[RVG]

Hi Friends,
Exactly 6 years back i owned a 800 sft flat in Hyderbad, Miyapur. It has got provision to store all your stuff , basically in cement shelves. I am thinking of total makeover of this 2 bedroom flat. Already for last 1 year i am in search of somebody who will do this job. I visited Home town, local guys and all referals by my apartment friends. But not satisfied with their pricing work combination draft.
Now i have got somebody special "Joy" who is passionate about interior design. He starts from concept and ends with the "product". I don't know him personally. Got his number from site. And had been to one of his sites. I loved the way he done makeover to that house. Then we had chat about 15-20 mins.He vistited my house. That's it, with that chat i decided that this is the man i am looking for last 1 year.
I am going to give total makeover project to him. My wife and children (1 daughter, 1 son) gone to my parents home and will come back on 20th April. before that i have to complete the whole thing and give the big surprise to them.
I thought this time i will give total details of this project to all my friends in team-BHP. Because home is where our heart is. I will post photos of my current home soon and then gradually i will post new things that are undergoing.

RVG

[anekho]

Sounds really interesting! I used to love watching those home makeover shows on TV but seeing one live on t-bhp will be a million times better!

Wish you all the luck for the project and please post pics and other details!

Cheers!

[kalpeshc]

Congratulations on finally finding someone who can help you with your requirements. My only advice would be to add buffer to the time that you've slated for completion i.e. 20th April. I'd be pleasantly surprised if the work gets over before 15th May - if you have masonry work included too.

Please plan for such contingencies. Also, keep a hawk-eye on the budget and learn to differentiate between wants and needs.

[bblost]

Also remember that there are different types of materials for different types of usage.

For example, there are different sand qualities.
There is fine sand and rough sand.
Building walls with rough sand will leave you with plastering problems.

The same holds good for bricks, plywood sheets and so on.

Choose the mica color for the plywood carefully. Once stuck its very difficult to remove and replace with another.

All the best. Do keep us posted.

[pramodkumar]

Little OT: If it was one year ago, my wife(she is an Architect) would have been of help to you, we moved out of hyderabad on 9th of march last year . My wife used to work for one of the most respected Architect of hyderabad, Navab Kasim Ali khan.They mostly concentrate on showrooms and residances. You being a Tbhp member she would have done it for free . This offer is still open to people in Trivandrum Kerala though.

Pramod

[Latheesh]

I love home makeover projects love watching home make over projects in NDTV and HGTV.
@pramod - Our new house is under construction in Kannur, may need some advise regarding flooring, bathroom fittings, paint selection etc in the near future.

[pramodkumar]

Originally Posted by Latheesh

I love home makeover projects love watching home make over projects in NDTV and HGTV.
@pramod - Our new house is under construction in Kannur, may need some advise regarding flooring, bathroom fittings, paint selection etc in the near future.

Sure anytime. Please let me know whenever you need help.


Pramod

[RVG]

Originally Posted by pramodkumar

Little OT: If it was one year ago, my wife(she is an Architect) would have been of help to you, we moved out of hyderabad on 9th of march last year . My wife used to work for one of the most respected Architect of hyderabad, Navab Kasim Ali khan.They mostly concentrate on showrooms and residances. You being a Tbhp member she would have done it for free . This offer is still open to people in Trivandrum Kerala though.

Pramod

Pramod bhai, That's so nice of you. Ahha I missed that golden opportunity.
But whenever i need suggestions i will knock your door(PM).

Thanks.

[RVG]

Hi Friends,
First of all glad to know that BHPinas love Home makeover projectsYesterday night my designer "joy" came with his team to show the house. So yesteday night i had a very difficult time to shift all stuff from Living , dining area and kitchen to 2 bedroom. It took almost 6 hours for me to shift the stuff. Started after dinner at 9:30 PM up to 12:30. Then morning got up at 5:30 Am sharp till 9 AM. I didn't call anybody for help

I have taken snaps (before shifting stuff to bedrooms) from every possible angle of house which i will upload soon.

Monday 8th March: 8:30 PM .
Meeting with Joy : This is the second meeting with joy. I know joy for last 1 week. but we had lot of talk on phone. So today i gave some wish list to him.

Some background (Flash back)
Thursday 4th march.
I called joy, hi...helloo..His office is in secundarabad but fortunately that day he was at his site in miyapur. So he called me to his site. I went to that house. First impression was "My God", "Wow". What a beautiful house. Actually it's 3 bedroom house. After makeover joy has made in such way that it looks too big. Every part of the house was neatly designed, right from color combination to light effect to kitchen etc etc.
House owner madam was too kind to show me her house and told her experiance as well. While leaving i told her that it's really beautiful and you must be feeling like dream come true. And she immediatley said "credit goes to Joy".
Now it's my turn to show joy my house. I was bit nervous, because mine is very small 2 bed room house and compared to what joy did to that house it's like a penaut. And honestly , before entering the house i told same thing to joy as well. He just smiled. He saw the house all rooms etc and we sat down. I honestly told joy that this is very small kind to project and if you really feel the same you are free to say me "NO".

Joy replied : It's not small or big project. Work is work. I am not behind money. For me long lasting relations and client satisfaction is important. If you are satisfied your friends will follow.
I did my electronics engineering but my heart was at interior design. So i did professional course of design and started work in this area. If i get challenges in design then i am interested to do it. For me, my project is like a daugther. I will try my best to make her beautiful. And at the end after completion i get the same feeling of a father who says bye bye to his daughter after marraige.

That passion and his father-daughter relation to his work really touched my heart. And i said yes if he is ready i will stretch my budget but will do the project with joy only. This time i donn't want to tell the budget that we fixed. Some kind of suspense you know. But yes after completion of project i will ask all my friends for guessing . And then i will tell the amount.

We agreed :
Joy told me that leave the total makover to him. He will make sure that when my wife comes she will definitely say that - "My god, is this my home or i entered to another house". I told him that after so many years i want to give the "BIGGEST SURPRISE" to my wife. While saying that litterally small tears appeared in my eyes. True love you know.
By the way i got married 6 years back and now proud father of daughter (aged 3+years) and son (2 months old).

Wake up BHP (flast back khatam)
Monday 8th March: 9:00 PM .
First time i gave my wish list to him. Which i prepared long back. As below :

My house makeover dream with “Joy”

• Use your entire previous experience, but design your baby like you never experimented before.
• I love photography..So need some wall space where I can put my photographs.
• Empty space feels like a big 2 bed room flat but large storage space as well. (Ideas like hidden bed or what we see in flight storage compartments etc.) Child room will be used by my parents whenever they come. So it has to be combination of children as well grand parents’ room.
• Possible to make living area “Mood Convertible”. I mean to say on any good week end evening, I close the windows/door/curtains, switch on some lights, sit together and watch a movie with good lighting/ theatre effect.
• Master Bed room and Living room (right side after entry) windows really needs makeover. Some another place for washing machine so that balcony can be used for morning or evening tea for 2 people with adjustable attached chair etc. Even we can remove kitchen door and put some iron door to balcony opening. Also due to first floor mosquitoes eat our blood every evening-night time…need permanent solution.
• Lastly , Kitchen
  • Any new person who comes with full stomach and looks at kitchen then he says I am feeling hungry can you make something for me and serve here in this kitchen.
    OR
  • Somebody who never cooked anything before, looks at the kitchen and says wait, I am going to make a dinner for you in this lovely kitchen.
    
    If possible themes should have some special place for clay, bamboo.

Joy's response : Carefully read all the points. Said thanks for your contribution. Asked me to show the balcony. Kept the wish list with him.


Monday 8th March: 9:30 PM .
Gave some background about his team with their names. Team arrived...introduction done.
Joy draw false ceiling related sketches on corresponding wall area and marked portion of wall which need to removed. I call it "tod fod mohim". Most of this will be done in kitchen.


Tuesday 9th March:
Today morning they started false ceiling work in living,dining area. I need to go to home and see.

Joy is very active member of safa. Most of the times we talked about safa. May be 80% of the total talk, we talked other than the "design". I have totally given him the freedom to do what ever he wants. As i know creative people need freedom to get best output. I have full trust and confidance.

RVG

[condor]

RVG : ... i want to give the "BIGGEST SURPRISE" to my wife. While saying that litterally small tears appeared in my eyes. True love you know.

@RVG, one suggestion :

The day your family is coming back, set up 1 video camera in each room. Let it record their reaction when they see what you have done for them. There is no way you can capture the moment your self, and this must be automated.

You will need to plan it out. Borrow video cameras if required. If required, start the recording before you leave to pick them up. Make sure there is sufficient charge, and sufficient tape to do the recording from the time you leave, till the time you area back.

Stay behind them as they go into each room, so the that those moments are captured in their complete spontaniety. It's going to be priceless.

All the best !

(And dont let her see this page. Hope she is not reading this )

[Abes]

If you are planning to redo the wiring and electrical distribution too, let me know, I can give you some pointers, of course free of cost. I am an electrical consultant.

[Latheesh]

Please post the current interior pictures and planned improvement (sketches) if you have any.
Here is my favorite website http://www.hgtv.com/ for your reference

[xtremethunder]

Good luck with your plans RVG . Hope you pull it offf before your wifie returns .
As others pointed out it may not be entirely feasible to expect everything to go according to the plan. There is a famous saying in Tamil " veetai katti paar , kalyanam panni paar " which translates to Building a house & Getting married are one of the toughest things to accomplish. Its still going to be a himalayan task even though only the interiors are being done. I am not exaggerating or trying to demoralize you but I had lost my patience/BP/temper over the construction & interior design of my new house back home & still some pending stuff's are to completed.
The main problem you would face would be with the laborers, even if the contractors/engineers/designers are the best. So do plan in advance & try to have a buffer of one week before your wife returns. This would help in case the work gets delayed.

[RVG]

@condor : Video capture idea is too good. Thanks. I will try to capture those priceless moments.

@Lateesh : Nothing on paper yet. Tod fod mohim is going on. I guess everthing is in Joy's head.

@xtremethunder: Thanks for sharing experience, Joy promised me that he will complete the work on time before wife comes back to home.

@Abes : Thanks. Today morning they have started the electrical work. New wiring etc etc. Please give me your valuable pointers so that i can discuss them with Joy.

[RVG]

Hi Friends,
I am posting some photos in the sequence of before -after .
Living Area - dining area - kitchen. He has put wiring for false ceiling lights etc.


RVG