be corrected and you should not expect remodeling to make it right
5.Some people go for remodeling simply due to sentimental attachment to existing building.In that case,you should not bother about cost
6.Wherever possible it is better to avoid addition,remodeling and go for new construction unless you are sure about Architectural excellence and Structural stability of building which is only remote possibility
Attempt to remodel/extend/alter existing structure should be done only if an experienced building professional recommend you to go ahead on proposed additions/remodeling.If the expert do not agree for such remodeling work,do not attempt to do it
We can check up existing building and give you professional advice and if found feasible can take up work with our expert workers in a professional manner with latest technology inputs
House Construction
Query-1
Dear Sir,
I have around 5 cents of land and I am planning to build a house of around 1250-1500 sq ft with 3-4 bedrooms soon. My budget is around 25 lakhs.
First I would like to know whether you can recommend any reliable contractor to carryout the work. .Also pl.let me know whether giving the work on labour contract or on full building contract would be good.I am planning to take loan from bank for carrying out the work
Let me have your valuable comments,
S.BINIL
My reply
House Construction in Kerala is carried out mostly by non professional contractors who do not bother about Engineering or Architecture.Most of them do not have even elementary knowledge in Engineering or Architecture
Some how they have created a wrong idea in minds of people that there is a so called fixed square feet cost of construction
People also think a contractor can reduce cost to any level.People do not realise that no two contractor do work in same manner with same quality and Engineering standards
People do not realise that a good design by an expert with enough experience in house construction can save lot of cost and provide you better facilities at house at low cost.Cost reduction can be given to you without compromising quality of construction only by an experienced building professional
Square feet cost is a term much misunderstood by almost all. But you can understand how it is simply a term used to cheat you by looking at what it means
Take the case of house construction. Hundreds of material is used and different types of labour are used. Construction normally takes about an year or more. Cost of all these inputs goes up with no predictable nature. Still contractor who need business quote a so called “square feet cost” not because he like the idea but simply because you as customer or owner of house to be built will give work only to those who quote lowest “square feet rate”. You are not bothered whether the contractor is technically qualified or not. Most of them do not know anything about Architecture or Structural Engineering. Still you allow them to build as he pleases. You do not want a qualified experienced person to provide detailed execution drawings during construction and to check at every stage whether work is being carried out properly as per drawings. You are not bothered even if contractor uses only 400 Kg of steel for roof concreting which may require 1000 Kg of steel as per Engineering standards
Contractor will advise you not to spend money on an Engineer for continuous monitoring of quality of construction as he has done “several such buildings without any help from Engineer. He may even boast off saying “these Engineers do not know even half of what he knows” To save consultation and drawing charges of a professional, you allow free rein to contractor and contractor try hard to increase his profit by reducing both labour and material. Who is bothered about quality problems which may start showing after three or four years.
Your craze for getting lowest “square feet cost” make contractor richer and quality of construction suffers
How can there be a uniform rate applicable anywhere irrespective of specifications and quality of construction? Two contractors never do the work in same manner. Without a qualified professional to design and monitor work, you tend to waste lot of your money by improper advise by contractor and you loose better facilities you could have got in the house with professional design .
A professional experienced in house design and building can save you lakhs of your hard earned money and you can get you better facilities in the house at lesser cost.
All these arguments hold well in the case of Interior work also. When you go for lower rate, contractor goes for lower quality materials and less labour content work to increase his profit. Unless there is a professional to design and supervise work, contractor will take you for a ride. He is there in business to make profit and he always try to make you believe that what he gives you is the “best quality” .You think of you as smart for saving design cost and professional fees. Only the contractor turns out to be smarter than you
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