[speed79]

Originally Posted by am1m

Great to have an architect contributing!

In your professional opinion, what is the minimum plot size that will make this a viable option? I've already posted about my neighborhood where most of the plot sizes are 30x40 and people have put up up to 4 floors. But I think a lot of those are in violation of the bye-laws and like I already posted they have done it without planning for things like parking.

Also, will reputed builders be interested in re-developing on small plot sizes?

I am not an architect. But I have been living in 3BHK duplex house built on 30ft x 40ft plot size since 11 years. Kitchen, Drawing/Dining and a guest Bed room is on ground floor, while 2 Bed rooms and a living room on 1st floor. Most of our time is spent on first floor (more light and air), but with age in early 40s, we have started feeling the need to live on a single floor, or with very less use of stairs, as current configuration needs a lot of use of stairs which is taking its toll on our knees.

If duplex house is on 2nd and 3rd floor, then it will have light and air on both floors. But on the downside, the old man/woman would need to take stairs (or a lift) while getting out/coming in the house. So a 60ft x 40 ft plot size, if affordable, makes more sense. Moreover, I think one can only make 3 floors + 1 floor stilt parking in an independent house in Bangalore.

[ValarMorghulis]

I have a 2000sqft apartment in Bangalore from a good builder and an independent 3000sqft home in my native (parent's).
Each has its own pros and cons:

Apartment pros:
1. Huge open spaces within the society (parents love to walk and there is ample open space for them. Even during the rains, there is ample space in the 2/3rd floor parking space to walk)
2. You don't need to worry about water, electricity, security, playing facilities, etc. as everything is covered by maintenance and within the society
3. Parking is in a covered designated space with no worries
4. We did not have to step outside the society for anything during Covid. Groceries, veggies, restaurant, even Apollo clinic is within the society premises

Individual home Pros:
1. Huuuuggeeeee space, I mean huge! My native home is basically a 5BHK with ample parking space for 5 cars and additional lawn space, plus a big terrace and a giant balcony
2. Constructed as per one's wish
3. Independence and no neighbour drama
4. If you love plants, independent houses are a boon. You have complete terrace and first floor and space around the house to plant flowers, fruits and veggies. In my native home, we often eat home grown vegetables and fruits
5. With advent of electric cars and solar power, you can have solar panels on your roof and mitigate your electric bills. This will only improve in the future

Individual home cons:
1. Security: The biggest disadvantage. If you have relatives next door, this is OK else a nightmare. My in-laws rarely go anywhere because of fear of theft unless they find a caretaker (even for 6-7 days).
2. View: When my in-laws constructed their house, the views were fantastic with open spaces everywhere. Now there isn't a single plot/ open area where there isn't a house constructed. Every house is a minimum of 2 floors
3. Amenities: In-laws have a club membership (which currently costs around Rs.10lakh) else you have to find a place for badminton, swimming, TT, etc. No such membership at my native place. For badminton, use the terrace, for swimming use the river nearby. Forget about pool, tennis etc.

IMO, best option is buying a villa in a gated community. You have the best of both the worlds. The only drawback, price. No decent villa by a reputed builder is less than 5cr with Bangalore.

Edit: Just got a Whatsapp: A 30x40 plot in Prestige Park Drive Devanahalli is ~70lakhs

[redohabitat]

Originally Posted by am1m

Great to have an architect contributing!

In your professional opinion, what is the minimum plot size that will make this a viable option? I've already posted about my neighborhood where most of the plot sizes are 30x40 and people have put up up to 4 floors. But I think a lot of those are in violation of the bye-laws and like I already posted they have done it without planning for things like parking.

Also, will reputed builders be interested in re-developing on small plot sizes?

1. I have done this in a minimum plot size of 1000 square feet of plot size, however its best suited to a plot size of 1800 square feet and above.

2. As a professional, I cannot let the plot owner make any deviation else the Council Of Architecture (C.O.A.) and the municipality can take action against me. If the plot owner is keen on deviations/illegal construction, then I immediately leave the project. Where most plot owners do illegal deviations is after my project hand over is complete, they add rooms in the stilt parking floor, which is illegal as stilt floor is permissible for parking purposes only, unless plot size is bigger than 7000 square feet.

3. Reputed builders, even if they are reputed for small plot sizes, do exist and in fact are the most efficient ones, since their turnover often exceeds large builders Large builders undertake 5-6 houses at a time where as small reputed builders are making 20 houses of around 1000 square feet plot size at a time.

4. You'll have to meet atleast 5-6 reputed builders and architects so as to clear all your doubts. No harm in meeting a new builder each weekend, as long as your list of requirements is written down, so as to take quotes from all the architects/builders and visit their finished projects.

Once you have met various professionals of the field, best judgement can be taken by visiting 4-5 year old completed houses without accompanied by the builder/architect so as to get independent experience review of house owners in terms of leakage, seepage, all amenities functioning smoothly, possible shortcomings, and good design features. Don't forget to take a structure stability certificate from the structure engineer on their letterhead, signed and stamped by them, making sure that they are registered with Institution of Engineers India (I.E.I.) and also the municipality, and Completion Certificate (C.C.) or Occupancy Certificate (O.C.) from the architect, duly attested by the municipality.

[am1m]

Originally Posted by redohabitat

Once you have met various professionals of the field, best judgement can be taken by visiting...

Thank you so much! (The thanks button is there yes, but for so much useful information from a professional, had to at least log in and say thanks!)

[ravimathi]

Originally Posted by adithya.kp

Hi Guys,
In a big dilemma, house or apartment?.

I was in the same boat till last week and now decided to go with an apartment for the following reasons most of which are not possible in an individual house

• Kids can have easy access to safe(assumed) play area (Indoor and Outdoor)
• Dedicated cycling and skating tracks for kids
• Gym access
• Pool access for kids and adults (may not use daily but its good to have)
• Availability of Security and maintenance staffs
• Good view from higher floors (subjective)
• Community feel

As others pointed out it depends on your priorities, pros and cons are there on both. Decide based on the preference of everyone in your family, all the best.

[sunilch]

Originally Posted by ValarMorghulis

IMO, best option is buying a villa in a gated community. You have the best of both the worlds. The only drawback, price. No decent villa by a reputed builder is less than 5cr with Bangalore.

Come to Mumbai and you will realize 5Cr is just a loose change against what you are asking

[ValarMorghulis]

Originally Posted by sunilch

Come to Mumbai and you will realize 5Cr is just a loose change against what you are asking

OT: But then you are living in the New York of India

Mumbai is an aberration in terms of real estate & Pune is catching up fast.

[vishnurp99]

Hi All,

Had a general question around the life of an apartment building and the general thought process when you buy a new apartment. One has started hearing anecdotal stories in India & the states around catastrophical building failures for constructions which are 30-40 years old. For every catastrophical failure, there are probably hundreds of other old buildings where the maintenance cost is really high and collapse is averted through expensive repairs.

So I wanted to understand the general mindset when you buy an apartment. Is it reasonable to expect to live in an apartment for next 20-30 years? How are the resales for properties older than say 15 years? Do people buy these new apartments with an intent to sell after 10-15 years? Would love to hear thoughts & experiences around this.

Thank you.

[sunilch]

Originally Posted by ValarMorghulis

OT: But then you are living in the New York of India

Mumbai is an aberration in terms of real estate & Pune is catching up fast.

Hehe, Pune is already there. For 5Cr, you can only afford a good Villa or Bungalow in Lonavala these days. Your commute to work from Lonavala won't be different than say in Bangalore or Mumbai

For all the pros and cons listed here (including by myself for an independent house), I personally would always pick an apartment. I am just a bit lazy when it comes to ensuring regular maintenance of the society, the club house and the parking space. I am happy to see same faces in the lobby everyday

[noopster]

I grew up in Mumbai and am quite used to living in a matchbox sized apartment with a single toilet and bathroom (that too separate!) So for a long time resisted the temptation of considering anything else. A good friend was one of the early buyers at Adarsh Palm Meadows in Bangalore and I absolutely fell in love with the concept. But continued to live in (progressively larger) apartments until one day when we were introduced to the townhouse concept (also called "villament" by some buyers). Essentially this is a housing unit on the ground and first floor of a regular (low-rise) apartment building with a common entrance as well as a private one.

I was blown over at the ingenuity of this design which to me combines everything good about living in a regular apartment while affording considerably more space, privacy, ability to do some gardening and the overall feel of living in an independent house. The investment was significantly higher than moving into say a 4 BHK penthouse apartment but after working out the financials, decided to go ahead and we moved in early last year.

Our household has since expanded further to include a pet so no regrets at all moving from the compact 3 bedroom we used to live in. Except perhaps when I receive the quarterly maintenance bill (don't ask!) Overall very happy but sometimes we ask ourselves whether we will still feel the same when the kids have flown the nest and it's just oldies left here. Perhaps we will then downsize and move back into a cozy apartment.

Having said that I think I could never live in a truly independent house, even assuming I could afford one!

[aim120]

Don't forget that in a individual house you can install solar panels. Most people who complain about ev charging infrastructure are apartment owners or people who park in the street.

Majority of EV owners in India are people who live in independent house with car parking.

In bangalore, upsizing the sanction load means you have to pay a fixed charge of Rs110/kw plus gst every month. Not to mention the added cost of kwh consumed, most household's already go to the Rs 8.20/unit slab without even owning a EV.

When the tax revenue of fossil fuel dries up, they will target the electricity. So a individual house with solar makes sense in the long run.

Imagine the maintenance charges you will have to pay with all the chargers installed in the apartment. Not to mention the transformer, wiring will all have to massively upsized in current apartments.

[adithya.kp]

Thanks a ton everyone for sharing your views. Such an amazing thread this and I got to know about a lot of things. Really appreciate.
While I got a general opinion on apartment vs house, I am still confused between the specific options I have.
Apartment: I liked it because of the location, its not an over crowed apartment with 500+ apartments, nor is it a very small community with < 50 units. Only 2 units per floor and at > 2000 sq/ft super built-up area, reasonably spacious. Has all the amenities. What I dont like is the overall quality of construction, fit and finish. Very mediocre.
House: (The actual house doesn't matter since its a demolishable house). The thing I liked is that its very close to the main road and accessibility. (Despite that, its not noisy) Everything is at a walkable distance. But I am not impressed by the locality/surroundings. (Based on the profile of the neighbours, houses nearby etc. No offence meant to anyone). Even though the location is not classy, I am paying a small premium of about 10% to the market price. (The seller didn't budge at all). My other concern is that the site right opposite the house is empty. ( And there is no other empty site in the entire area !) Tomorrow someone would buy that and there would be a lot of noise, dust etc.

If I may ask one last question, how important is the profile of neighbours and their houses (in independent house option) to you? Today everyone is busy and people hardly interact. So, should one really worry about this?

[androdev]

Premium for an apartment/villa in a gated project is charged for quality of living. Premium for a house (such as BDA) is charged for the future potential exploitation of the land. What are you expecting to get out of your money?

[cdmanju]

Originally Posted by adithya.kp

What I am worried about is the hassle in construction, right from plan approval till interior work. (Even after assuming I somehow find a honest contractor). I know this is a one time activity. But a lot of people scaring me saying this is not my cup of tea. (for lazy people like me). Has anyone had any experience constructing the house?. Is it really as difficult as its made out to be?. What would you choose between a demolishable house and a ready to move in apartment?

Constructing a house is not as bad as people claim. It is an effort and an experience as well. If you find a good contractor and got 2-3 hours per day to visit the construction site, you can easily get the work done.

You might run out of budget and spend more money while construction however I have seen a few of my friends spending a lot of money on fixing the flooring and kitchen in new flats by spending a good amount of money.

I have recently constructed a house around the Whitefield area and the effort was worth it. I hired mason and it was a labour contract. I did run out of budget but the result came out well.

If you prefer a community type of living, I would recommend you to buy a flat. There are a lot of amenities, and common areas and kids will have lot of friends to play within closed/secured place.

Originally Posted by adithya.kp

If I may ask one last question, how important is the profile of neighbours and their houses (in independent house option) to you? Today everyone is busy and people hardly interact. So, should one really worry about this?

I lived in an apartment with around 200+ flats but hardly knew one to two people. My wife knew quite a few but as you stated everyone is busy in Bangalore. The exciting part was - the kids had loads of time and friends. My son had made a good number of friends. Since the apartment had lots of space for kids to play, kids did enjoy their time at the apartment.

Right now, I'm living in my own house in a private gated community. There are just 35 plots and 8-10 families, there are no amenities but there is enough space for kids to play. Again, people are busy with their own stuff.

My point is - it's an advantage for kids to have a good number of friends, which is quite easy in an apartment. This might hold true for a well-planned residential layout with good amenities.

[condor]

Originally Posted by adithya.kp

What I dont like is the overall quality of construction, fit and finish. Very mediocre.

But I am not impressed by the locality/surroundings. (Based on the profile of the neighbours, houses nearby etc. No offence meant to anyone). Even though the location is not classy,

If I may ask one last question, how important is the profile of neighbours and their houses (in independent house option) to you? Today everyone is busy and people hardly interact. So, should one really worry about this?

2000 sq ft is nice, but the fit and finish if not good can be still be re-done. Though it is going to cost you.

Neighbours in a locality are very important. We have some big shots in our layout, but there are a few people that we can relate to. For the rest, cant rely much on them. Unless one sees the layout and interacts with the immediate neighbors, we cant say much to support you or opine otherwise. This is a call you have to take.

Like you said, everyone is in their own world. Gone are the days when we used to leave our house keys with the neighbors and go for work in the city or even a trip.

From what you have said, I guess - if you have kids, look at the apartment with possible modifications to suit your taste.