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Readymade houses up for grabs
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Independent houses constructed by enterprising masons on the outskirts have come as a boon to middle class families yearning to own a house of their own, says S. Sandeep Kumar
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Photo: Mohd. Yousuf
Sweet home: A row of independent houses constructed by masons in Bandlaguda near Nagole. -
A home to call one’s own is what everyone dreams of. But rising land costs, non-availability of plots in the city and immediate peripheries and high construction costs has left a majority of middle class families stranded with their dreams.
At the same time, the affluent sections have found a good living option in the form of the villas that started dotting the immediate suburbs and come with a high price tag. The mushrooming apartments in areas such as Kondapur, Gachibowli, Miyapur and Kukatpally are lapped up by the high income IT sector that leaves little scope for the middle class searching for alternates in their pursuit of a dwelling.
One option that has emerged for them is the ‘Mestri homes’ that are fast catching up a bit away from the suburbs. Cashing on the real estate buzz and the aspirations of the middle income groups, these small yet cosy independent homes are the handiwork of construction workers who have donned the role of developers on a smaller scale.
Areas
Several masons, especially those hailing from Ongole, Vijayawada and surrounding districts have started this new business enterprise of constructing independent houses suited to the middle class requirements in plot sizes ranging from 150 sq.yds, 175 sq.yds to 200 sq.yds.
This activity is fast spreading along different city fringes and the independent dwellings constructed by these masons are selling like hot cakes at Nagole, Meerpet and beyond Kukatpally Housing Board Colony. The cost of such houses varies from Rs.25 lakh to Rs.45 lakh depending on the land value and the specifications of the house owners.
For a house constructed in 150 sq. yds at Bandlaguda (around four km from Nagole) with a built up area of about 1,100 sq. feet, the masons are charging nearly Rs.30 lakh. While, the market value per sq. yard in this locality is around Rs.12,000, masons invest nearly Rs.800 to Rs.1,000 per sq. ft as cost of construction.
Most of these masons work in partnerships. They purchase land, mostly an acre or so of agricultural land or big plots in sizes varying from 500 sq.yds to 700 sq.yds on the fringes and divide them into smaller plots for taking up independent houses.
“The objective is simple. We do not have enough investment for taking up big projects and the labour as well. Independent houses are easy to construct and not much of investment is required either,” explains V. Raju, a mason from Ongole who claims to have constructed three different independent houses at Nagole in one year.
Advantages
The good thing about these houses is, it is beneficial to both house owners and the constructors. While, buyers can boast of owning an independent house built mostly according to their style and taste, builders reap profits in less than a year and move on to look for new avenues, says Venkateswar Rao, another mason.
Though not spacious, these houses suit the needs of middle income families. Each house consists of a bore-well, two bedrooms (attached bathroom for the main bedroom), a hall, kitchen, car parking with minimum of two feet space left on all the three sides of the house. While the flooring is done with marble stone, the main door is made of teak and rest of the doors are either flush or non teak.
All the houses are constructed according to ‘vaastu’ without compromising on quality but there is also the option for house owners to seek some alterations such as marble, tiles or other accessories, says Mr. Rao.
More than anybody, it is government employees, retired employees and businessmen who find these houses attractive and easy on the pocket, says Gurumurthy, a retired Transco Engineer and owner of an independent house in Indraprastha Colony at Bandlaguda.
“Given the present day lifestyle, there is hardly any time for people to take care of construction work. The demand is for readymade stuff, including houses,” says Mr. Murthy, adding that during last one year the number of independent houses almost doubled in the colony.
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