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Wireless will never match the speed of wired for stuff like streaming HD videos. And how will you get wireless cable TV?

When my dad constructed the house in 2006, we spent around 1.5 lakhs on modular kitchen. We got it done locally and the fit and finish was bad.

My mom wanted to renovate the kitchen so badly, myself and dad gave her the permission to go ahead. This time we used professional help, though bit expensive, the quality is top notch. All the accessories, door closure, etc was from Hettich.

We spend 2.4 lakhs for the first room with breakfast table and 2.1 Lakhs for the kitchen, you can see that in the video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nHJQ7O24hw

Yes, it is quite expensive but they were quite professional with regards to the installation as well as the quality.

My advice will be to go for a quality installer.

Was refering to LAN & phone .. I am using wireless at home, and no problems with streaming.

TV - of course, wired.

I read about the types of flooring, I think vitrified tiles make most sense for somebody like me. Thanks for the other info!
That's really helpful info, thanks much!!
Exactly what I was looking for in terms of planning, thanks!
So this is another item that needs to be done before paint n stuff. In fact this needs a lot of thinking on my part on what to do where, thanks.
Well I don't use cable at all, TV is only for watching movies, I hate cable. I rarely stream movies online but all sorts of wiring/cabling still needs to be done, point taken! Not to mention, what if when I get old, like really old and just want to watch commercials :D
Dude, that's not a kitchen, that's bloody 2 bedrooms from a 3 BHK!

Must say, excellent fit n finish, looks totally worth the money spent.

Too cumber to quote and edit long posts on iPad, so will just add few points here:

I recently got a quote for 5nos 6'x8' uPVC sliding doors for balconies from LG Hausys. Glass is 6mm tempered. The quote is Rs.1.6lakh. There are two advantages of tempered glass: extra strength required for upper floors due to higher wind pressure, and no sharp edges when broken, so safe for kids.

Modular kitchen will cost close to 2 lakh. Fabricated by local carpenter will cost 1 lakh. A lot depends on quality of material chosen.

The proper order is
. Get all the breaking/dismantling done.
. If fixing marble, break the existing floor.
. Dismantle door frames - that will involve breaking the floor. This is the time to widen the door openings if fixing a wooden frame in place of steel one.
. Check the wiring and if required install new wiring lines in the walls. This is the time when you should analyze the electrical requirements and add any extra points.
. Call carpenter or contact reputable modular furniture supplier to get your built in furniture designed. As in many cases the sizes are fixed, this is the time to size the requirements and conduct civil work to accommodate them.
. Once all breaking is done, install door frames followed by marble floor.

In short do all the breaking first, then additional civil work and painting last

Regarding costs, sky is the limit, but here are some guidelines
. Marble flooring costs between Rs100/ to Rs1000/ per square foot. Installation between 50/ to 150/ depending on the quality of work. For spot prices visit major marble sellers - Kirti Nagar or on the road between Mehrauli and DLF

. Wood work is generally Rs.1,000/ square foot all inclusive. Modular stuff may be two to three times more. Again contact modular kitchen/wardrobe suppliers for current prices.

. Electrical work varies from Rs.1,000 to Rs2,000/ day for labour. Wiring and fittings are extra.

. Bathroom normally has 13 taps/stop cocks, a basin, WC and shower head. The costs will vary from Rs.60,000 for normal range, to Rs.2,00,00 for premium stuff to beyond Rs10L for Imported Super Premium material. Labour is in the range of 5-20K. Again a visit to major suppliers in GK-II or Okhla will give you an idea of final prices.

. Flush doors are 10-25K and teak frames around 40K

. Painting is around 2L for an apartment of 1500 sqf.

Guys, I've almost finalized an apartment but it has seepage issues. The society is about 7-8 years old and I've been told hard water in Noida has led to corrosion of iron pipes which is why the issues exists.

I don't have a very reliable plumber who can tell me whether the issue is repairable or not but I'm trying to find one through my relatives.

Idea is to identify whether the seepage issue is resolvable through pipe change in bathrooms or if its due to any other reason.

So far the seepage is only in bathroom and adjacent bedroom walls so logic says replacing pipes should work. The other area is bathroom ceiling where the property dealer blamed the shaft and pipes running through it.

While I'll be getting it checked to the best of my ability before finalizing the deal but anything that I could check specifically so that I'm not left with a flat with seepage issue for life.

I was planning to repaint the entire house(exterior and interior).Thought of going with Asian paints,but the painter strongly advised to go for Nippon paint/Jotun. He claims the finish is better and theywill be able to cover more area than asian.
Great if experts in this forum advise on the type/brand of paint to be used for exterior and interior painting.

It would be helpful if you could post pics of the concerned areas, and mention if you have a similar apartment above you.

Normally supply lines are run along the walls at around tap height, and I assume walls are tiled till 7', so if the seepage is somewhere near the junction of wall and roof then the leak most likely is from the toilet of the apartment above, and can only be fixed by finding the leak from the top, i.e. demolishing the flooring tiles of the above toilet and waterproofing (assuming you don't have a false ceiling in your bathroom).

If leak is visible below tile line on bedroom side then leak is localized to supply pipe and can be fixed, but will probably require breaking of some wall tiles around the leak. Since you mention that the apartment is 7-8 years old it is unlikely you will get matching tiles which can become an issue.

If the bathroom ceiling leak is close to the duct wall, the leak could be from the duct as stated by developer (easily fixable), or from the toilet above (a pain).

If you have a ceiling light point in the bathrooms then that could also be a conduit for carrying water depending on the routing of the conduit pipes.

Good luck.

If the flat is going for a steal, then it may be due to unsolvable seepage.

1. I would avoid an apartment that has seepage problems. I have seen quite a number of flats where seepage occurs, and in none of the cases the problem was solved easily. Normally if substandard pipes are used they will start corroding and leaking. This will start at one particular pipe but eventually all the pipes will be affected. In case the seepage starts from the apartment above you, there is the problem of convincing the owner of apartment above you that the seepage is at their end and asking them to rectify it. On the whole a lot of hassles for a life time, best avoided

2. In case you are keen on having the apartment, be prepared for extensive civil work.
. At the least the seepage may be localised due to a faulty joint. In that case you will have to break the minimum number of tiles and replace the offending member.
. In case the substandard material was used, you will have to carry out this exercise every time a new leak surfaces.
. If the leak is from the floor above, then it is a major exercise, both identifying the leak and then convincing the owners to repair it, even if you agree to pay for it.

Apart from all the breaking involved, you will have to change the pipes, tiles, replaster the bedroom walls and then carry out a paint job. Be prepared for 30K bill in case it is a simple leak with a few tiles involved. In case of major problem the bill will run into lacs.

Guys any house architects among our members here or any good references based on your personal experiences?
I'm planning for an house construction in Bangalore and would like to meet some smart architects, any references are highly appreciated. Thanks :)

Your inputs help, thanks!!
All points taken and I was rejecting all flats even with minor seepage issues. While the flat isn't going for a steal really, this is one of the better deals I've seen in the last 3 months.

I've finally found somebody who can help me identify whether the problem would be resolvable. I'll take pictures as well this Sunday when I visit it again.

I'm currently living in a rented flat which has seepage issues and I know how severe this problem can get which is why I'm wary of buying a seepage ridden property. Don't want to have this problem for life.

Is this flat in Dwarka by any chance ? If yes, maybe I know some people in that society, else speak to some other folks in the same society.

It is very likely that if the leakage is due to sub-standard material used during construction, more than one flat will be prone to leakage.

Its in Noida, Eldeco Utopia. Seepage is an issue in almost every flat, major or minor. Almost everybody I've met has told me that iron pipes used in construction would give up in 7-10 years given the hard water in Noida.

I've checked out 7 flats so far and there isn't a single flat where the issue didn't exist.

In fact, ATS Village, one of the most premium societies of Noida has this issue as well in majority of its flats.

All these societies are 7-10 years old and maybe these days builders are using corrosion resistant pipes but all these societies had iron pipes which have given up. In Eldeco at least the RWA has started changing the pipes in ducts but the owner is obviously expected to get it changed on their own.

One of my relatives bought a flat 2-3 years back and had to get all the replacement work and civil work done because of seepage issue the flat came with earlier. If somebody looks at the flat today they can't make out whether it had any seepage issue ever. This is the reason I felt a little confident in the first place but if the plumber is skeptic, I'd rather not take the risk.

It is now your call, whether to reject the flat(s) or to change all the pipes in the flat before shifting. It will be hell if you try to do the job piece meal after shifting.

In case you are willing to go ahead, my advice is to change all the pipes right from the point of water supply entry into the flats (there may be more than one entry point, so you have to check that.

The best bet is to start changing pipes from the over head tank. In case your flat is near the terrace, then the pressure may not be high enough for single lever bath mixers, and this is the time to replace the main pipes to 25mm dia ones from the existing 12mm/18mm ones.

This is also the best time to replace the shower taps with single lever mixers (diverters).

In short you have an extensive civil job ahead of you (provided you want peace of mind for the rest of your stay. Here is a short list of what you have to do

. Use UPVC thick walled pipes ISI certified for hot water plumbing.
.
. Replace the pipe from the over head tank to the flat with 25mm pipe. Install a stopcock at the point of entry to the flat, so that in future if you need to switch the supply off for any plumbing work you do not have to run to the terrace.
. Replace all the pipes in the kitchen.
. Replace all the pipes in all the toilets.
. It is advisable to change the shower mixer to composite single lever shower&bath fixture. These have a much longer life than taps with washers and do not leak water.
. Put in new tiles in the toilets & kitchen. My experience is that tiling should be from floor to ceiling and the older standard of having them to 6-7 feet results dust and grime collecting on the top portions of the wall.

This is also the time to think of installing piping for Solar Water. Just run a separate pipe from the terrace to geysers. Till you invest in a solar heater connect the pipe to your over head tank.