Question on House Construction - Inital Stage

[vasanthrao]

Following are points which no one will share but can come out of experience ONLY, which has been mine case.
1. You have to have LARGE amount of patience while dealing with people associated with construction industry.
2. DO NOT take their timings for granted. They come with their own calendar and they have a special watch for themselves. For example: their 10am could be 3pm in your watch.
3. No matter what you feel about your architect / contractor / site in-charge, you can trust no one in this regard. you have to be on top of things and monitor all the time.
4. Please have atleast 10% - 15% buffer in pricing.
5. Talk to people who have been through this process and this is very very helpful. the experiences differs from person to person. No two experiences will be the same.
6. You have to be a "hands on" person while constructing. Ask questions all the time to the architect/contractor/site in-charge.
7. These days lot of materials are available as substitutes. Check which is best suited to your need.
8. If you are employed ask for flexible working hours. You need to spend lot of time especially in the mornings at the site supervising the work is happening properly.
9. Ensure the contractor comes in everyday and his person is at the site all through the day ensuring the work is happening as planned.
10. Have site meetings with architect / contractor / site in-charge on a weekly basis to get a feel of the work happening and what events are planned in the coming days.
11. It is an industry norm that the contractor / site in-charge will take money from you even when there has been no work done at your site. Don't fret about it. This is how the industry work.
12. Lastly, the MOST IMPORTANT thing. A Contractor CANNOT handle more than 2 jobs at a time. If any contractor brags about his skill to do multiple projects, you should just show him the door as soon as he finishes his brag session.
13. Construction of the house is a PERSONAL committment. Unless an individual shows interest and invests personal time, the outcome or the final result cannot be guaranteed and you will have only yourself to blame at a later stage.

[maheshv]

thanks tvsh, blrsiteseeker, vasanthrao
Apprecite taking time and responding to my query. your inputs will help me a lot

[pradeepecr]

Hi tvsh/blrsiteseeker,

Thanks for review. Initially I went with architect with my own plan, after tweaking few thing plan finalized. (Not much inputs from his side, Just I prepared alternative drawing to show my view, they are having more concern house look not the functional aspects & comfort). He asked to go for complete package till individual detail drawing,material selection, inspection & site visit. for G+1, he is charging around 1.6 L including structural drawing. Since its above my range, So I'm planning to proceed take by myself. I'm planning to find a engineer for the Site visit & inspection.

Thanks,
Pradeep

[RAJESHTD]

HI OldWorldCharm ,
The contract between architect and owner can be a legally bound depending up on your choice .Generally it happens in govt works.
Legally bond contracts are made in large scale projects since the risk factors are high.There are very clear guide lines mention in "Council of architecture "
Most of the time i wonder why people are worried about the legal contract with architect where the total amount paid will be 5-6 % of total project cost and they are ok with out legally bound contract with the contractor risking 95% cost of the project
I have seen even in large scale private projects they under value the building contract to save taxes ,so don't you think there is much risk and loss involved there.
This is just my thought many may differ it ........

Regards
Ar.Praveen.n
Ardes Architects and Interior Designers
ardesarchitects@gmail.com

Hi Praveen,
I have hired a Architect to designy my house a 30 x 45 east g +2 (duplex).. This guy charges a flat fee of rs. 2 lks. including design and diagrams and supervision. But he is very very slow. 2 months on he has not even given BOQ and diagrams. Without this I am unable to contact contractors for quotes. This arch. has something in mind which he wont tell me. Obviously he wants to go with a builder known to him... He does not have the courage to take the contract delivery on his own. Neither he leavees free hand to decided what I want and he can provide only supervision and site visits. What do I do .. Do I take legal action on this lazy and careless architect. But he designs very well, but has vested interests and does not do a professional unbiased job.. need your views