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 ===