INTRODUCTION:
Strong base helps one to acquire all the other positive aspects of life. The strength of our wisdom and experience depends on the 'sector' of the same at home and at work. When we have become independent enough to take key decisions, it is going to be our own wisdom and experiences that govern our clarity of vision, thought process and so on. When wisdom & experience sector is at fault, the following shortages prevail:
- Modesty to seek knowledge is persuaded by self esteem
- Weakness in studies
- Ignoring of wise advise and guidance
- Lack of common sense etc.
PLOT:
It is best to set realistic purpose before analyzing a site and not ride on a dream plan.
Plot purchase & construction of a residential building - Points for consideration and checked:-
- The sellers' right over the property
- Approval by the Metropolitan Development Authority
- Approval by the Local Body
- Handing over of the roads and areas of park to the Local Body through gift deed
- Submission of all documents/ certificates along with plan for approval to the concerned authorities
- AVOIDANCE OF UNAUTHORISED /DEVIATED CONSTRUCTION - so as to be hassle free from enforcement action.
TAXABILITY: ( India):
Any property owned by more than one person shall fall within the purview of Sec. 26 of the IT Act. In case of a sale of a property, there will be loss or profit on such sale. The property having been sold after enjoying / utilizing the property rights, the value has to be derived by applying the index factor. For example, The index factor for 1981-82 ( the date of purchase) is 100 points and the index factor for the year 2005-06, (the period of sale) is around 496 points. Applying these indices on the purchase cost we have to derive the cost on date of sale and profit or loss will be derived. The portion of profit of the co-owner, need to be disclosed in the IT Returns.
AGRI:
The law exempts agricultural income from taxation but income derived from use of farm house for commercial activity is subject to income tax. For the purpose of taxation the law divides the income from farms into the following 3 types:
1.Income derived from farm activities - exempt from taxation
2.Income derived from farm building - exempt from taxation if
- The farm house is occupied by a cultivator
- The farm house should be situated in the immediate vicinity of the land used for the agricultural activities
- The farm house should be used as a dwelling house or as a store house.
Otherwise, it will be construed to be an income derived commercial use of the farmhouse and is subject to I .Tax.
3.
Income from sale of farmland and buildings-Any profit derived on sale of farmland is subject to tax under "Capital Gains". The Law adopts differential treatment between the farmlands in the urban area and other areas. Farmlands situated outside the urban limits are not at all treated as an 'asset' for the purpose of capital gains tax and as such any profit derived is not subject to taxation. The farm lands situated within the definition urban are subjected to Capital Gains Tax. To claim the exemption, a certificate need to be obtained from the Village Administrative Officer or any other revenue authorities to substantiate that such farm lands falls outside the purview of urban area limits.
URAN AREA MEANS ANY AREA SITUATED WITHIN EIGHT (8) KILOMETERS FROM THE LOCAL LIMITS OF ANY MUNICIPALITY OR CONTONEMENT BOARD HAVING A POPULATION OF MORE THAN 10,000 PERSONS.
AMENITIES
Courtyards extend interior space, offer abundant lighting and ventilation and bring in a feeling of openness in an enclosure. By having a safe and secured courtyard we can enjoy it with a peace of mind.
- One of the main advantages of the secured courtyard is it helps to make the exterior space, part of the internal space and make the internal planning of the residential unit more open and flexible.
- Walls at the exterior side of the courtyard is a must and it could be built with exposed bricks plastered wall, stone, steel concrete or wood..
- It could be a combination of different materials as per the demands of the basic concept of the residence.
- If the courtyard is small, it is better to go for simple clean lines and right materials and colors.
- The size and type of the horizontal and vertical openings can be arrived based on the direction of the breeze and the level of privacy the courtyard needs.
- If more privacy is needed for the courtyard the concrete/ stone/ wooden/louvered opening can be created. In fact in some instances adjustable wooden louvers also will be very useful.
- The top covering of the courtyard is optional. If needed it could be covered with poli-carbonate or similar products textured or transparent or trans lucent or frosted to control the severe effect of direct sun-light or rain. But in this case the roof has to be elevated substantially so that enough gap is created between parapet wall and the roof, or at least small window openings and ventilators have to be provided below the roof level to act as air-vents.
- Realistically the fun in courtyard is to have it as an open-to-the-sky area. But it has to be secured.
- The open-to-sky courtyard can be secured through concrete or wooden or stone pergolas or steel rods.
- Concrete / wooden / stone pergolas not only protect the space from the intruder but also create semi-shaded surface by allowing only diffused sunlight in.
- Pergolas also create beautiful pattern on the alls and the floor as the sun moves. Each time of the day the effect is different and dramatic.
- If external access is needed for the courtyard it shall be well secured with grille gates and proper locking system.
- Courtyard flooring can be sunken by at least 6" from main floor level and proper slope and drainage facility can be given to avoid the over-flow of rain water. The drain pipe from the courtyard could also be connected to the main rain water harvesting system.
- For the central courtyard without perforated wall mosquito net can also be placed under top of the pergolas of steel rods.
Now the courtyard is well secured in all the ways .
TIPS OF ELECTRICITY
Some basics to be understood on electricity by any common man:
- Measurement of Electricity = Kilo watt per hour. One KW /hour is One Unit.
- Single Phase System- Consists of Single phase wire and one neutral wire.
- Three Phase system-Consists of 3 phase wires & one earthing wire
- Short circuit- Occurs due to accidental contact of phase with phase or phase with neutral or phase with earthing wire.
- Earthing- To protect the family & to save the electrical assets, this is very much required in circuit parameters like phase frequency, line voltage, etc to bypass the leakage current caused due to short circuits or accidental contact of positive current with electrical appliances.
- Fuse wire / Switch- To protect the electrical network in case of overloads & short circuits, a conditional switch with a fuse wire of low melting point is provided.
- Mini Circuit Board ( MCB)- a magnetic tripping device that is activated during a short circuit or overloading.
Simple tips on Electrical installations for better quality of life and safety:
- Buy certified electrical components.
- Identify the locations of the switches in advance keeping in mind aesthetics to make interior decoration easier.
- Create adequate earthing arrangements for prevention from electrical shocks
- Ensure proper wiring & insulation.
- Avoid temporary connections than necessary.
- Ensure that every power board has a separate fuse or MCB.
- Never use an extension board as a permanent connection.
- Lay the power supply cord away from water, oil & heat.
- When bare-foot, do not touch the electrical heater.
- Keep all electrical items away from children's reach.
- Use Residential Circuit Breaker /Earth Leakage Circuit Breaker for protection against electrical shocks.
- Efficient wiring system to be designed to AVOID excess POWER LOSS.
- Deployment of licensed registered contractors for electrical works is a must.
FLOORING
All good floors should provide strength and stability, resistance to dampness, excellent appearance and freedom from maintenance. The floor of the house provides a horizontal sanitary surface for residents, the furniture and equipment. I am giving some insights on flooring as guidance.
Cement Concrete Flooring: This type of flooring is formed using a 1:1:5:3 cement concrete ratio, laid to a thickness of 3" to 4" over a strong sub-base. The top surface of the flooring is smoothened with cement punning (application of cement slurry). Cement concrete flowing has good wearing properties and is easy to clean and maintained. For lower floor thickness the size of stone aggregates should be limited to ½".
Terrazzo (marble chips) flooring: This floor type consists of two layers. The under layer is made up of cement concrete in 1:2:4 ratio, and is around 1" thick (stone aggregates size limited to ½"). The under layer is laid over base concrete generally 1: 5: 10 or 1:4:8 of 4" thickness. The top layer consists of marble chips of thickness of 1/4" to ½". The mix for topping consists of cement with or without pigments marble powder / marble chips and water. Marble chips are generally 1mm to 10mm in size. The proportion of cement and marble powder is 3:1 by weight and the ratio of chips to binder is 1:5:1 to 1:7.5:1. The terrazzo topping is laid while the under layer is still plastic, but has hardened sufficiently. This is normally achieved in 18 to 24 hours. The terrazzo mix is laid to a uniform thickness and compacted thoroughly by tamping. Remember that the surface should be cured for not less than 7 days before the first grinding commence.
Manual grinding: You can start manual grinding after 7 days with cutting grit blocks ( coarse grade carborandum stone number 60 ) followed by stone of medium grade ( NUMBER 80) for 2nd round of grinding and lastly for fine grade stone (number 120) should be used for the final grinding.
Machine grinding: In case of machine grinding the surface is watered and ground evenly with special rapid cutting gric blocks( coarse grade carborandum number 60) till the marble chips are evenly exposed and the floor is smooth. Finally the 2nd and 3rd grinding is done with fine grit blocks numbers 120 & 320 respectively.
Tile( Cement Concrete, Terrazzo, Ceramic, Vitrified) Marble: The value of the flooring lies in its beautiful appearance as it eliminates unsightly joints. Another advantage is that it could be executed quickly. Today, ceramic and vitrified tiles have gained popularity over mosaic tiles because they don't require grinding and polishing and are strong and tough. Generally tiles are of wall tiles and Floor tiles.
Preparing the mortar: The cement and the mortar ratio for the tile fixation should be between 1:6 to 1:8. You have to ensure the right quantity of water to provide sufficient workability for spreading and leveling the mortar. You can choose ready made mortar available in the market for fixing tiles. These are made of sand, cement, and organic materials and have good and quick binding properties. However the mason must be perfect in his job as the tiles fixed once cannot be taken out whereas tiles fixed with the cement take longer to set. Hence minor corrections are always possible. Do keep in mind that ready made mortars are costlier than ordinary cement based mortars. Always ensure that before the cement mortar is placed the base should be firm and the surface roughened, cleaned and moistened with water. The mortar should be evenly spread over 2 rows of tiles for about 4 to 5 meter in length with a thickness of bedding app. ½" to 1".
Laying the tiles: The tile should be immersed in water for 3 to 4 hours prior to laying. You can start laying the tiles after the bedding has been sufficiently leveled and lightly compacted. Neat cement slurry can be applied next. Now make sure that each tile is laid perfectly in level and tapped with wooden mallet till it is aligned with neighboring tiles. Joints should be in straight lines and not more than 1 to 1.5 mm wide. Fill in the joints with cement pigment paste of matching color after 1 day. A minimum of 7 days' curing is recommended after the tiles are fixed because inadequate curing will lead to tile debonding from mortar.
