What are Customized Homes ?
In reality, Customization is
nothing but Personalization of a Standard Product or an Object such that it
suits your own needs. As most of us who
live in Cities, are very well aware that
due to rising cost of land & also non availability of time ,it is really
difficult for us to purchase a piece of land & construct a tailor made home
for our family. Hence we look for prebuilt options in apartments & housing
societies which are generally developed by private developers. Here based upon
our budget & choice of locality, we still come up with certain selection
criteria but we still get a Standardized apartment. Thus your family & the
person next door will have exactly the same house plan.
Customization of Homes is a Concept , where within the given
constraints of the overall structure of entire building, the external facade,
the electrical, plumbing systems & of course your budget, you make
systematic changes in the standard house purchased by you.
Why to Customize your Home?
One Primary reason, is that every
family is unique with its own cultural, ethnic & financial background. Life
styles differ, Thus “How do we Live ?”
Differ.
Requirements differ also based
upon the composition of the Family. A large Joint family who is Living together
in a Single apartment may require layers of privacy within the same house . But
a couple with a single child or no child may have different requirements,
Another issue is the
Standardization of Internal Finishes, Flooring tiles, Wall tiles, and
Electrical & Plumbing fixtures given by the developer. This I have faced
with few of my NRI clients or Clients who are used to different type of gadgets
, plumbing fixtures which are easily available in the western countries in
Europe & USA but when it comes to installing the same in India, the
developers may not be aware or may not be cooperative as they are more
interested in completing the
construction of the overall housing project. Currently many Home
automation systems & other advanced
electrical appliances or sanitary fittings are available. It is best if same
are integrated as concealed systems when construction is on,
There are many times certain
issues faced by families who buy Pre owned houses. The earlier owners may have
a different way of living, different liking in terms of finishes &
fixtures. The other common issues seen are that if the Pre owned house is old
there may be damages & repairs are required. Customization of Resale houses
is different altogether as it may involve different construction techniques
& strategies.
Many times there are members in
your family with special needs. There may be Old parents or grandparents who
may find difficult to walk or use the standard sanitary fittings & fixtures
or Little children where child safety will of immediate concern.
More common reason many times is
Renovation of old home as per current lifestyle needs where ‘Customization’ can
be better Strategy instead of just asking your contractor to change flooring,
tiles & painting just for good looks
When to Customize your Home?
The answer is –For New homes,
best time is to intervene is during construction of the building. Best stage is
even before your floor slab is cast. Next best is when the columns , roof slab
& floor beams are yet to be cast, where you can integrate any electrical or
plumbing fixtures. Next best is when the brickwork is on & you can
integrate you own systems in concealed conduits & plumbing before the
internal plaster& flooring is done.
For Pre owned houses, it is best
to take the Renovation step earlier before you occupy & get the sought out
Customization done. But many times there has been an experience that, the real strategies
for changes to be done come to your mind once you start living in the home.
One
thing to take note of that getting a Pre owned house Customized is bit more
costlier as it involves repairs & breaking of earlier systems.
Process of Systematic Customization of Homes
Currently most of the time at least
in India, Customization is not handled systematically. Though it requires
professional help from Experienced Architects, changes are explained verbally on
site by home owners to Site supervisors or Site engineers, expecting them to do
the same on site. Of course many times there are mistakes & rectification
is grossly overcharged. It is also seen that when you order any different fittings
or material finishes, developers overcharge & quality of product is not guaranteed.
Very few large developers have for large projects something which they call as ‘Changes
department’ which is managed by In house Architects. Grossly In simple terms it
is like popping Pills on your own without going to the doctor
Customization is a systematic
& scientific approach. It required detail consultation with Architects who
can diagnose your needs, study the existing systems of the house under question
& give measures in form of detail drawings & documents. The costing
part also remains in control as overall costing of Customization is worked out
in advanced. In many cases if a certain special skilled labour is required, it
can be made available. Once for an apartment in a large new
housing project, when we gave a detail set of Construction drawings &
Material specification along with costing sheet, the Site engineers were more
than Happy with the Home buyer Family as they got a clear cut direction of what
exactly to do & the construction team could complete the work well before
time.
So the key is “Have your own Ideas” but “Involve Professionals” for
Customizing your Homes
Ar. Hrishikesh Ashtekar
