Suggestion required

[Deeps84]

Hi All,

I am starting a new construction attached is the first quote given by contractor, Let me know is things are worth for PerSqft 1800/-

Suggest me if anything need to be included here.

Thanks and regards
Deeps

[civil88]

Hi,

The contractor has covered most of the things, but as a owner you need a more in-detail report. Since he is charging 1800 per sft you can bargain to include some( or all if you are lucky ) of the below points in the agreement:

1. Include construction of Sump
2. Be very particular about make of the materials that he is using. He should commit on using a particular brand or at least mention the price range (like he did for flooring tiles)
a. Make of modular Switches. Insist on something like Schneider, Philips etc. Don't settle for Anchor Roma which is the favorite among builders.
b. Water proofing for toilets - both before and after laying of bath room tiles. Before laying tiles if he is going for sunken roofs they should be water proofed. Even otherwise the roof portion of the bath room should be water proofed. After laying tiles, you can go epoxy grouting for tiles. This may cost a couple of thousands depending on your bathroom size.
c. Windows were mentioned as Aluminium. You can easily bargain for good brand of UPVC like Veka/Komerling/LG. Paying 1800 for Aluminium is not a good deal, in my opinion.
d. Make/Price band of Kitchen sink should be mentioned before hand.
e. Insist on brite rods for grills.
f. Make of Flush doors should be finalized. Insist on good brands like Nikki, Kalpatharu etc
g. Brand of Steel has not been mentioned. You can insist on Sail/Tata/JSW/Indus. Do not agree for lesser brands like Meenakshi/Bhuwalka etc

As I said earlier, he may not agree to include all of these, as his margin would be reduced. If he agrees for more than 50 percent of these also, it would be a fair deal as per me.

All the best!

[Deeps84]

Thanks for your valuable inputs, i will take it forward.

[nidhin]

Hi Deeps,
I am also in stage of finalizing my house construction contract.From my experience getting Quote based on Bill of Quantity(BOQ) will really help in understanding the cost as well you can validate the same.You can work with your architect to make BOQ based on your requirement.

Looking on the things offered on the contract the price is at higher side.it cn be at level of 1550-1650 based on your negotiation capability.Also one more feed back is to go with M20 concrete for RCC work and slabs.

[bloremanager]

1800/sq.ft for the materials and cost he has specified is higher. If you are going the architect route, make him give the BOQ and ask the contractor to quote.

The contractor is going to save a lot of money by using M-Sand instead of natural river sand.
Mesh door shutter should be SS-304 mesh, which cannot be damaged by rats/bandicoots.

Teakwood: There are several variations of it. Is it Burma Teak A grade, which costs upwards of 5000 rupees per cft. or Ghana Teak which is inferior (you can get the bedroom door for 10,000 while the Burma teak will be double) or other teak varieties like Hunsur (which is the best in India but very hard to obtain as govt has banned its felling). Burma teak wood has lot of regular grains.

Windows with Aluminium frames is fine, works cheaper than wood. Aluminium frame with installation will cost you maximum of 250-260/sq.ft. Is he giving a
2-track or 3-track? 2 track is fine for anything under 8 feet in length. What is the height of the window is he proposing? Ask for which brand of Aluminium is he using? Jindal or others?Ask for toughened glass of 5mm. Because of increasing thefts, grill has to be provided either outside the window or inside. Make sure you have enough space to install the grills. If there is 3-track, one track to be used for SS mesh for air flow.

30 inches for toilet doors - seems like it is frame to frame width. It is not sufficient for a large bodied person to enter. Try getting a 32 inch frame to frame width.
As for the pooja door - ensure it can open completely flat on the sides (your layout will determine whether it is feasible) - parliament hinges to be used there.
Closets for toilets - you can get good decent closets with very less water consumption of 1.7 litre/flush - from Hindware (Enigma) - 8000 rupees. Many closets can consume 4-5 litre/flush.
Flooring tiles - 80/sq.ft including installation - those are really cheap quality tiles you will get for that price - half decent tiles will cost 50 rupees/sq.ft excl installation.
make sure they are not chinese tiles he is installing. Go for higher quality non-slip tiles for the bathrooms (too much grooves is a problem as lot of dust and grime may settle and water also accumulates giving a bad odour. Make sure to have exhaust fans in all your bathrooms (6 inch diameter holes are required). Havells or some other decent brands are sufficient.
40mm granite top is overkill for a kitchen. 30mm top is more than sufficient. Have a chimney installed (1000 m3/h and above) on top of your stove to get rid of the smells while cooking
Neelkanth or Nirali SS Sink are quite good. There are 2 options for the taps for the kitchen sink. Either buy a model with a tap provision within the sink or if your layout allows, have the tap fixture directly to the wall (pipes will be inside the wall).
Jaquar taps are most popular in the market. Upto what pricing is he giving these taps and wash basins. These need to be included in the agreement.
Get your contractor to give you 250 electric points (one switch equals one electric point). Anchor Roma is very good from my opinion as they have been in the market for more than 50 years and their basic design has not changed. If anything goes wrong, you can easily get it replaced as they are available at every nook and corner.
Check whether 1000 litres of overhead tank is sufficient for your family? If not, go for 1500 or 2000 litres.
The conduits for electrical cables in the ceiling should be minimum 1 inch thick, 1.5 inch thick conduits are even better.
Please also plan for solar heating system as pipes need to be laid out for that. (solar will cost you 25,000). Have a provision for wash basin in the upper floors if it is an open environment.
Insist on Rain water harvesting system and filter to weed out the loose tree particles.
No contractor will usually install electrical fixtures like fans, geysers. These are all extra. See if this is included in your contract agreement.
I did not see any flooring for the staircase included in your quote. Insist on leather finish or Laputre finish for rough surfaces for the granite steps on the staircase.

[Sow]

Hi All,
Ours is a brand new building just occupied 2 months ago. First floor area has bathroom and toilet on a sunken slab. All flooring and wall joints are (paper joint) and some areas not grouted properly.
Recently, we noticed dampness in Ground floor ceiling/ slab which is underneath this sunken portion.
Now, my question :
1) Will regrouting with epoxy ( creating spacer in floor tile by skilled labour) be sufficient?
We are looking at this option since it's a new house and redoing the entire wet area isn't an option.
2) Will an injection grout or waterproof chemical done to slab help?What chemical should be used and how does this work?
3) Also, there is some dampness in FF wall which is above the sunken slab? Does this mean that the sunken slab is filled with water and dampness is rising on the wall?

Please provide your expert suggestions and recommendations. Would also appreciate if anyone can refer someone who can fix this type of problem.


Many thanks
Sowmya

[ardesarchitects]

Hi Sowmya
The leak or seepage can be of various reasons. Most likely chance are that water is seeping through the tile joints .
Rear cases that any of the buried PVC pipe joints will be leaking.
Easy way to attend these type of leaks are with random tests.
1. Stop using the toilet for a week and observe if the leak is still happening this means the leak is not from the used water but rather from direct water lines
2. If the leak stops in a week this means the leak is from used water only
3. Stop using floor trap but keep using the WC , this is confirm if the leak from WC line or not .

Based on some of the observation you should be able to take a better decision. In case of toilet leaks, you need patience to understand the root cause of it.
Ways to fix -
1. Re-grout with grout cement than white cement .Epoxy can only be done if you have min gap of 3mm between tiles
2. Re grout in the floor traps with grout cement
3. Check for any leaks at the tap joints

Regards
Ar.Praveen.N
Ardes architects and Interior designers
www.ardesarchitects.com

[char13]

HI ALL,

Need a suggestion ,if we design roof top garden ..any measurement requirement taken care on RCC thickness and any other measures to avoid future leakage..

thanks
prashanth

[senapathigopi]

Even I'm planning for rooftop, but still long way for me i guess
coming to RCC thickness and Leakages, what i understood from architects and google was on top regular RCC work, one should do more layers for waterproofing, tiling and draining system etc..

HI ALL,

Need a suggestion ,if we design roof top garden ..any measurement requirement taken care on RCC thickness and any other measures to avoid future leakage..

thanks
prashanth

[char13]

thanks gopinath.

i am planning do to waterproofing , tiling and place rectangular big size pots.

thanks
prashanth