Friday, March 29, 2013

New beginnings - From House to Home

I haven't met a single person who says that building a house or making a home is easy! And from what I have discovered so far, it certainly is not.
It is a very slow, tiring, hazy and frustrating project. Of course it does have its moments of fun, excitement and joy!! But by the end of it most home owners remember what this picture below suggests  :)



The first thing I realized, when we started thinking about getting our recently bought apartment done is that there is no single place/organization/website that offers you details of what and how to do this. The ABCs are all for you to figure out. There are a million ways to start and multiple paths to take based on what your neighbours, friends, family or colleagues did. Hence the process is not clear and nothing makes sense initially. It can be very confusing and overwhelming at times. If you are going through such feelings, you are on the right path. But slowly the image shall begin to emerge and you will know what to do. How slow is subjective :)

I am not saying this is rocket science but if there was a website that gave a little intro to the world of how-to-create-your-own-place, that would be nice. I wonder if something like that already exists for Bangalore and I am not aware of it. If you know about something like that please do let me know.

For my own clarity, sanity and to help future new home owners in Bangalore, I plan to document what I discover, see and learn. It might not be an exhaustive list but will be based on places I find out about, people I get to know about and any resources which might be of help.

The 1st stage in this process would be buying a place or thinking about buying a place or maybe you are just remodeling.
The first advice suggestion advice (after checking the dictionary difference between the two, advice makes more sense here) - Start planning early!!
Even before you get the possession of your flat/independent house/villa or whatever else it is that you have. If it is yet to be constructed even better. You can start thinking of designs or designers you would like to use way in advance. If it is ready to move in property, like ours then also no harm done. Once you finalise which property you are buying start the thought process in parallel. Don't wait to start that till after you get possession. Especially if you are in a time crunch for whatever reasons or are in the paying-rent-and-EMI-too situation.

As part of the planning early stage, the first thing would be figuring out whether you want to use an architect, interior designer, a contractor or a carpenter. Don't know the difference between them? Here you go!

More on this in the next post. Follow this space closely as I go on this journey of transforming a house to a home. Wish me luck too.
Have an awesome weekend!! :)


13 comments:

  1. All the best Simz :). For me that "D" was the childproofing that got missed out along the way, but we survived ;).

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    1. Thanks Aparna! Ha ha, I am sure something or the other does get left out. And I am hoping we will be a whole lot wiser with regards to home and interiors once this project is over ;)

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  2. Good luck!! Am sure the home will be a fabulous place to live in once you are done :)

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    1. Thanks Poorni! :) You better get ready to be dragged to a whole lot of shops and stores!!

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  3. Seems like a good idea of having interior designer from the very begining who will guide u all the electric points while the the house is under contruction or else there is too much headache...all the best :l)

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    1. Yes Pushpa! That part has to be done right in the beginning- all the electrical points, fixtures etc We are still narrowing down who to use, should finalize by next week :) Thanks!!

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    2. i would suggest for an architect rather than just an interior designer. many of these interior designers are fronts for carpenters to make them look more polished and charge more

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  4. I am going to bookmark these post of yours and use them next year! Thats when I start househunting :) Thanks for writing about your experience.

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    1. :) I have been reading other blogs with similar info and they are a help!! All the best for your house hunting!!

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  5. Good luck Simran and have fun....

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    1. Thanks Nayana!! :) So far it's been fun, now waiting to see execution of the design and plans :)

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  6. Hey Simran - very good topic to start! I am going to be in the same boat around 8-10 months from now and so would love to read about your discovery journey for sure! Enjoy the process!

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    1. Thanks Divs!! :) It is an exciting journey, am loving it so far!!

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