If you are buying
an apartment, check out the credentials and track-record of the
promoter, his contractor and his architect. If you plan to construct
your own house, hire a reputed architect and a quality-conscious
contractor. As a double-check, get hold of a list of other projects
undertaken by the promoter/builder/contractor and architect you have
short listed and inspect these projects to see how they have braved
the vagaries of weather, usage and time.
Quality of
construction should be one of the most important criteria in your
selection process. There are certain aspects of construction that
can be assessed merely by a visual inspection of the exteriors. But
such an assessment would be wholly inadequate. A lot more than just
a 'visual feel' has to be probed - reinforcements inside the roof
slab, the beams, columns, concealed pipes for water supply, enclosed
drainage and sewerage lines, electrical wires and conduits,
etc.
When it is not possible to look into every aspect of
quality, you must insist on a 'performance guarantee' clause or at
least a 'structural liability' clause in the agreement for sale of
the flat, so that the builder remains liable for any defect in the
building for at least one to three years from the day he hands over
possession to you.
Do bear in mind that, apart from quality
material, quality construction owes a lot to quality workmanship. A
construction will perform poorly if workmanship has not been up to
the mark. More often than not, poor workmanship shows up - the
building looks ugly and develops cracks particularly in such places
where lines and planes had been filled up with extra thick material
to achieve the desired level of finish.
Surroundings,
landscaping and additional
amenities
An increasingly
important factor nowadays in the selection of apartments is the
overall look and feel of the building complex and the quality of
lifestyle on offer. If some thought and care have gone into the
landscaping of the common areas and if features like well-designed
pathways, jogging tracks and well-maintained lawns and gardens are a
part of the surroundings, the complex will command a premium on the
strength of sheer aesthetics and the panache that it extends to
day-to-day living. Additional amenities, like a swimming pool, club
house, gymnasium, etc., go a long way in contributing to higher
levels of comfort which you might be looking for. However, the flip
side to all this is the maintenance cost for these facilities that
have to be shared by the residents and, if you are eventually one of
them, your monthly maintenance bill may be fairly
steep.
