The best team to build your dream home
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You need a good team to give shape to your dream home. You have to plan well while choosing the right team, from the architect to the carpenter.
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- Photo: Vipinchandran
A TEAMWORK: It is a concerted effort of several people that builds your house brick-by-brick and day-by-day.
Time and resources alone do no help in the construction of your dream home. It is a concerted effort of several people that builds your house brick-by-brick and day-by-day.
Among the good construction practices is planning which essentially includes budgeting and scheduling of work. But in effect, another element is choosing the best available people right from drawing the plan of your house to the final stages of occupying your house.
Experts at the Help Centre of Associated Cement Companies (ACC) here say that choosing the right people for various tasks help complete your job successfully and without much pain.
Architect
An architect is the foremost person who gives shape to your dream house. He is the one who understands your requirements and puts on paper a plan for your house on the land selected by you.
But do you need an architect? Many people would ask. It is the architect who ensures that the plan for your house meets the necessary guidelines and legal requirements of Government and local bodies. Apart from that, a professional supervises the construction from the beginning to the end. An architect is the most important person involved in building your house, ACC experts say.
An architect helps you in the selection of labour contractors as well as materials. Normally his/her terms of payment are calculated either per square foot basis or a percentage of the total construction.
Engineer
The next important person in the construction of your house is the engineer. He/she is the one who prepares the complete construction designs for the structure from foundation to roof. He/she is also responsible for the quality of construction. Usually an engineer employs a work supervisor and a site supervisor to assist him and to make the construction activities go smoothly.
Contractor
A contractor arranges and supervises the labourers and workmen for various types of work. Only a committed and good contractor can contribute to the quality of construction. Choose him wisely. Signing a work agreement between you and the contractor is always good. A reliable contractor can be selected after consulting your architect and friends.
Mason
It is the mason who actually does the construction work of your house. Make sure that the mason who is constructing the house has an excellent knowledge of all aspects of construction, including mixing of water and cement in proper proportion, healthy concreting practices, maintaining proper surface layouts and perfectly adhering to the house plan.
Electrician, plumber
Next are the electrician and the plumber. Choose only a qualified and licensed electrician and plumber. See that both of them are aware of the rules of the local bodies and the Kerala State Electricity Board and the Kerala Water Authority respectively. Remember power and water are essential requirements for your house.
Discuss with your electrician your needs. It is he who has to design and make all electrical layouts and arrangements of the house. Sometimes an electrical shop will help in choosing an electrician. But do not get cheated. See that both of them are not hand in glove to dupe you while purchasing electrical accessories.
Similarly, a plumber should be selected after evaluating his experiences. A plumber arranges for water supply, sanitation and waste disposal of the house. He determines the best location and layouts and installs sanitary ware and pipes. Like choosing the electrician a plumber has also to be selected carefully.
Mostly electricians and plumbers can help you to procure quality materials and even get discounts from shops for accessories. It is their experience and background that counts.
Carpenters
Choosing carpenters are also difficult unless you plan to purchase ready-made woodwork from shops found in the city. However getting good carpenters can make your doors and windows, wooden fixtures, grilles and other furniture look good.
A painter is one who gives final touches to your dream home. Little defects in construction and gaps left behind at the end of construction can be rectified with painting.
Suppliers of materials are another set of people to be chosen wisely. Purchase materials from authorised dealers of reputed companies. Check the quality and specifications of materials before purchasing them. Good quality materials are a bit expensive. But do not decide on costs alone since a house is a lifetime achievement, ACC professionals say.
Finally neighbours, relatives and friends are people whom you can rely on while constructing your house. Seek their advice. At least you can avoid the mistakes, which they committed during construction of their houses. Or how they solved a particular problem they encountered.
BIJU GOVIND
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