Building a House in Bengaluru – High level view

Just go through this and visualize it similar to a procedure you follow when you have to travel by flight. Note that some steps will come before if you build walls before mould. I chose to go for roofing of all floors before wall construction [ The debate of what is best option is endless. Do what your contractor prefers if you have gone for complete contract ]. This method of construction suits budget building and allows you to complete the bare essentials first and what is normally permanent in nature and then based on your remaining budget get other things done which can be treated like add-ons.

1. Check Loan eligibility [ site + house ]
2. Search for land – Advance amount
3. Apply loan – if going well – sign agreement
4. Purchase Land – Registration
5. Khatha Transfer/Certificate
6. Re-check loan eligibility – within 2 years
7. Hire an Architect and plan as per BBMP bye laws.
8. Estimate and apply for loan/arrange the funds based on your planned house estimate
9. Apply for bbmp plan approval by following all byelaws.
10. On approval, hire a building contractor – either with materials or without materials. I chose labor [ had arranged for materials..again do your own R&D ]
11. Find a good date to start the paayad pooja or foundation pooja

Take a deep breath – you have done the tough part already. By doing these steps you have already accomplished a lot and probably have shown enough courage and patience to go for it.

Now the actual work if given to

1. A subcontractor – be prepared for a tight release of funds to him, to keep yourself protected from run-away contractors. Make sure you have a agreement covering all aspects.
2. Labor contractor – be prepared to overshoot labor budget by 10 to 20% based on how strict you are with getting work done. If you are person who is soft and dont have an elder with a moustache then be prepared for being taken for a ride.  This is a raw deal and it get used to sudden leaves, stopped work and story listening. But again you need patience and its a good learning.

Now let us get to the actual construction steps.

 

Construction Begins

 

1. Borewell and curious neighbors and sometimes bwssb/bbmp folks[ hopefully you have considered borewell point at planning time]
2. Structural drawing – Footing and pillars [ RCC structures ] . Details here.
3. Excavation for footing and some more curious neighbors [ complaints…dont fight with any neighbor ..exhibit professionalism…listen to them….sympathize, empthasize and seek cooperation and assure you will try to do good job of it]
4. Steel Fabrication – mats for column footing and columns with rings.
5. 20mm Jally + 40mm Jally + Cement ( or any preference )
6. Concrete – Footing  – normally a 2 ft height one.
8. Concrete  – Column upto plinth level
9. Structural drawing – Plinth Beam.
10.  Concrete – plinth [ can go for RCC if you want quicker results ]
11. Concrete – Column upto roof bottom
12. Structural drawings for Ground Floor Roof and beams
13. Bar Bending [ reinforcement steel ]  – purchase steel + check drawings for longer spans and whether sufficiently strong rods are mentioned.
14. Roof Centering to support the beams and roof
15. Electrial Drawing and Electrial Conduits in the roof for Ceiling fans, and other junction boxes.
16. Roof Concrete – [ Wish you peace ] [ Go for RCC and save yourself all the trouble ]
17. Curing – Now few days rest while you get the pleasure of watering your house.
18. Columns upto First Floor roof bottom
19. Repeat  steps [12-16] until all moulding work is complete
20. Wall construction – [ Bricks or Solid Concrete blocks ] for Ground Floor
21.  Lintel for Door and windows [ needs a few structural drawings or your mason will claim great expertise in this ] [ Fabrication + Centering + concrete ]
22. Wall construction upto roof bottom
23. Repeat steps [19-21] for all floors until all walls are done keeping the elevation in mind.
24.  Sump construction + curing [ 6000 ltrs is enough for one family of 4 ]
25. Main Door Frame/External door frames –
    1. Main Door Vaskal – Teak
    2. Other doors – WPVC or Honne or Sal
26. Electrical conduits/Switch boxes within walls. Check more details here.
27. Plumbing work inside bathrooms and kitchen. details here.
28. Gas connection laying from gas stove to gas container through floor.
29.  Window grills and other grill fabrication and placement on the windows before plasting.
30. Metal stair case fabrication and welding.
31. Exterior plasting
32. Interior plasting
33. Ganite or vitrified floor laying
34. Interior plasting around skirting
35. Electrical wiring
36. Plumbing exterior + sump motor installation + overhead tank. Test water from overhead tank.
37.  Bathroom wall and floor tiles laying
38. Drainage excavation around house and cauvery water connection upto building entrance.
39.  Electrical connection pipes from pole to meter area. Grounding/Earthing connection.
40. Parking and pavement tiles around the house.
41. Compound wall construction + plasting
42. Gate fabrication and fitting.
43. Bathroom fittings [ later the better to prevent theft ]
44. Electrical fittings [ later the better to prevent theft ]
45. Door Frame for Interiors – Frameless Door Frame with anchor bolt for all interior Doors
46. Painting interiors – putty and single coat.
47. Windows, French Doors – Go for a good window system uPVC[preferred due to various advantages ..here] or aluminium or wood[not my preference due to high cost] and french door system – Fenesta[ My choice ], LG hausys, etc. More details here…
48.  Painting coats 1/2
49. Kitchen Cabinets + Kitchen Slab [ Granite or Quartz ] + Kitchen tiles + Kitchen Sinks
50. Polish the wooden stair case treads. Fit it after paint 2 coats just before pooja
51. Gruha Pravesha – Pooja [ Strange satisfaction, but still some more things pending]
52.  Painting coats 3 and finishing.
53. Move into the house 15 days after pooja
54. Get the wardrobes done [ factory made ] – 1 month down the line
55.  Interiors and other add-on as per budget and convenience.