Monday, February 22, 2010

Overseas Enclave A Bahria Town Lahore - Construction Activity Started

Today I counted the houses being constructed in Overseas Enclave A Bahria Town Lahore. There were seven homes under construction and two families are residing in completed homes. It is a good progress. These photographs of Overseas Enclave A are shooted from Commercial Complex side of Bahria Town Lahore.
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The Construction Of Your Dream Home – Part 2

In first part of this series we discussed two major steps of construction of a home.
  • The selection of Housing Society to buy the plot and
  • The process of getting possession of plot.
THE THIRD STEP of construction process is MAP finalization. This is a major decision so proper research and planning should be made. First of all one should be clear about budget, family requirements and future needs. It is better that all of these points are written which are important for you and your family. You may visit the homes of your plot size. There is a large variety of under construction homes in newly developed society. Bahria Town is the best choice to visit where 100s of new homes of all sizes are in process of finalization. Generally owners or contractors feels honored if you visit their work and do not start pointing out the short comings of their construction.

When you will meet an architect for a map designing, he will ask you for your requirements. He will show you few layouts and plans which are close to your requirements. You are supposed to either accept from any of those layouts or will ask for some amendments in it. The architect will provide you all the related drawings related to step by step construction, electrical, plumbing and sewerage work. The architect is supposed to be aware of by laws of construction in the area. Its worth mentioning that you can not avoid changes in the finalized map during construction. Bahria Town has its own design wing which provides all this facility. If you are constructing your home in Bahria Town then it is recommended to get their services. You may keep seeking their guidance as and when needed. 

There are some set map standards of different plot sizes which architect of that area knows very well. These standard are set due to material available and cost control so a map should be consulted with the architect who is practically involved in his profession.

 A family shifted from USA constructed its home in Bahria Town Sector A. They got the services of an American architect (family friend) and after making bit changes the concerned authorities approved it. When their home got ready they needed to go back to USA due to . Their home was not being sold on half cost of the construction as the cost shoot up too high due to technicality of the map.

 If you did not have done proper home work then a map finalization may take one month or so. A map approved by you and finalized by the architect is called SUBMISSION drawing as it is submitted for approval from concerned authorities. In all private Housing Projects it is also necessary to get approval of it.
The cost of construction is generally estimated from your submission drawing which shows the COVERED AREA of a home.
When finalizing map of your home please consider following points. The readers are requested to add more points to consider (if any):
  1. Make clear on which side your gate and dead walls are decided by the Housing Project. As cornor plots on the lanes have their gates on outer side so you can calculate it from checking these plots.
  2. Decide how many bed rooms, kitchens and washrooms you want to have in your home. What will be the acceptable size of kitchen, bed rooms and washrooms etc. Preferably visit few houses which have almost same specifications which you want to have in your home.
  3. Also think about the cupboards i.e. where these should be installed. In the washrooms or in bed rooms. What should be the height (wall to wall or not)?
  4. Generally people do not care much about kitchen. Ladies are very much concerned about it so please involve "queen of the home" in these matters.
  5. If you think that you will be needing to rent out your home in future or it will be used as a double family unit then stairs should be kept in the lobby for going upstairs. In this case a kitchen on upstairs is also needed.
  6. Would you prefer to use wooden CHOKHAT or the iron one.
  7. Front elevation, pergolas and colour schemes are also decided at the time (though you may change little bit of every thing). In Bahria Town you can not construct a room on car porch.
After finalizing the Map you are supposed to submit the drawing (5 blue print copies of tracing) in concerned authority office along with the copies pf ID Card and possession letter or allotment letter (or the final document of property showing ownership). In Lahore Govt. fee is Approx. Rs.2/= per square foot of the covered area and processing charges are Rs.1,000/=. There should be a stamp of an Approved/Registered architect on submission drawing. Generally the process does not complete in suitable time so it is common practice that an ASSISTANCE of some agent is required. Nowadays it is usually finalized within two months with the assistance of an agent.

When a submission drawing is submitted following works should be started without any further delay.
  • An application for gas connection should be submitted as soon as possible. With a specified form, a copy of ID card and allotment letter is needed in this regard.
  • An application for electricity connection should be submitted (in Bahria Town it is not needed to apply as they have already got it before starting working on map and it will be installed on same day when you want to start work on your site).
  • Start researching about material, its price and quantity of requirement. This exercise will help you to make an estimate or budget of your project. (For the area close to Bahria Town, I will give some detail about material, its prices and dealers in my next post).
  • Decide how will you proceed with the project. Whether you will manage labour by your own or will hire a contractor for labour or contractor with material. Start meeting and exploring the contractors to understand the market of your area.
  • Order few loads of RORA which you will need to put in the foundation. Start "RORI KUTWAI" according to the need.
In next part of this series we will discuss the practical steps of constructions, Contracts and Contractors, foundation, material availability and its prices etc etc.
Friends are requested to give their input to make the information more better and useful.

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Saturday, February 20, 2010

Construction work, Safari Villas Bahria Town Lahore ,,,,

Saffari Villa
Dear Hussain Kaisrani, how are doing and how smooth is the life going in Bahria lahore these days.Hussain bi is it advisable for someone (who lives abroad and wants to shift after almost 2 years)to purchase a saffari villa today and keep it locked for that long a period.Does he still have to pay the monthly utility charges.Please advise whether this practice is safe.Thanks. (limo)
Hussain Kaisrani replied on Thursday, February 18, 2010 06:40 PM PST

Salaam and many thanks for remembering me dear limo.
It is strongly NOT recommended to buy a villa (or any home) if you have plans to keep it locked for longer time. Your home will be ruined.
Yes you need to pay monthly expenses but this is not a big issue as these are only Rs.2,000/= in total. You should either rent it out or give a duty to some one who can take care of it by opening the home once a week. The cost of its usual cleaning, paying bills and taking care is approximately Rs.3,000/= Few of our friends (member of this page) are managing their homes in this way.
Security wise you villa is fully safe in Safari Villa project.
Suleman replied on Thursday, February 18, 2010 08:24 PM PST

I am looking for 1 Kanal plot with a view to build a house in the near future. Like limo I am an overseas Pakistani. I am having difficulty deciding where to purchase on a limited budget of 40 – 45 lakh max.

Realistically speaking I have 3 options (I think).

DHA Phase 6/7 vs. BT Lahore vs. Sukh Chayn Gardens

Reasons I would like to purchase in the above is the underground infrastructure, community centre/facilities/security.

To: Hussain Kaisrani

I would appreciate your opinion, if you had the opportunity to purchase which society would you choose keeping in mind Lahore Ring Road and possibly other road projects? What kind of Telecoms/DSL/Broadband facilities are available in societies mentioned above?

Thanks in advance. I am sure other Overseas Pakistanis would agree your contributions are greatly appreciated.
limo replied on Friday, February 19, 2010 02:54 PM PST

@ H.Kaisrani
Thanks a lot for prompt reply.God bless you.
Hussain Kaisrani replied on Friday, February 19, 2010 08:04 PM PST

Suleman,
Thanks for your kind words.
Actually I do not have first hand knowledge and information about DHA Phase 6/7 so it is not good to pass any comments on it.

Sukh Chayn Garden is the best option if its price is equal to Bahria Town. Sukh Chayn Gardens will enjoy same facilities of future road networks which we see for Bahria Town. Rather Sukh Chayn Gardens is directly linked with Multan Road which is a great edge on Bahria Town.
On the other hand Bahria Town has provided facilities (School, hospital, markets, cinema etc) to its residents. The pricesof plots are bit less in Bahria Town so my first option would be Bahria Town.

Telecoms/DSL/Broadband facilities are not an issue in Lahore any more.
=== Dear limo: You are always welcome ===
Rahat replied on Friday, February 19, 2010 08:41 PM PST

I am a big fan of Hussain Kaisrani and wish him well. On many points I am a silent beneficiary of his observations and advice. On some of them I followed him blindly and benefited. Some how I have never thanked him in letter but in spirit I always did. So here it is. Mr. Kaisrani thank you what you are doing. Realistic and ground to earth. Keep it up.

I feel little hard to go along with his comment that the house if kept locked for longer periods is ruined. Mt experience is different. I leave my house locked for very long times when I am abroad which is very often and absence extends for months and years. All I do is close ALL inlets to the house, even the drains(rats/roaches can creep up from here), the chimney of kitchen exhaust & exhaust fan, Air conditioner both window and split type. The windows are covered with cloth sheets in addition to the normal curtains.All the furniture is covered with plastic sheets which are reused every year. Main switch for electric and water/gas connections are turned off. The only problem is bills. These are collected by a nominated individual who just pays them I just pay him for his services. It has been working very well for the last so many years. Of course the first couple of days after arrival are consumed in cleaning and reactivating.
Hussain Kaisrani replied on Friday, February 19, 2010 11:12 PM PST

Rahat Sahib! I do not find proper words to THANK you for your views about me and my work.

I confess that my experience is very much related to newly constructed houses (more specially Safari Villas) which are ruined if not taken care of properly. The seepage and termite is the main problem here. You have provided us a solution to maintain a locked home for longer time. Please do share your views in future as these are very useful for many of us. Thanks again sir!
Suleman replied on Saturday, February 20, 2010 01:38 PM PST

Thank you both for replying and sharing your knowledge.
Suleman replied on Saturday, February 20, 2010 02:06 PM PST

To Hussain Kaisrani

Can you please recommend an architect and honest contractors/builders suitable for overseas Pakistani's? In my case, it will not be possible to be present in Pakistan all the time during the construction.

I do have relatives in Pakistan who can monitor construction but as you know everyone is busy with jobs and families commitments.

Do you have your own company which can deal with construction?

Thanks
Hussain Kaisrani replied on Saturday, February 20, 2010 08:32 PM PST

Suleman Sahib! Thanks for your Thanks. I am in process of understanding construction business and making team to work with. I am more than satisfied with the services provided by my contractor and his honesty. His name is Allah Bakhsh (mobile number 03218027615) and I take him as my teacher.

I have reached on conclusion that a contract should only be given for labour charges. One should be responsible for the material. It is not only to avoid fraud but it will make your contractor easy for selecting material for your betterment. I will keep on sharing my experience of construction here on this page which will provide a good information regarding material, rates and distributer/supplier.

Architect can only give shape to your wishes and requirements so it is very important that you should be there to explain him what you want. At the process of finishing your presence is very important as any one else can not understand your taste and aesthetics.

At present I do not have any company related to construction. Many friends have asked me for constructing their home but at this stage I am not confident enough to take responsibility. After completing my under construction home, I will be in the position to decide whether I can start it as a business or not. In the mean time you or any other friend are more than welcome to contact me for any kind of help and assistance in or around Bahria Town.
Suleman replied on Saturday, February 20, 2010 10:10 PM PST

Again. Thank you very much.
=== Courtesy: LRE ===
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Thursday, February 04, 2010

The construction of your dream home – Part 1

Every one wants to have a home of one's own. It is very expensive to have a ready to move home as well as it does not generally fulfill you requirements. Moreover you are not sure about the quality of construction and material used in a ready home. At the same time it is too difficult to construct a home of your own choice. But it is not impossible if you can find a good team and guidance from some sincere and experienced person. You can construct a home step by step if your budget is not yet enough to complete it.
I have passed through all experiences to have my own home without sufficient funds. Six years ago we dreamed to have our 5 marla home till year 2010 as we had arrangement of only Rs. 200,000/= at that time.  It was grace of Allah and assistance by friends due to that we were able to shift in an 8 Marla Safari Villa in one of the best housing project of Lahore in 2006 instead of 2010. We financed it from a bank as Bahria Town was providing this facility at that time. Its true that one of the main problem of our age is that our vision and targets are too small which are achieved much earlier than our expectations.
We are happily living in our home and are fully satisfied with the quality of construction after repairing made by Bahria Town in this price. There was no need to think about constructing a new home but one of my friend and visitor of this page (Abbas from UK) insisted (as well as financed) me to involve myself in construction for gaining experience to assist many of friends who want to construct their home but have no idea how to go ahead. I would like to thank brother Adil Saeed and Kashif Chohan Sahib who really encouraged and guided me a lot to say YES to constructing a home. In this series I will share my experiences and knowledge (as a student of construction work) which I am gaining during process of construction of an 8 Marla home in Bahria Town Lahore (210 Ali Block). Quality is our main concern and the same time we are trying our best to control the cost. Knowledgeable friends are requested to correct me if my information and observations are not correct. Also you can add your views in this regard.
THE FIRST STEP for constructing your Home is selecting a housing society if you have not yet bought a plot. It is a very difficult decision and should be made after visiting all available options within your budget. It will be better if you can meet at least three residents (owners of the home NOT the renters) before making final decision. If you have an option please meet the owner of neighboring home/plot to know if there is any negative point related to this specific plot. When you finalize it then the procedure needs to be adopted as per Society rules and regulations. The approval of a map is only possible if the society is approved either by LDA or TMA in Lahore so make sure that Soceity is properly approved. When buying a plot you must physically examine it thoroughly as it should not be much deeper than the road level. If possible it should have a place free of construction so that you may store your material and make a temporary room for storing items like cement etc and your labour/Chowkidar will use it for their rest and stay. Otherwise your cost will be increased in shifting material as per requirement.
THE SECOND STEP in construction is to get possession of your plot. The process or steps may bit change from society to society but generally you need a possession (or demarcation or site plan on paper) from the society. It will show the length and depth of your plot as well as its location from the surroundings. You need exact specification of your plot before planning of map. In Bahria Town Lahore the owner deposits a form along with a prescribed fee and this procedure generally takes a week to complete.
The friends who are really interested to construct a home on their plots should get the possession as fees, rules and regulation keep on changing in the benefits of developers.
Third Step in construction is to get a map of your home which we will discuss in next part of this series.


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