The Work from Home corner in our houses.

 The Covid 19 pandemic has given us many things which are soon to become the 'New normal'. One such daily activity is 'Work from Home' or WFH as its acronym. Common earlier to mainly fields related to Information technology , the WFH is now the norm in almost every field to ensure that work continues even though we are confined in our homes. The WFH is also the new norm for even children in form of SFM - School from Home. Every day everyone in the house is transported mentally in the world of work while physically we are omnipresent in our home.

But is it easy for everyone to get adjusted to this new online reality? We cannot take it for granted . The limited physical space in larger cities and poor internet connectivity in small towns or villages gives a relatively different picture in a diverse country in India . India has one of the lowest per capita available housing space in the world. In the USA, the average per capita housing space is about 832 sq ft /per person. In United Kingdom it is around 356 sq. ft./ per person (data from shrinkthatfoorprint.com). Same figure of average per capita residential space India in is just around 117 sq. ft. / person for urban areas and 103 sq ft / person in rural areas ( https://m.timesofindia.com) As per the study by TOI, the average house size in urban India is around 504 sq ft. These statistics emerge from the r 63rd round survey of the National Sample Survey Organization. The data shows 32% of urban houses are 258 sq ft or less in area. Roughly 504 sq ft translates itself as a 1BHK or 3 room house and 258 sq ft translates itself into a 1RK or a 2 room house. Most families in urban areas are 4 to 5 persons competing for the per capita space of around 60 sq ft or even less. This means that at the same working day morning, two adults and two kids are either in WFM or SFM mode , occupying whatever corner they can in a little house . Against this almost everyone in USA will have dedicated work space in the 2500 or more sq. ft. house.

Let's now look at the fact that given the above challenges, where can this formal WFH or SFH corner can be located. Ergonomically, a minium of 4 feet × 4 feet of physical space may be required to accommodate the required desk with laptop / desktop/ tablet / mobile Infrastructure , along with a comfortable seating to sit for long hours. The desk must always locate itself in way that we sit with our back to the wall, thus avoiding our houses being visible in the camera of other participants. This also will give us a secluded undisturbed corner for day long work. The issue of background noises getting mixed during online meetings remains a concern in smaller houses but points of work can get distributed as far as possible from each other. In case of smaller homes with limited size, the WFH corner can be located in following areas:

1) Living room:

An obvious option is to create a corner or even multiple corners in the living room with a work desk. As compared to the bedroom, it is easier to shift the furniture and create the space required. An occasional visit by a colleague or a client can be easily managed in the living room without disturbing the privacy of the remaining house. A standalone wooden / aluminum folding partitions can be wrapped around the work corner to lessen down the visual appearance  or noises from our homes.

The WFH corner in our homes

2) Kitchen & Dining :

The dining table / breakfast table in the kitchen area is one good option for converting into WFH or SFH area for few working hours. Here the required infrastructure of a table and chairs is available. But must be taken to make it sure that we have our back towards a blank wall.

3) Attached terrace:

An unlikely but useful area especially if you have a semi covered terrace , to create your WFH corner. Here one can enjoy the nature around while working. But care should be taken to select a terrace which has minimum external noise.

4) Bedroom :

Working in a corner of your bedroom can create a secluded undisturbed space. Bedroom always have doors which can be closed to create a quiet and noise free environment. One can just turn the study table in our bedroom by 180 degrees so that you can sit with your back to the wall to avoid the view of the bedroom.

5) Half room :

These days many apartments come with a half room located near living or dining.  This is a small room enough to be converted to a small home office. There is a great demand in real estate market today for apartments with these kinds of half rooms.

It is very important to choose the correct location for this day long formal activity which has good natural light as well as good ventilation to keep oneself comfortable. Though above suggestions are general, one can go out of the box to re invent the work space in our home based on the work you do.

I am also sharing a unique idea of WFH pods which could be multifunctional as well in the pandemic to be converted into storage areas, shelving corners. pet cubicles or places to grow food plants. These could be shifted at various locations in the homes as required and may even have a folded variant that can be packed up and kept in a corner after use. The sketch plan accompanied shows possible.

Locating W.F.H movable pods in houses

The future homes will be very different and multifunctional against the rectilinear definition of rooms we see in todays houses. Mostly beyond the four external walls, the rest of the internal spaces will be defined by the people based on their free will and high technology. The pandemic has given us an opportunity to question our present and with WFH becoming a norm in future, the work corner is here to stay in our homes. 

Do connect with me to take these ideas forward or share more ideas like these !

Hrishikesh Ashtekar

Architect

Houses during and post # Covid19

 These are strange days indeed. The world has slowed down & new paradigms of live & work are emerging. People are working from home. Schools and colleges are at home. Each trip outside is with a suspect and fear of contracting the deadly disease of Corona . 

What should be the nature and design of the post Covid 19 homes?

Everyone is talking about social distancing, being as as far as possible from neighbors, having high tech gadgets installed in the lobby to scan the incoming person for infections, sanitizing the goods coming in the house, hygiene etc. Interestingly, if we see the cultural history of any of the houses in India, these aspects were very much part and parcel of life. There was place to wash oneself before entering. There was a public outer courtyard with a living room for guests and inner courtyard with rooms around for family members. There were separate storerooms for storing goods.

It is impossible to have such large houses in today's world but can we go back to these patterns of life? for the health and hygiene reasons? Heard that in Japan, wearing masks & adhering to social hygiene norms is in the culture and was the main reason, why they could fight the pandemic so well.

These days, when we don't know what the future lies, there are certain common hygiene patterns observed by every household in their own way where the key of surviving safely in this pandemic lies.

Let us understand these hygienic patterns :

Patterns in post Covid homes

SANITIZE: 

The most critical pattern in the pandemic. As persons we need to sanitize our bodies when we come from outside. Clean our hands and feet, which was a very common pattern in the past houses in India as homes had a washing place before you entered the house. Is it possible to create these pattern in our modern homes?

Other critical thing is to sanitize the goods coming the homes. We all need a corner in our homes, or especially in the lobby before you enter, most ideal for houses which have an entrance verandah or porch. To those houses which may have a small entrance lobby, a small shelf to keep the goods for some time or to spray the ethanol spray on the courier received. Tech savvy can install infra red systems to sanitize goods. Even if not possible to  have a place in lobby, it may be worth having an airy corner in the house dedicated to sanitization.

STORAGE:

This pattern is of importance as the long time storage required for goods especially during sudden and long term lock down period . For houses having a separate storage area, it is very easy , but for small size modern houses or apartments, a dedicated storage area for additional grains, groceries and vegetables can be created in case storage cupboards are not available . This pattern brings importance on the presence of storage facilities in the house. 

SELF RELIANCE:

I think the importance of Self reliance was best brought forward during the Covid times as domestic help was and still may not be available in many homes. People cleaned their own houses and utensils and cooked their own food. It is important for the houses today to connect with these paradigms of self reliance. A laundry area and space to wash & iron your own clothes makes good sense.  A terrace with a small kitchen garden to grow vegetables like lemons, coriander, leafy vegetables, chillies etc is a must.       

OPTIMIZATION:

Multi functional spaces gather importance in the during or post Covid home . Work from Home, School from home, Exercise from home, Celebrate from home  and all things which we did in real spaces have now begun to happen online. The conversion of study area in the house to an office space, kids study tables to online school facilities, dining table in some cases converted to online school space is best optimization of space. In the long run as actual interaction is not possible, facilities for online interaction in terms of the technical requirements of a larger screen, space for laptops or desktops and a very good internet connection is a must. To achieve privacy, temporary movable partitions may help. Insertion of house pods with various facities can also be an answer to the space crunched and homes with more number of family members.  As gyms and yoga centers remain closed, an area for doing the daily physical exercise or for meditation in the living rooms or terraces will also be required.

All the above patterns if applied to existing homes, will give multiple forms of home customization which may be temporary or can be long term based upon the situation . 

Hrishikesh Ashtekar

catching current Keywords of Interior design ?

This street flex  advertisement catches the most current common keywords in Interior Design market.

# Kitchen trolleys 

# Modular Kitchen 

# Wallpapers 

# Artificial grass

# POP False ceiling 

# Carpets

Typically aspirations for Middle class home buyers and home owners.

Most of above will come without question..like programmed subconsciously in People to be tick marked in their list of buying..

And we can add many more like

# Musical lights on false ceiling

# Hanging Victorian clock in living room

# Home theater ( if possible an AV room)

# Walk in closet

# Integrated system in Kitchen with microwave and dishwasher 

# Softboard in bedroom with pretty pictures of your world tour.

# Large pictures of your family members put in frames.

# Bench siting by the window..

......and So on...

Is Interior Design fast becoming only a Visual commodity ? 

Good to look at and Fashionable..

Where Homes look and feel like Hotel rooms.

Earlier lifestyle , traditions and culture played a crucial role in how homes were built. Different communities had different homes as per their way of life.

Have we lost the heart and soul of Design ? where home echoes the personality of the family which lives in.

.....Hrishikesh Ashtekar 

Is your Terrace safe for your children?

Recently an unfortunate incident sent shivers down the spine for many of us . A little child fell down from the seventh floor terrace in an apartment building in Pune & lost her life. Lot was said & discussed everywhere right from the academic design studios to professionals to housing society members.

The question raised everywhere was " Are terraces safe for children??"

Terrace of a home is an extended open space of the house of the upper floor. In our climatic context it is welcome as it gives people living on upper floors to enjoy the open space in day to day lives, Many developers show dreams & pictures of a family relaxing in a terrace, having a cup of morning tea or even dipping in their own private swimming pool on the terrace. Though above things do make sence if you have got a designed terrace , most of the middle income homes use terrace to dry clothes or an open space to have few potted plants etc.

You can enjoy your terrace, the way you like but just providing a checklist below to see if it is really safe for your children

1) Entry to terrace - Does your terrace have a sturdy entrance door which can be locked ?

 Many terraces have aluminium sliding doors which look great bu have weak locks that can be 

easily  opened by children when they are alone the house. It is also very common for these doors
to slide  easily & children an get locked on the terrace all by themselves if they  accidentally slide the door.Generally having a open able sturdy door in wood or metal or an additional safety door helps.
Doors should be generally closed & locked if you little children in the house.

2) Railing for the terrace - Are they high enough & designed such that a child may not kneel 
   over or slide between the railing bars?
 Terrace railing is a Design detail. Generally a  minimum height of  4' 6" high railing  is
 recommended as it gives enough security & makes it difficult for child to climb over.
 Currently there is a trend to have minimalist railing with toughened glass & Stainless steel rails.
 These look fantastic in elevation but we need to be extra careful. Even though the glass may be  
  toughened glass & may not break, the connection between glass & stainless steel pipes may be
 weak one. A railing with vertical / horizontal grill bars may be safe only if the distance between
 two bars is less than 4 inches within which a child cannot slide himself.
 A railing with wall of at least 3 feet height & pipe railing above it till 4 & half feet is safe but the
gap between rails & wall top should have close spaced grill / pipes.

3) Objects on the terrace : Do you have objects on terrace close to the parapet wall?
  We often keep potted plants or chairs or make seating in terrace nest to the railing or the parapet
  wall. All of the above provide child with objects which they can stand on & kneel over making it
  highly unsafe. Care should be taken to remove the chairs & take them in the house if we are not
  using them. Also not to keep unused stools or any such objects in the terrace.

4) Flooring of terrace : Is is slippery ?
  Terrace floor should have anti skid flooring as children or even adults may fall if the flooring is of
  smooth stone or smooth finish vitrified tiles especially as it gets wet in rains.

5) Enclosed terraces : How are the grill fixed ?
 Typically , not recommended & legal, people do enclose they terrace with tin roofs & grills in
 front. This is most common safety device, but most fabricators fix the grills on parapet wall with
 plumbing nails after the plastering is done. This is very unsafe as these nails can come off with
 time if not checked & the entire grill can come off. If you need to fix grills, it must be fixed from
 inside in metal sub frame that is fixed at the time of construction /brick work of the parapet wall.
 Details like this are critical & we must ask the developers to provide this sub frame during
 construction. In case you have a existing pipe railing fixed deeply in the parapet wall, grill must be
 welded to it to ensure safety.

6) Terrace lighting : Is there adequate light during night
 A dimly lit terrace is unsafe during night times. There should be adeqate light fixure to ensure
 good lighting levels during the night. Dark corners are highyl unsafe for children. Also they breed
 insects & mosquitoes

Though they may be many more , few are some important points I could think of & share with you . Please do check you home terrace for the above & many more to ensure that you children are safe with the terrace. Of course adult supervision for children while they are playing in the terrace is the best.

Hrishikesh Ashtekar

Customized Homes- What ? Why? & When ?

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

How to check the Area of your New apartment you are Purchasing?

Now a then we keep on hearing complaints by people who are booking new apartments that the size of the apartment does not seem as large as mentioned in the saleable area given by the developer.

Here is a easy way to calculate the approximate Carpet area of your house:

1)      Generally in India, currently the most commonly used tile size is around 2 feet X 2 feet (600 mm x 600mm) in dimension

      2)      Take the brochure given by the developer in your hand

3)      Standing  in the entrance door, orient the plan given in the brochure as per your standing point

      4)      Count the exact number of tiles in the Living room...

5)      You can measure a typical tile under your feet & confirm the area of one single tile (generally it is 4.0 sq ft)

     6)      Multiply the exact number of counted tiles by this area to get an area

7)      Confirm that the area is more or less matching with the Room dimensions given in the developer’s    brochure

      8)      Now go Room by Room & check each area. Also check area of common passages,
            terraces & also add area of Door Jamb (tiles in the doorway)

9)      Add all areas written by you on the Brochure to get the Total Carpet area of your home

10) Additionally the approximate Built up area (generally on which the per square foot calculation of costing is based) of the house can be calculated by adding another 20% loading of the Carpet area. Generally it is good to ask the developer what is the ratio he has considered for loading of the Built up area versus the Carpet area

There may still be a 5 % to maximum 7% percent variation in case the developers has considered room dimension from un plastered surfaces of wall of rooms, but at least any drastic variation beyond this may easily come to your notice before you book & pay your hard earned money to the developer.
On a safer side, it may still be worthwhile to spend a little & get the area exactly measured through your Architect if more variation is observed & your Developer is unable to explain the reason for it.

Ar. Hrishikesh Ashtekar

Are you thinking of Redevelopment ?

Many of you may be living in an old apartment building (may be even around 25 years old or more) with issues like leaking roofs, worn out water pipelines, toilets , lack of spaces, old style layout, narrow stairways etc.

Some of you just happen to be living in a small old bungalow built on a huge plot of land in a large city, which has now got a prime real estate value.

Some of you may be living in an apartment building with just few apartments built on a large plot, which you become aware that new apartments in the same location may give you a huge asset value

If you have any reasons similar to above , you should think of redevelopment.

Many societies are not aware about the process. I am just explaining you  the broad process as below:

1) Prepare a Redevelopment committee comprising of Chairman, Secretary & all other important & active members of your housing society

2) Consult a Legal advisor - first & foremost to check various legal issues about your property like society formation, conveyance deed , land documents, demarcation etc etc.

3) Consult an Architect to work out the Broad Feasibility for the project. Architects will give you a feasibility report (We do this !)

4) Prepare an overall file with all photocopies of latest documents, drawings, data about the plot & building & approach various reputed Developers for their quotes as to a) How much extra area they will give back to you (generally it is worked out based upon existing carpet area)  b) Kind of materials & Finishes they will be giving c) Other terms & conditions like Time line for redevelopment , rent for interim accommodation while construction is on etc

5) Alternatively Hire a Project management firm , if the society would like to carry out redevelopment without Developers

6) Selection of Developers ideally must be done in consultation of appointed Architects & Legal advisors.

7) Follow all legal steps like Memorandum of understanding & Agreement with the Developer agreed upon with total consultation of your Legal advisor

8) Asks for various alternative Designs & plans from your Developer. Have them scrutinized & checked by your Appointed Architect. Ideally all plans should be given to all society member household for their comments. If the deal is based upon existing carpet areas, have carpet areas measured of all flats through the appointed developer & ask your architect to have a random check of various dimensions in the existing area plans given by developers

9) Have a Final signoff of the designs in total consultation with your appointed Architects before the developers give them for sanctioning to Municipal corporation.

10) Confirm from the Developer that he has applied for additional TDR etc before construction begins

11) Have regular in between on site checks for all stages of construction through your appointed Architects

12) Ensure that when your flats are being constructed , the areas agreed upon are actually followed

13) Ensure that you get the same specifications & finishes as agreed upon by the developers. Same should be checked by your appointed Architects

Redevelopment is an ideal mode for having a new apartment, because apart from everything else, it gives you 'Big Chance' to get the overall plan of your apartment 'The way You want' instead of buying a prebuilt apartment in any new building where you have to make lot of changes.


Ar. Hrishikesh Ashtekar
 

Creating "Open Walls"

I have been experimenting with creating "Open Walls" in homes since quite a few years in various houses. Below is a example of our own new home in JK Hill Park - E604 in Dhayari Pune.
Apart from creating useful spaces , these "Open Wall'', changed completely the light & ventilation quality & overall 'Feel of Space'

This is how, the Wall & Space looks , Before

This is how , the Space looks after having made changes & created an "Open Wall"

 

The real change is experienced from our kitchen, as we have created a dining area just behind the low wall behind, what was the earlier entrance with creating the new entrance. By doing this we have been able to compact our kitchen in half the space of 8 feet x 8 feet.

When people move from old homes to new, they generally carry certain old elements or 'Associational Values'. In our 1BHK flat in the same locality, we had a small open wall. We carried this "Open Wall" in our new home as an associational element. The new owners to whom, we sold our earlier flat call our home as a 'Big Brother' of our earlier home

Ar. Hrishikesh Ashtekar

 

Is Carpet Area of your house same as you are paying for ?

During the purchase of a new apartment, the developer generally gives you a saleable area statement showing the Carpet area, Built up area, terrace area etc & gives you a cost sheet. It is assumed that the areas are more or less same & you proceed with the transaction. How many of us ACTUALLY CROSS CHECK the CARPET AREA, you are paying for?

Let us understand the basics. Carpet area is the usable floor area (in short, where you can lay a continuous carpet). Built up area is the area including the walls, on which the developer calculates the  per unit (per square foot) rate. Generally the loading Built up area over Carpet area in considered to be around 20%, but may also vary in case to case. This the developer should tell you when you have approached for purchase.

Recently we were approached by someone to check his carpet area of the new flat he has purchased in a prime location in Pune city. He had a doubt , the the area seemed to be less than that what the builder had mentioned. We measured our the area & it was about 40 sq ft less than what was expected, which means, at a rate of 10000/- per square feet after consider further loading on the carpet area for built up  area, he was actually paying almost rupees 5 lakhs extra. When he brought this to the notice of the developer, the developer refused point blank. Finally the person has gone to consumer court against the developer.

It may not be possible for everyone to hire Architects to get measure the apartment, but simple do it  yourself measurement techniques may help. E.g -  Just measure a single vitrified tile in the apartment. It may be 2’ x 2’ or even more. Now count the number of tiles in each room, In case of half cut tile, take the measurement. This way you can determine the area of each room. Add all areas , also including area of tile under every door & opening to get the exact carpet area.

Moral of the story is “Keep your eyes open & be aware” that you are purchasing the right area.

Hrishikesh Ashtekar

Customizing the Electical layout of your home

Customizing electrical layout of your home is a basic need for any new buyer , the prime reason being that any family which will occupy the new home will have its unique needs of living & hence a furniture layout.

Customizing an electrical layout involves a 3 stage process:

1) Developing a new furniture layout according to your needs

2) Making a new electrical layout or modifying the electrical layout from the developer in case of under construction homes to suit the new furniture layout . A common example being that you may require electrical sockets for TV or Laptops in your rooms at  "Correct Location"

3) Checking that the work has happened in similar manner & all changes have been done as per your requirement on site.

In any new home , following are points to remember:

a) Electrical layout cannot be modified every now & then, especially so when these days , conduits are concealed

b) The list of all the electrical points from developer should be checked & then new points can be added or existing electrical points can be modified

c) 5 amphier socket points are suitable for almost all fittings.
     15 amphier socket points are required only for Refrigerator, Microwave oven, dishwasher  & A.C,
     but also check any additional appliances you may have which may require 15 amp

d) Always keep additional sockets in every location

e) Provision for invertor backup wiring needs to be made during modification in case of concealed wiring. Call your invertor vendor at this stage itself

f) Take professional help of an Architect for preparing the new electrical layout & customization as he/ she may help you in better way

regards
Hrishikesh Ashtekar