Friday, February 24, 2006

Perfect bath

Ancient architecture, have separate bathroom and toilet. But these days due to shortage of space both have been merged into one. The science of vaastu has definite rules for the location of bathrooms and toilets, and other accessories such as washbasin and mirrors fitted therein.
A bathroom should be located on the East or North of the house. If it is attached to the bedroom, it should be on the Eastern or Northern side of the bedroom.
There should be a window or ventilator in East or the Northern wall. Early morning sunlight coming from these windows, is beneficial for our body.
As South-East is the direction of Agni (fire) so all related electrical appliances that is heater, geyser, shaver, switchboard should be on South-East corner. If there is a bathtub it can be placed either in East, West or North-East . Washbasin and shower should be on the North-East
Slope of floor should be towards North-East , that is water should flow and drain out through the North-East direction. If a mirror has to be placed it should not be on the Southern direction. Toilet in bathrooms is not advisable according to vaastu. However, if it is, it should be in the West or North-West corner. The best option is North-West . In any case it should never be in North-East corner of the plot or of the building. And as far as possible avoid Eastern or Northern sides too.
In the toilet longitudinal axis of the water closet should be North-South axis, not East-West such that the person sitting would face either North or South while easing himself. As in the case of bathrooms , it is preferable to have slope towards North-East for toilets too.
Septic tank should be positioned below the ground level wit utmost care taken to locate it.
In vaastu, it is advised to have a North-East corner lower than all other sides. It means that the only location to build a septic tank is North-East , but this direction is considered to be scared being the direction of God. Thus the only location of septic tank should be West, North or North-West
All outlet from the kitchen, toilet, bathroom, to the drainage pipes, should be given in East, North or North-East these pipe lines which should be further divided to West or North-West . Care must be taken not to give any outlet in the South direction.
Vaastu gives attention to these parts of the house as all the activities are associated with water and water is one of the five essential element. and vaastu is the arrangement of these five elements that is earth, water, fire, air and sky in such a way that it can maximise benefits and minimise loss.Always put vaastu salt in a bone china or a ceramic bowl in North or East side of your toilet. It will absorb all the negativity coming out from soil waste. Flush this salt regularly after 10 days and fill it again with new salt.
Vaastu salt absorbs all this negative radiation. Also never do marble flooring in toilet as marble absorbs energy it is better to use ceramic tiles in toilet.
If a toilet is in North-East zone of the house, put a Bagua Symbol on the door of toilet. Also if the toilet is directly seen from the main door then put a big mirror on the outer side of the toilet’s door to reflect back the entrance. A toilet should never be next to or in front of kitchen and pooja room.

Open the door to elegance

The main doorway to your home can tell a lot about the life you lead, and about the path you probably have chosen. The main door symbolises health, wealth and speaks of an identity that belongs to the family residing inside . When planned appropriately , in terms of look, direction and material, it can make a dramatic, impressive style statement.
There are a couple of things to consider before you plan for the main door. Its size, shape, direction that it faces - which is critical, as Vaastu experts would tell you - durability or strength, the material to use, teak wood would be ideal, or if you can afford mahogany or rosewood, and if it will have a particular design. For instance, a designer door with a mix of metals - say wood and stained glass, wood and glass or wood and metal, or a heavily carved door - would speak of a contemporary mind, very styleoriented and generous frame of mind.
If planning a door, then its direction facing either the north, east or the northeast is considered auspicious .
Option in doors
Classic wooden doors: Those with different veneers like chestnut, rose, mahogany, walnut or birch, with a grain effect, and very clean, straight lines are opted for by most people. Some new textured paint finishes can give your door an added dimension. For those who wouldn't mind a bit of carving, they need to opt for teak wood.
Wood-finished metal doors: These would also come in classical styles - oval, paneled, or with single straight lines - and in different simulated wood veneers. Elegant doorknobs in bronze hues enhance this door, which also have a metal sheet running through both sides of wood, increasing their durability and strength ten-fold and therefore safety.
Wooden doors with stained glass: Here, more than half the door is made in wood, and just the top end or the side panels can be done up in some exquisite original stained glass. The area where glass is provided is doubly reinforced with grills on the inside so there are no weak spots to tamper with
Wood carved doors: These can be done only on solid teak wood, and would require time to complete. Doors can be carved according to themes like the tree of life, or the pot of gold found at the end of the rainbow, or even the picture of a shrine is quite sought-after .
Antique doors: These are usually sourced from old homes by furniture dealers, and if you'd like a certain look for your house, a Keralastyle door or a Rajasthan-style jharoka would work for you. Essentially , these doors are transported from the old, ancestral homes, brought into a contemporary setting with a twist of varnish, a smidgen of design - and voila, you get a rare, charming doorway to your house. You can create an antique look with new furniture and so too with doors.
Door embellishments
Besides using beveled glass on doors - both on the main doors or the ones connecting rooms - you can also use carvings, murals, stained glass, metal embossing, etching, and gold or silver engravings. They are trendy and add charm to the entrance.
Door bells, either the traditional variety, or the modern chime ones, antique door knobs and fancy name plates - custom-designed ceramic ones are very popular today - are other decorative elements that could go into your main door.
Ideally, the best time to think about your main door is when the outer shell of your house, including the plastering, is complete. It would give you enough time to select, design , and have an elaborately carved main door, custom-made , and ready by the time you move in.

Repo rates and housing

The Reserve Bank of India has done it again. In the recently announced credit policy in January' 06, it has again increased the repo rate as well as the reverse repo rate.
In the Credit Policy review done in January' 06, the RBI has hiked the repo rate - the rate at which RBI lends to banks - from 6.25 percent to 6.50 percent. Repo rate is used to repo rate, used to add funds to the market. It has also hiked the reverse repo rate - a short-term benchmark rate in the money market - by 25 basis points, from 5.25 percent to 5.50 percent.
What are these rates and how do they impact the interest on housing loans?
Repo is a money market instrument , which enables collateralised short term borrowing and lending through sale/purchase operations in debt instruments. Under a repo transaction, a holder of securities sells them to an investor with an agreement to repurchase at a predetermined date and rate.
In the case of a repo, the forward clean price of the bonds is set in advance at a level, which is different from the spot clean price by adjusting the difference between repo interest and coupon earned on the security.
The terms of the transaction are structured to compensate for the funds lent and the cost of the transaction is the repo rate. The inflow of cash from the transaction can be used to meet temporary liquidity requirement in the short-term money market at comparable cost.
Repo rate is nothing but the annualised interest rate for the funds transferred by the lender to the borrower. Generally, the rate at which it is possible to borrow through a repo is lower than the same offered on unsecured interbank loan for the reason that it is a collateralised transaction and the credit worthiness of the issuer of the security is often higher than the seller. Other factors affecting the repo rate include, the credit worthiness of the borrower, liquidity of the collateral and comparable rates of other money market instruments.
A reverse repo is the mirror image of a repo. In a reverse repo, securities are acquired with a simultaneous commitment to resell. Hence whether a transaction is a repo or a reverse repo is determined only in terms of who initiated the first leg of the transaction.
When the reverse repurchase transaction matures, the counterparty returns the security to the entity concerned and receives its cash along with a profit spread. One factor, which encourages an organisation to enter into reverse repo, is that it earns some extra income on its otherwise idle cash.
The increase is the fourth in 15 months and takes the reverse repo, the rate at which it drains funds from the money market, to its highest in nearly three years. The RBI last raised the reverse repo in October, citing inflation pressures from costly oil and robust domestic demand.
Repo rate is the benchmark rate at which the RBI borrows from the banks for short term. An increase in the repo rate may be a pre runner to an increase in the bank rate. The repo rate is the rate at which the RBI borrows from the banks. Bank rate is the rate at which the banks borrow from the RBI. So, if the RBI increases the repo rate, it may increase the bank rate as well in near future.
What would be the impact of these increases o the housing loans? Well generally speaking, the increase in repo rate may lead to a hardening in interest rates across the board. Repo rate increase may lead to increase in interest rates - both lending as well as deposit rates. The banks' funding costs would increase as higher repo rates would trigger a increase in inter-bank borrowing rates and retail deposit rates. The lending rates as reflected in the prime lending rates of the banks and the deposit rates should increase.
However this process takes time. There may be other mitigating factors to watch out before the increase in repo rates does translate into higher cost of borrowings. Due to competition , in the short term the banks may try to attract customers with low floating rate loans.
A lot will depend on the inflation rates and petroleum prices. If these stay under control, then the increase in interest rates may not happen altogether. Many banks are of the view that they would not rush to increase their lending rates. No doubt the increase would enhance their borrowing costs, however most banks would prefer to wait and watch before taking a decision .
Each bank would review rates to see the impact of increasing or not increasing the interest rates. Macro economic indicators still stay strong, which may also help to keep interest rates under control. Also it is to be noted that even if the banks are compelled to increase the rates, it may only be a marginal increase and not a drastic increase

Importance of vaastu wrt Kitchen

The kitchen is the busiest part of any house. The constant drone from the refrigerator, the alarm from the microwave, the sound of utensils, the noise of frying, boiling and not to forget those pleasurable moments when you relish those delicacies and the joy of eating together as one family.

It’s the kitchen that keeps the entire house in order. But have you ever wondered if your kitchen is placed in the right direction? What is the right direction for the kitchen, you may wonder? A right placement of the kitchen in the house takes care of the good health of the family; a smooth financial flow and a peace of mind; while a wrongly placed kitchen can give rise to health problems for family members; unexpected expenses and mental tensions.

The rules of Vaastu specify that a kitchen should be placed in the South-East direction. But Vaastu is also not a rigid science and gives room for lots of adaptability. If the placement of the kitchen is not in the South-East direction, the alternative is that is should be placed in the North-West direction. If you have heat in South-East or North-West of the house, it will create the balance between negative and positive energy flow.

Whereas if your kitchen is located in the South-West or the North-East corner of the house, you would be experiencing some problems. South-West is the direction in which your master bedroom should be located, and North-East is the section of the house that should be as open, and not loaded with heavy objects. Good location of the kitchen will not only bring happiness, name and fame but also good health.

It is observed that a wrongly placed kitchen creates lots of problem like continuous struggle, money gets blocked in wrong investments or money loss from unexpected area. Wrong kitchen placement also affects health of the women in the house. Further it is advisable that you should always face the East or the North while cooking. The directions of South and West should be avoided while cooking, as this could create blood-related problems or depression in the female members of the house.

Many a times, the platform of the house within the kitchen may not be placed in the proper direction, but with the advent of modular kitchens it has become easy to orient your direction. The place of worship in one’s house tends to be in the kitchen itself. The precautions that one should take while placing the god is to make sure that the mandir is kept facing the West or on the East wall of the kitchen.

If this is not possible then the reverse direction can be taken that is the god can be kept on the West wall, facing the East. In this case it is important to also conduct a puja in the evening. It is advisable to just keep one photo or idol of the gods in the mandir and not overcrowd this with many idols or photo of the same god.

There is no reason to panic if your location is not Vaastu Compliant. One can work towards adapting your location for Vaastu Compliance. Vaastu is an effect of the surroundings. Technically, it is a study of the effect of energy forces on a human body. It is the science of energy forces that is applicable to the entire universe.

Vaastu Shastra basically considers five basic forces – air, water, fire, earth and space. Keeping their effect in mind while constructing a building, helps to bring peace, happiness and prosperity in life. The main aim is balancing the surrounding energy forces with laws of nature, bringing peace of mind, prosperity and growth to individuals.

Vaastu Shastra is a ‘comprehensive building philosophy’ that pertains to the built form and its relationship with natural environment and physical , emotional and spiritual needs of the occupants.

Hyderabad Housing Companies

Taken from indiaproperty.com
The booming economy of India is something the whole world is watching with awe and the city that is in focus most of the time is Hyderabad. With the urbanization drive being carried on in full swing, Hyderabad is fast becoming the right place to reside in. we shall be concentrating on sites dealing with Hyderabad Housing Companies, Hyderabad Housing, Houses in Hyderabad and Hyderabad Homes.

Jayabheri Group is run by Murali Mohan who is a leading real estate developer. Their dedicated team of professionals work hard to give their customers the best deals at minimum cost.
Website: http://www.jayabherigroup.com/


Narne Construction Pvt Ltd has been established to undertake construction work. They also deal in real estate services.
Website: http://www.narne.com

Jayadarsini is one of the leading housing companies and is known for building finest residential plots. The projects undertaken cater to the needs of highly urbanised Hyderabad.
Website: http://www.jayadarsini.com/

The company S&S Constructions is majorly involved in developing residential flats for NRIs as well as Indians. They use latst technologies and strive hard to give their customers best quality at a minimum rate.
Website: http://www.sands-india.com/

Rishi Jaideep Estates Private Limited is a company involved in Realestates and Construction. They have everything from experienced proffesionals to right knowledge and guidance to comlete your work within the budget and on time.
Website: http://www.rishijaideepestates.com/

LIBRA ENCLAVE
Website: http://www.librashelters.com

Modi
THE GARDENIA
THE GOLDEN PALMS
PALM SPRINGS
THE SILVER SPRINGS
Website: http://www.modibuilders.com/

Realty zooms on a Fab-ulous ride

The real estate cavalcade rolls on. It began with information technology and kept gathering momentum with every new announcement. In came Biotechnology Park, Knowledge Park, Hardware Park, Apparel Park, sporting stadia and promise for a swank new Airport and wide ring roads. And before the last of the boosters could fizzle out, came the announcement on Hyderabad being chosen as host for the multi-crore Fab City.

The last few months have indeed provided an impetus to a flourishing real estate activity in the city and suburbs. Some of the much publicised projects that promise to change the way the city appears have began taking a final shape and this pushed the property prices a notch higher. No doubt Hyderabad figures prominently when experts sit to compile a list of the most favoured destinations for property related investments.

The hot spots


The recent moves have also been successful in spreading out the gamut of hot spots for buying property. Till recently, everyone appeared to be taking the road to Gachibowli, Madhapur and Kondapur where the IT sector is firmly entrenching itself but now the choice has been further widened.

The Fab City, envisaged at Rs.13,500 crores for manufacture of semi-conductors, has realtors and prospective investors poring over every bit of available nugget on Maheshwaram mandal. The mega project expected to provide around 10,000 jobs in both skilled and semi-skilled category is expected to come up on a 1,200-acre site at Tukkuguda close to the upcoming international airport at Shamshabad, says Rishi Kumar Reddy, Chairman and Managing Director, Rishi Jaideep Estates.

The Government's reiterations on the Outer Ring Road have made even the sceptics line up for a slice of land around the city. Prospective investors, particularly the NRI segment, is said to be keenly watching these periphery areas with a preference to pick land in acres than in plotted areas of square yards. "The enquiries on the Internet from NRI software professionals have gone up considerably in the last couple of months," says a realtor.

Shamshabad, despite its pitfalls in terms of increasing complaints on bogus registrations and zoning regulations, continues to attract property seekers while Tukkuguda and its adjoining areas in Maheshwaram have appeared on the realtor's radar with a big bleep.

The land prices at Shamshabad and surrounding areas have gone up from an initial start of Rs.400 per square yard two years ago and now stand anywhere between Rs.2,000 and Rs.3,000 per square yard. "These prices are up for another round of escalation in the coming months and after that they will keep climbing according to the progress of work at the International Airport," says a dealer.

As the place is expected to buzz with unprecedented activity once the airport is commissioned, buyers looking to reap benefits a few years down the line are not disinclined to invest here. The demand for housing facility here is expected to be massive since those associated with the airport, staff of airlines and the star hotels and commercial spaces planned here will be looking for accommodation in the vicinities.

The Government pronouncements on dotting the area with wide roads, ensuring appropriate green patches and taking up planned development too is described as one of the encouraging factors. The present city heart is choking with traffic and pollution and a promise of planned expanse is lapped up by first generation NRIs and the scores of software professionals coming here from other cities, it is pointed out.

In real fast lane


Though the immediate vicinities of the proposed Fab City site were unexploited till recently, the announcement was met with hectic dealings.

The prices have shot up overnight and as a realtor reels out from his personal experience, many locals who entered into agreements to sell their properties have backed out. "In two months time, the price has risen by around Rs.20 lakhs per acre. I should have closed the deal earlier," he rues.

Contrary to common perception, the price rise has not remained restricted to the hot spots alone. An example in case is the stretch from Bowenpally to Kompally that has registered a price growth without much hype or publicity. A dealer who sold plots at Medchal for Rs.400 per square yard says the same plots are now fetching a price of Rs.1,200 upwards. "On more prime spots on this stretch, the price is going beyond Rs.3,000," he reveals.

Of late, there have been some speculations on the land prices crashing shortly but realtors do not appear to be unduly perturbed over it. "These are mere speculations which are aimed at braking the growth," brushes aside one. However, some places that registered an unscientific rise in the prices could be affected a bit. "There could be some stagnation at places where agents and brokers caused artificial demand," he says.

A major chunk of those going around in search of avenues to pick land is said to comprise NRIs, software professionals and those from other cities. A leading developer says: "I will say only 20 per cent of investors are local while the rest are from outside."

Sunday, February 19, 2006

RATE WATCH

RATE WATCH
==========
Cement
Varies from Rs. 120 to Rs. 140 depending on the brand.

Sand
Local sand - body level - Rs.2,000 (5 to 6 tonnes)
Local sand - full load - Rs. 3,000 (13 to 14 tonnes).
STD load - Rs. 8,000 (20 to 21 tonnes)
STD load is referred to as sand coming from Karimnagar, Nandyal, Nizamabad, Vijayawada and Nalgonda districts.

Timber (approx per cft)
Teak -- Rs. 950 to Rs. 2,000
Sal -- Rs. 600 to Rs. 750
Meranti-- Rs. 700
Neem-- Rs. 300
Mango-- Rs. 300
Babool-- Rs. 300
Beeja Sal-- Rs. 600 to Rs. 800

Steel
From Rs. 24,000 Per Tonne to Rs. 27,500 per Tonne.
Bricks
Rs. 1.40 to Rs. 1.50 per piece of mud bricks.
Rs. 2.25 to Rs. 2.50 per piece, if they are lightweight.
Hollow bricks made of cement powder cost less and are used by some builders.

Pitching for the perfect plant

The Hindu : Property Plus Hyderabad : Pitching for the perfect plant

Should you float or stay fixed?

The Hindu : Property Plus Hyderabad : Should you float or stay fixed?

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

Building a home - step by step

Most of us nurture the dream of building a home of our own. Everything from the roof ceilings to the tiling and the garden to the garage will be solely our decision, our choice. But having nervous breakdowns while going through the process of realizing this dream is common too. Here are a few tips that can ease the process.
Count your money
Deciding the budget should be the first step.The moment you decide to build your home, talk to your bank to determine the loan amount you are eligible for. When budgeting, don’t forget to budget for a parking space, landscaping and perhaps, new furniture or appliances too.
Zero in on the location and plan
Next, choose the location, plot and then the plan. It is very easy to go over budget or choose a plan that looks ideal on paper, but in the long run, thehome must take into account your lifestyle and budget.

The Design Game
The designer comes next. There are many books on home design in the market or you could even hire an architect or a home designer to design a home for you. Get cost estimates from all the contractors needed to have a complete home. Make sure that you get several quotes from each contractor and chose a reputable company to ensure lesser problems later.
Compare all the quotes to determine the materials and work, and of course the quality of the materials. Get all the materials beforehand and be sure of what you want where. Have the material list checked by someone who has sufficient knowledge about it.
Foundation and construction
Always chalk out a structure of what work will be done next. Apart from the building foundation, sewerage etc, decide on the flooring, frames of doors and windows. As wiring and pipe laying starts, arrange for electricity and water connections. At this time you should be sure of the layout of your house. Alterations later on can be messy and costly. Space for air conditioners should also be provided at this stage.

Painting and installations
During this phase of construction the exterior needs to be thought about. Interiors can be worked on at the same time. The painter will usually paint the kitchen and bathrooms first so that the cabinets can be installed. If you wish to do the painting and decorating yourself, there are many stores, which will provide you with materials and ideas.Then install the sinks, taps and toilets and hook-up the water tank.
Closet organizers should be installed after the painting.The electrician steps in next, to install light fixtures and place the wall plates. Your flooring should be the last thing installed. Hardwood flooring is durable, clean and very beautiful with many styles and colours to choose from. Finally, make sure the floor is clean and then lay out the carpet. After all this toiling its time to enter your dream home!

Vaastu knowledge

Several years ago I came across an example of the important role of Vaastu in running, or rather ruining , an industrial unit. A very prominent German industrial organisation wanted to set up a joint venture in India to manufacture high-end technology process automation systems. They planned every part of their project as precisely as only a top German company can do. The liaison office was set up in India and experienced people from the trade were recruited to work under a German boss who had set up several such overseas projects for his company.

The organisation signed up a joint venture agreement with a nearly 100 year old corporate of India. The Indian partners had manufacturing units all over the country and abroad and naturally had all the where-withal and expertise to expedite setting up this joint venture manufacturing operation. In due course the manufacturing license was obtained , land purchased and the factory constructed . The staff was recruited and their training was organised in Germany.

When it came to obtaining licences for importing capital machinery and components, the project came to a grinding halt. The licences for such items were essential (in mid eighties) and the basic inputs to commence manufacturing were taking their own time in coming. The project got delayed by over 18 months on account of these import licences not being cleared by the governmental agencies. A well trained staff and also the management in Germany were getting restless.

However, an unusual suggestion was made to close the existing main gate to the factory and create a new gate in the suggested location. It was done as a last resort and the project started moving. It did help in starting the manufacturing operations. But this was not the complete cure as the future events showed.

The plot of the land was magnetically aligned facing East. It had a road on the North making it a very good plot from the Vaastu point of view. The main gate of the plot was towards the South-East zone of the Eastern side. This is considered inauspicious . To compound the problems further, the main door to the factory was also in the South-East zone of the Eastern face of the factory. A main gate and/or a main door in this zone causes difficulties to a business from the governmental agencies.

This precisely was the case here. A change of gate towards Eastern side of North-East would have been a boon but the management decided to have it in the Northern side of North-East zone facing the North side road. This was the second alternative. This relocation of the inauspicious gate helped the company, though temporarily. The main problems was in the shape of the plot.

The plot was good except for a very serious flaw and that was its substantial extension of the West-South corner towards the West side. This is an inauspicious feature in any plot and causes extensive obstruction in running a enterprise. In many cases it can initially make the unit sick and finally kill it. To further aggravate the situation, the extended South-West piece of land had several ditches making this zone the lowest point in terms of the ground level of the plot. The South West zone of any plot should be the highest in level as per the Vasstu tenets, if not, it causes numerous difficulties as far as the health of the business is concerned.

While making other changes e.g. location of the main gate, the defect of the South-Westward extension was not corrected in the plot. This defect, the most serious of them all, had to show its negative effect at an appropriate point of time.

Thus after a temporary relief provided by the change in location of the main gate, the hiccups started again.

The profitability started coming under pressure, the results were not up to the expectations of the promoters. Desperate as they were, the Germans sold their shares to some other European company.

The ownership changed several times thereafter, yet another sign of instability for the company . Finally the company was purchased lock stock and barrel by a European giant with extensive operations in India.

Their main reason of buying this unit was to eliminate them as an irritating competitor. It was bought and operations closed down.

Instability is also an effect attributed to the defect in the South-West zone of any plot, be it industrial or residential. In Vaastu , a regular shape of plot is considered the best option for residential or commercial purpose. A rectangle or a square meets that requirement very well. Any extension in the corners destroys this regular shape and more often than not makes the plot itself inauspicious.

If the plot is not auspicious, the building constructed thereupon will not be able to give auspicious results even if it follows other tenets of Vaastu.

Kitchen Trends

Kitchens today have transformed from being traditional places devoted only to cooking and washing, to being well-lit open family spaces. If you are a working woman, it is imperative that your kitchen is designed so as to takes less of your valuable time.

A modular kitchen helps you achieve this with utmost precision. It is dedicated to understanding your requirements and offering customised solutions. So, if you are juggling time between kitchen and office, here are a few tips to design your kitchen:

The work triangle of your kitchen must be compact so that it reduces movement time between the key appliances and yet allows enough legroom.

Replace old kitchen countertops with marble, Kota or fancy coloured corian counter tops. They not only enhance the look of your kitchen but are also low on maintenance.

Replace your old gas burners with stylish hobs which are easy to clean and have a neat look.

Install a kitchen chimney for smoke-free cooking area. In most Mumbai houses, due to lack of proper ventilation, the kitchen becomes claustrophobic. So treat yourself to a pollution-free kitchen by installing a chimney available in a spectrum of shapes, sizes and colour to suit your preference.

Place all the essential and frequently used items like chilli powder, tea, coffee, sugar etc on a mid-way system. A midway system is a stylish steel holder with a single tier or double tier shelves. This can be installed near your gas or a handy corner available.

Use budget friendly tiles above kitchen countertops and sinks. They look stylish and most importantly, are easy to clean.

Often when you are working in the kitchen you are moving fast. Don't leave boxes, stools, bags of groceries or anything else out on the floor where they can trip you.

Build cabinets for storage at eye level. It helps you find the things easily and ensures that you are not bending down half the time.

Replace your traditional kitchen sink with deeper stainless steel sinks which can accommodate more utensils and are easier to clean and maintain.

Use glass or pearl-pet jars to store the ingredients and duly name them like sugar, tea, coffee, and so on. This makes it easier to find them when in hurry. Now if you want to enhance the existing area of your kitchen, you can intelligently utilise every corner:

Carrousel: The carrousel baskets are also known as a merry-go-round baskets . These baskets revolve individually around the rigid centre shaft, thereby enabling easy accessibility of even the corner-most jar. These baskets are especially designed to optimise corner space in the kitchen.

Pole System: All your frequently used items can be within arm's length. The pole system is a multipurpose storage unit that can be mounted on the breakfast table or on the ground. You can use it to store fruits, cups and just about anything you need. Since it is compact and vertical it is wonderful in saving space and increasing efficiency at the same time.

Dee Tray: These D- shaped trays can be used to save the corner space in an L' Shaped kitchen, where the platform depth is unequal. They consist of two independent trays that swivel around a pivot fixed on a central frame

General tips:

To keep your kitchen smelling good dampen a couple of cotton balls with vanilla and place around the kitchen.

To remove hard water stains from your dish drainer, pour one cup vinegar over it and let it stand overnight. Wipe it off in the morning with a wet sponge.

A cup of vinegar in your mop water will give your floor a shine.

Deodorise your garbage disposal with leftover orange and lemon peels.

Always use dustbin bags as they are easy to remove and also hygienic.

Use a pair of kitchen scissors to chop chillies, etc. It will keep hands from burning, and the job is done much faster too.

Keep your knives sharp so that they will slide easily through what you are cutting, with little force involved .

If you have a choice, avoid glazed tile for kitchen floors. Glazed floor tiles are beautiful, but dangerous. Anything breakable, when dropped on glazed tile will definitely break besides, even a thin coating of oil or soap water can make it slippery as ice.

Getting Home Loan

The financial commitment for 15 long years, coupled with unpredictable movement of interest rates, has put Avinash in a fix. But every time interest rates were hiked, Avinash clearly remembered his colleagues' grumble . They complained that all the money they paid back to the bank was offset and the loan tenure was reset to what it was when they took a loan. Were impressive loan schemes a mere debt trap from which he could never emerge out? Would he end up paying more if he took a home loan?
True that the interest rates were at their most enticing lows two years back, and are now creeping up. People who opted for floating rates were the most affected while those who stayed anchored at their fixed interest rates were glad they did it.
Soaring oil prices around the world, liquidity and other economic upheavals add up to the inflationary pressure in the economy. It is up to the apex bank to rein in and contain such inflationary strains. Reverse Repo Rate (RRR) is the rate at which banks park their surplus with the Reserve bank of India (RBI). When RBI decides on any change in the Reverse Repo Rate, it indirectly affects the benchmark Prime Lending Rate (PLR) of your bank. Consequently, the interest rate could move up or down. So where is it set to now? It is believed that, at least for now, rates are bound northwards .

With retail lending rates going up, banks have come up with myriad schemes to make home loans still look attractive. Here are a few:
Absolutely free accidental death cover packaged with your home loan! Sounds incredible. Banks that offer it relieve the family of the burden of EMI payments, in case of accidental death of the breadwinner
Waiver of penalty on Part Pre Payment of loan. With this clause neatly set into your home loan agreement, you'll not be charged extra money or penalty for partly pre paying the loan. In this case you can opt to either reduce the tenure or down the EMI
Balance transfer to avail a cheaper loan on the outstanding amount. Absolutely no processing or other hidden fees for lower interest rate
No prepayment penalty

Hybrid home loan that provides customers with a choice of splitting up the loan requirement into adjustable and fixed rate loans. The amount locked under fixed rate hedges the interest rate risk against rising interest rates to that extent. The amount locked under floating rate can benefit from falling rates. A novel scheme that to some extent provides a solution to borrowers debating if fixed is better or floating
Most HFCs finance only 80 per cent of the property while you put in the remaining as down payment. Some banks promise loan on 100 per cent of some select properties
Negotiable and competitive interest rates
Unique schemes to help to repay faster - decreasing tenure, increase EMI, part pre payment - all at no additional fees If you can keep aside some portion of your income towards monthly installments, it is wise to invest in a house.

Looking at a slightly different perspective, given the long tenure of loan (say 15 to 20 years), inflation is bound to make your monthly repayments appear like peanuts in the longer run. Further, you enjoy the luxury of your own roof right from day one.
Adding to this is the time-proven trend of real estate appreciating over the years. Even if you assume you cannot afford the monthly installments , you can sell the property to another buyer for a higher price. So if you haven't still joined the bandwagon of home loan borrowers, it is not too late.

Monday, February 13, 2006

Reap the rich yields with Vaastu

We consider Vaastu principles for constructing a house, factory, shed, farmhouse etc. Vaastu also offers some guidelines for agricultural land. If these are followed, it is advantageous to the farmer, since agriculture is related to soil, water, sunlight, air and space and these are considered as panchabhutas for the Vaastu.

Some of the principles to get good results are as follows:

Agricultural land should be divided into a rectangular shape with breadth and length ratio 1:2 i.e. the length should be in north-south axis and the shorter side in the east-west axis.

Bunds built on the south and west direction of the land should be higher than that of east and north.

Build a pump house in the southeast comer of the agricultural land. Grow taller and big trees in the south and west direction.

Grow fruit-yielding trees and smaller trees in the north and east direction.

If possible, make the southwest of the land higher with rock blocks or dump soil in that area.

Wells, bore wells, ponds etc. should be in the northeast comer, so that you get sufficient water for the agricultural land.

If you want to construct a farmhouse or godown, it is better to have it in the southwest comer.

Make the land slope from north to east to get a good yield.

Preferably, grow eucalyptus or any other medicinal plant on the western side of the land.

Get a makeover for your kitchen

Walls painted in white, granite counter top, mosaic or checkered flooring, bare and sturdy cement shelves, window with curtain printed in bright floral designs and a dusty tube light perched high on the ceiling - this is how most traditional kitchens looked like. Gone are the days when a kitchen seldom made it to the list of items that needed remodeling and renovation. A few elemental changes are all you need to make your old-fashioned kitchen look very close to a modular kitchen.

A modular kitchen is aesthetically appealing, trendy, sleek, convenient, safe, luxurious and utilises space better. Rajender Gandhi, Managing Director, StoveKraft India Ltd, says, "a modern modular kitchen is designed for the modern housewife. She is not only concerned about convenience and ease of use, but also beauty of the place."

What does it take to transform your kitchen into a fascinating modular marvel? According to Rajender, "the basic elements of any kitchen traditional or modular, is the stove and the chimney.The antiquated gas stove has been replaced today by modern hobs. The heating unit in hobs is concealed beneath ceramic, metal or granite surfaces. Thus, your countertop looks more spacious." On chimneys he adds, "more powerful and efficient electric chimneys have replaced the traditional chimneys that we've grown up with."

CHIMNEY

Most of us love spicy,hot and oily fried foods. Oil and grease characterise kitchens without proper working chimneys and ample ventilation. Electric chimneys starting from an affordable Rs 5,000 to an expensive Rs 70,000, is available in the market. These come in two flavors. One is the traditional electric chimney, which sucks out fumes and odour through a duct. A more sophisticated chimney comes with carbon filters filled with carbon granules. It cleans smoky and smelly air and then re-circulates purified air. This model does not need a duct that leads smoke to the outside, as the former model demands.

Chimneys generally come with stylish hoods, but the most popular ones are the sloping stainless steel wall mounted hoods.Sleeker models are also available for those who want to make them the focal point of their kitchen.Typically, a hood comes with standard halogen lighting, blower, options for variable speed settings and chimney.

HOB

Hobs come in several innovative and visually appealing models. From the traditional gas and electric hob to the most modern ceramic and induction hobs, you have a wide range to choose from. Undoubtedly , induction hobs are steadily climbing up the most sought after list of hobs. In most heating systems, heat is first transferred to the utensil and then to its contents. At the end of it, the entire cooking or heating unit is hot. Even after hours of cooking, the top only becomes warm and not very hot. When you turn on the hob, electricity flows through the coil under the cook top's ceramic plate. This creates an intense magnetic field.

Induction hobs require all the cookware to be made of ferrous material . The magnetic field induces current in the pan or cookware and heats up only its contents. The instant the pan is removed from the hob, energy transfer stops.

CABINETS

Elegant cabinets are the highlight of a modular kitchen.And if you want to give that look to your little factory, it is time for some woodwork. The most durable of cabinet materials, particleboard and MDF are fortunately the most economical. Mount florescent lights under the kitchen cabinets so that light floods the counter tops where you generally work.

Vandana Karthikeya, a software professional, recently upgraded her kitchen at a cost of Rs 80,000. She summarises, "cooking is no longer a daunting, nightmarish task. Modular kitchens with all the modern appliances have made cooking faster and a pleasure."

Budgeting your home purchase

The decision to purchase a house is a crucial one as it means decades of financial commitment . The condition of the property, neighbourhood, documents, verification of clear title, no encumbrance certificate, plan approval and regulator clearance are the basic elements that the buyer has to validate and verify. However, before even venturing to debate on buying an apartment or independent house, you must figure out how much money you can squeeze, save and invest.

This is an era of uncertainties . The monthly interest rate that is payable to the lending institution could go up or down. To be able to own a roof without any hassles and financial constraints, one needs to seriously plan, assess one's earning and saving potential , budget, and set money aside for emergency and unexpected situations.

Cost of owning a house

If you think the cost of owning your roof is simply the monthly EMIs that needs to be doled out, then you are grossly underestimating your likely expenses. There are the unavoidable startup expenses like deposits for utilities,down payments, registration fees, furnishing, woodwork, moving expenses and other one-time payments . Once you move into the house, your expenses will include monthly installments to the lender, taxes, insurance and other operating expenses. Then there are the random future expenses that include major repairs and replacements, home improvement and preventive maintenance.

Estimate your budget

There is no ambiguity in the fact that a typical monthly EMI payment will be greater than the amount of rent you pay out now.The difference will widen if the new house is going to be bigger and more expensive. And defaulting on monthly payments can get you into serious trouble. So here is a small exercise to see if you can stretch your limits.

Find out the estimated monthly installment that has to be paid without fail to the banker, who is arranging for the lump sum loan amount. Observe over a period of a few months if you can keep aside in your bank account, an amount equal to difference between EMI and your current monthly house rent. If you can save this difference every month with ease, then investing in your own house would be a great idea.

Amount that can be set aside towards home loan repayment and other related expense equals net income minus current day-today expenses.

Take stock of your current financial situation. This will include investments where you've locked up all your money like in stocks, funds, bonds and so on. Take into account your debts. Have you taken any personal loan or loan for vehicle ? If so, what is the monthly outgo towards repaying these debts? Then consider the basic expenses to maintain the current standard of living. No one likes to squeeze too much and live frugally, as the loan tenure can be as long as 15 to 20 years.

In case you already have an unmanageably huge debt on, better work towards getting rid of it. If you've invested in other assets , see if you can manage to augment money from these alternate sources and reinvest in your dream house.

The finishing touch

It's not always easy to know what to do when it comes to furniture, which is why natural materials, textures and simple furniture are still the choice of millions . With the introduction of unusual materials , trends in furniture have definitely shifted. Today, brick, slate, wood and tiles are used in conjunction with new, manmade materials like wrought iron, acrylic, and glass to stunning effect.

According to Annkur Khosla, an architect, "old time-tested Burma teak proves to be an outstanding material for making furniture. Solid, simple, plush, elegant and straight lined sofas should be put together with an exquisite center table. Ergonomically designed sofa chairs with ottomans add energy to the space and are extremely comfortable" .

Many a time, when there is little space, people need furniture that is devoid of frills and fancies , and which serve the function they are built for. Minimalist furniture with sleek designs looks light and gives an uncluttered look to small spaces. According to architect Nitin Killawala, "straight and simple lines on tables and chairs with not many embellishments are in vogue. Upholstery today, needs to be more functional and at the same time tailored to suit the needs of the user" . Compact , versatile, and flexible furniture works wonders in small spaces, transforming the most minuscule rooms into full functional areas.

The old standards along with more contemporary styles, can give extraordinary results. Mustafa, an interior designer , says, "the contrast and surprise of blending formal and informal styles together are what make home design so exciting today. It's more of a conservative approach carried out in a casual way, where less formal, less 'period' pieces mix in naturally with classic anchor pieces" . Furniture is outlined in different styles - modern furniture is straight, smooth and has sleek lines that showcase various colours and finishing like marbling, sponging, matte, and stained. The period style involves heavy carving with beautiful detailing. Indian styling refers to ethnic, simple, rustic, handmade furniture - largely two seaters. City style is sophisticated, leather, chrome and glass furniture - teamed with marble or wall-to-wall carpeting. This is generally known as no-fuss furniture.

In the commercial sector , the trend is to have modular furniture. The advantage is that it is fast to make and easy to install, and can be shifted easily. Furniture is available in a wide variety - the choice of design, material , quality and finish determine the end product of the space. It is the most critical part of the look, therefore furniture should be designed with a lot of care, as it can make or break the space.

MMTS map


this is the paln for the MMTS route

Saturday, February 11, 2006

one more plan..


tis plan is of 1800-2200 sft

Friday, February 10, 2006

Choosing your house

(TOI article)

Home signifies comfort, security and peace so we strive for owning a house but buying an immovable property is a lifetime challenge because of a combination of factors. Meticulous planning at the investment stage can save us from sleepless nights later. Buying your very first home can be a daunting task considering the commitments required. But you are not alone. There are lakhs of first time buyers who had stood in your shoes and had taken the very same steps which you are going to take. The path is well trodden so the probability of getting lost is rather low. All you have to do is to take one step at a time. Before you take a decision, please gather your thoughts. Get down to specifics work out an elimination process based on your preferences. This sounds easier than it is. However, eventually with your property agent's assistance you should be able to get a short list of prospects.

Budget

Before you do any legwork you must ask yourself, "how much can I spend?" Depending on your requirement and number of family members, you can decide on the living area and number of rooms, also depending on your preference and pocket you can decide between a flat and an independent house.

Flats have certain advantages like sharing of land cost, security and other common facilities cost, which can be divided among the members. On the other hand, you have the advantage of modifying or constructing an independent house. Figure out how much money you are willing to spend on the house. Most of us would need to supplement with a loan.

Calculate your income level and living expenses. Take into account your future considerations such as children, add-ons, amenities, fix-ups, rising income levels and so on. Also, budget for some exigencies.

You can use this simple formula: Income minus cost of present lifestyle equals potential mortgage payment.

Your home is certainly worth sacrificing a few spending habits but not worth mortgaging your entire future. It is advisable that when you set a budget for buying a property, you reduce it by 20-25 per cent. Typically, agents will show you the properties, which are on outer limits of your budget and temptation to overshoot, can be high, but please remember that there will be many leakages from your kitty along the way. There can be hidden costs and some unplanned expenses like cost for furnishing the house, some minor repairs.

So, it is a good idea to work with a price lower than your limit because ultimate costs invariably tend to overshoot our estimates. Once you are clear as to what you can afford, you can start visiting the prospective homes for evaluating them in detail.

Property inspection

It is advisable not to take an emotional decision but let your head rule over your heart. Inspect the prospective properties thoroughly, at different times, everything from floor to wall, from light switches to flushes, windows and doors, locks and taps. Look out for any leak in the water supply by turning the water mains on. Imagine the property as it might look when furnished. Typically, a vacant house looks spacious than it is, when furnished. Take the measurement of your furniture and compare it with dimensions of rooms in the prospective property, otherwise you may have to redo your furniture. See at least 8-10 properties before you make a final decision. After perusing a property, it is advisable to write down on piece of paper, how many of your needs the house fulfills and also decides if the neighbourhood and surroundings is right for you. Start the elimination process. After you short list the property, it is advisable to check these points. Although this list is not exhaustive, it will help you in making the right decision.

Please scrutinise all original documents. The title of the property may be in single or joint ownership basis. In case of any difficulty in getting the papers, a certified copy can be obtained from the local sub registrar's office on payment of a nominal fee.

Refer the documents to a lawyer who can certify the clear title.

Obtain 'No encumbrance certificate' for the past 13 years to ensure that no mortgage has existed on the property. This will also enable you to ensure that the title belongs to the rightful owner who is the seller.

In case of sale by a third party, please check whether the third party is absolute owner or holds a power of attorney.

Obtain the required clearances.

Please check if the price quoted is in line with the prevailing market rate. You can take the help of consultants.

See the approved plan.

Registration and agreement

It is always advisable to register the document(s) at the time of purchasing the immovable property. In some cases it is compulsory to register the document(s). Even in cases where it is not compulsory to register the document(s), registration of document(s) is advisable because:

The title gets secured.

If you are looking forward for taking the loan in future from banks or other financial institutions they will insist on the registered document(s).

If you propose to register the documents later, there is a possibility of the seller not co-operating with you in signing the deed.

The certified original copy of the document(s) can be taken from the registering authority after completion of formalities.

Generally, the registering authorities insist upon the following information before registration - ward, village, taluk, number of floors, and built-up area.

The registering authorities insist that the area must be mentioned as built-up area. Common area is the area used by all persons in the building that includes corridors, steps etc. It is divided among all the owners in proportion to the size of their flats. Carpet area is actual area available for living that excludes the wall thickness. Plinth area is carpet area plus wall thickness. Built-up area is plinth area plus common area, that is, carpet area plus wall thickness plus common area.

Thursday, February 09, 2006

various web sites of plans

http://geocities.com/equate100/main.html


http://www.fortunecity.com/marina/foreshore/2400/



http://www.pragatiresorts.com/home1024.htm

current costs as per Hindu

RATE WATCH
Sand

Local sand - Body level - Rs.2,000 (5 to 6 tonnes)
Local sand - Full load - Rs. 3,000 (13 to 14 tonnes).
STD load - Rs. 8,000 (20 to 21 tonnes)
STD load is referred to as sand coming from Karimnagar, Nandyal, Nizamabad, Vijayawada and Nalgonda districts.

Steel
From Rs. 24,000 Per Tonne to Rs. 27,500 per Tonne.

Cement
Varies from Rs. 108 to Rs. 118 depending on the brand.

Bricks
Rs. 1.40 to Rs. 1.50 per piece of mud bricks.

Rs. 2.25 to Rs. 2.50 per piece, if they are lightweight.

Hollow bricks made of cement powder cost less and are used by some builders.

Timber (approx per cft)

Teak -- Rs. 950 to Rs. 2,000

Sal -- Rs. 600 to Rs. 750

Meranti-- Rs. 700

Neem-- Rs. 300

Mango-- Rs. 300

Babool-- Rs. 300

Beeja Sal-- Rs. 600 to Rs. 800

Wednesday, February 08, 2006

vijayawada site map


this is vijayawada site map, probably will come for rescue one day

The map of medchel


Jus was going thro some of the plots and the duplex plans of various sites, felt that this map of medchel might be helpful. :)

Model house


I felt the look of the model house is good and attractive.

Monday, February 06, 2006

Colours

All things are made from five elements -Fire, Earth, Air,Water and Sky, and all are colourful. When any thing is unbalanced it is due to colour. And by ractifying that colour you will get correct result. All forces are based on colour. And Sun rays also reflect seven colours -Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange, Red, Purple, Grey and other two colours are Intra Violet and Ultra Violet. All colours have their lord.


COLOURS LORD
Purple Shani
Grey Venus
Blue Jupiter
Green Mercury
Yellow Moon
Orange Sun
Red Mars
Ultra Violet Rahu
Infra Violet Ketu

Persons can use colour as per their powerful star and it will give them peace, happiness and healthy life.

PLACE COLOUR
Temple White,Yellow.
Bedroom Pink, Blue, Green.
Studyroom Green, Yellow.
Diningroom Green, Yellow
Storeroom Blue, Yellow.
Store room Dark colour, Black.
Bathroom Green, Blue, Yellow.
Toilet Sky Blue, Blue.
Livingroom White, Blue, Green.
Kitchen White, Blue.
Varandah Yellow, Blue.
Basement Purple, Green.

Plants

PLANTS AND TREES:
Planted around a dwelling place to enjoy their positive properties.
Trees: The following trees are good or bad in the directions mentioned below :
Peepal (Asvattha - Vriksha) Good in West side of the house. Bad in East side of the house.
Bargad (Vata - Vriksha) Good in East side of the house. Bad in West side of the house.
Goolar Good in south side of the house. Bad in south side of the house.
The shadow of any tree should not fall upon the house from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. i.e. trees should be situated at a distance from the house.

Verandah

1. It is better to keep Verandah in East or North.
2. Height of Verandah should be less than other rooms.
3. Never keep Verandah in West or South.
4. Never keep any corner of verandah or cut.
5. Seat in verandah should be kept in West or South.
6. Keep Swinging Jhoola in East-West direction.
7. Keep full ventillation in Verandah.
8. Breadth of verandah should be more towards North and East.
9. Keep Verandah on North and East combined.
10. Do not store any waste storage or garbage in verandah.
11.Do not make temple, strongroom or bedroom in verandah

Doors

NUMBER OF DOORS
Total number of doors should be in even numbers i.e. 2, 4, 6, 8, 12 etc. Doors in 10 (ten) numbers is not good as it ends with zero, but may not very seriously affect the inmates but anyhow it is advisable to avoid that number.

SINGLE MAIN DOOR
When there is only one single main entrance door then the East or North side location is the best. It should be the centre but should be in the favourable position. Single main door from the South is not good at all


TWO DOORS
When two doors have to be fixed the combination should be North(M)and East(S), East(M) and South(S), East(M) and West(S),East(M) and North(S), South(M) and East(S); but should not be South(M) to West(S), West(M) to North(S), West(M) to South(S).(M = Main, S = Subsidiary). The best proposition is to have the main door in the favourable positions but in the extreme end.

THREE DOORS
When three external doors are to be fixed the following should be observed: Locating Doors on three sides other than East or North is not a good proposal. Locating Doors on three sides other than South or West is good.


FOUR DOORS
External doors on all the four sides is good. But in any case apart from the necessity of the good position for the door, it should be seen that within the compound either a tree, a pole, pillar, a wall, any junction, a water channel or a corner, temple etc.(known as Dwaar Vedha) right in front of the door is avoided at any cost. The rule (Matsya Puraan 255.14, Agni, Page 104. B.S53,76 etc) regarding this says: "The distance of twice the height being left from the door to the Vedha there occurs no Vedha".

OTHER CODES REGARDING DOORS
Never place a door in the middle of the facade rather of the house. Doors in the upper storeys must conform to the doors below No two doors (Main entrance doors of the two different facing each other) should be exactly opposite to each other.

More than five Shaakhas (frames) are not allowed in the composition of the door to be placed in human dwelling. This indicates that apart from the usual four frames an additional fifth one can be used to accommodate a ventilator within the door.

Ancient texts like Vishwakarma Prakash and Brhit Samhita suggest that the door of residential building should have a height equal to three times the width though the common rule is that the height of the door should be twice the width. Placing of the doors in all the four directions has been recommended for variety of auspicious reasons.

ENTRANCE DOORS
It is advisable to fix the main door by selecting the favorable position instead of following the sign (Rashi) or constellation of the owner of the building, as the structure may remain even after the death of a particular person and other may continue to live in that place. The following are the good positions.

The effect of the position:
North-North East (good) = Ensures Financial gains
East-North East (good) = Causes Enlightenment.
South-South East = Ensures improvement
West - North West (good) = Ensures Success.
North-North West (bad) = Creates Un stability
East - South East (bad) = Causes adverse effect.
South-South-West(bad) = Causes Financial constraints and ill health of women.
West - South West (bad) = Causes Financial loss degradation of men.

The main door & other exit doors on any side of the building should be located at proper places.

STAIR CASE

In a staircase, steps should lead one from East to West or from the North to South and not vice versa. The staircase block should be as far as possible towards the Southern or South-Western portion of the building. A staircase located inside or outside the house should not be in the North-East corner of the building. When the staircase is located outside the building and if it is in the Northern side then it should be towards the North-West corner of the building with steps starting from East to the West till the mid-landing and then from the West to East to the first floor, and the entrance to the first floor should be from the North-East corner. Similarly outside staircase can be located in the South-West corner either in the Western or Southern side, but the steps should be from North to South and from East to West terminating on the first floor at the North-West and the South-East corners respectively. If outside staircase is located in the South-East corner of the building, steps shall be from North to South terminating at the North-East corner of the first floor.

As far as possible internal or external staircase shall not touch the Northern or Eastern side walls and a minimum gap of 3" shall be maintained. The steps, whether internal or external shall always be from North to South and from East to West atleast till the mid-landing and thereafter it can run towards any direction but the termination of staircase on the upper floor must be in favourable position.

To summarise:
The Staircase should be provided in West or North sides of a building.

The turnings should be in clockwise (Right Hand) direction while climbing up as shown in the diagram.

On emerging at the upper floor, the facing should be towards South or East.

The Number of risers should be such odd numbers, so that if divided by 3, the balance is always 2.

PUJA ROOM

Locating the puja room in the North-East corner is the best and East-North East is also permissible but in any case the deity facing West and the person offering worship facing East is an ideal proposition. Deity facing North and North and East (i.e. the worshiper facing South) whereby the worshipper will be facing the North. In a house consisting of ground and upper floors the puja rooms should be in the ground floor only and not at all in other floors.

The facing of various Deities should be as below:

Prayer room:
In the houses of the people of any religious faith it is advisable to locate the prayer room, chapel or meditation room in the North-East corner only. Care should be taken to see that the image of God in any form does not face South, and the best position will be that of the deity facing West, East or North whereby the worshipper faces East, West or South respectively. In multistoried house the prayer room should be located in the ground floor and never in upper floors.

STUDY ROOM

1. Best in West - Leave off off North-West or South West Corners.
2. Have your seat such that you face East or North.
3. Entrance Door - Towards North East, or East but not towards South East. Towards North West but not towards South West.
4. Do not construct toilet here.
5. You can construct BathRoom here.
6. Bookshelves should be in East or North.
7. In North East - Pooja Room or Water pot.
8. Level of floor should be same as other rooms (Not lower).
9. Commerce student should face west.
10. Arts or diploma student should face north.
11. Science or engineering student should face east.
12. Do not study in kitchen. It will be useless.
13. Colour in study room should be yellow, white or pink no dark colour should be used.
14. Do not put more mirrors in study room otherwise concentration in study will be disturbed.
15. Do not study in bedroom or on the bed.
16. Do not make any furniture from iron or cement. Only wooden furniture allowed.
17. Do not put any article in the shape of a triangle.

Toilets

The ideal place to locate bathroom as per Vaastu is the eastern side. In olden days (even today) in villages, people used to take bath in the early morning. Come out of the bathroom, see and worship the "Rising Sun" chanting mantras (hymns). It may be interesting to know that the worship of Sun God was prevalent in many parts of the world. The Sun temple of Konark in Orissa in India, is a very famous one.

Nowadays placing the toilet and bathroom combined and even attached to bedrooms is gaining popularity first because of paucity of space, second because of convenience. In such a case it should never be located in Northeast.

The water pipes, shower, bathtub etc. should be placed in northeast zone of the bathroom. Wash basin can be kept in western side, while cupboard can be inside.

BEDROOM

A great deal of attention should be paid to bedrooms in a house. One should sleep with head towards west, east or south and never in north. The following will be effects of keeping our head in different directions and sleeping.

Head towards Effect
East Knowledge,Philosophical thoughts
West Comfort
South Pleasure, happiness and wealth.
North Nightmares, disturbed sleep and diseases.

Bedroom can be located in south, west or southwest; northwest bedroom may be allotted for guests. Bedroom in north is not that good as that may cause mental unrest and financial hardship. Bedroom in northeast is strictly prohibited. Bedroom in southeast will cause bad mood, quarrel and anger. The effects of placing bedroom in different directions are given below

Direction Effects
NorthEast: Emotional upset, sickness (except pooja nothing should be placed)
East: Ill health, loss of children Southeast: Anger, disturbed mood, quarrels
South: Good
Northwest: Constant quarrels, (okay for guests)
West: Good for juniors/children
Southwest: Good for master bed room
North: Unrest, financial losses

The master bedroom for the head of the family may be located in southwest and other bedrooms towards east or northern direction of master bedroom. There should be no obstruction or load over the bed lest they may fall and hurt you. The beds should be located in the middle of the room and not in corners. The idea is to keep moving space around the bed so that one can get up and get out of bed quickly in emergency. Bed should not touch north or east walls, but touch south or west walls when we keep our heads towards south or west for sleep. A shelf of book may be kept in southwest or West Side of bedroom.

If bathroom cum w. c. is to be attached to bedroom that should be in south or west and never in north East Side of bed room. The bathroom cum w. c. should be kept clean and neat, Odorless, pest-free and sparkling

Kitchen

A great deal of attention should be paid to kitchen because it is here that the lady of the house spends most of her time. Vaastu Shastra, convenience, comforts, safety from fire, heat, electric shock, protection from insects, pests, the need for exhausting smoke, heat, fume and pollution, light and cross ventilation, all need minute and careful consideration and should be fully provided for in the kitchen.

For kitchen the most ideal place is southeast corner zone which is governed by Agni -The God for fire and heat. You know that without fire and heat nothing can be cooked, baked or toasted. The other alternative is to place kitchen at Northwest corner. This is only a secondary choice. I can rather say the best out of the worst. Kitchen should not be placed in North-east, mid-north, mid-west, south-west mid-south or the center. Similarly it should not be placed below or above bed, pooja or toilet.

Cooking Platform
1. This should not touch east or north wall, but can touch south or west wall.
2. The platform should be placed along East wall without touching it so that the person cooking can conveniently face east which is considered most auspicious and will bring good results.
3. The other option is to place the cooking platform along southern side wall so that the person cooking can face south and cook. Facing west or north is not desirable.
4. No shelf or almirah should be placed above the platform. Many of the fire accidents do happen when the gas, stove or oven cooking range etc.. are on. This should be meticulously avoided. After all safety is first and paramount.
5. Similarly no exhaust fan should be provided above the platform. Sometimes the fan falls creating calamity and danger. Exhaust fan above cooking ovens etc. is technically also incorrect.
6. Cooking platform can be of mosaic with chips, granite, marble, Cuddappa or kota stone top duly finished and polished. Kitchen cum dinning- In most of the houses eating is done sometimes in kitchen itself. In such a case sit out for eating or dinning table should be placed in western side of the kitchen proper.
7. Exhaust fan should be placed in a suitable place on the wall to exhaust smoke and bring in fresh air into kitchen. Such exhaust fan should never be placed above cooking platform.
8. It is advisable to keep the kitchen cross-ventilated by keeping windows on two opposite sides of the kitchen so that sufficient natural air and light becomes available to kitchen. Remember not to toast the lady of the house who bakes and toasts your bread. 9. Fridge, if to be kept in kitchen, can be placed in North-West.

BUILDING TYPE

Building should be built leaving open spaces all around.
More open spaces should be left on the north of the plot than on the south.
More open spaces should be left in the east than on the west.
The building height should be more on the south and west.
The height of the building should be less on north and east.
On a multi storied building terrace should be left.
More Balconies should be towards East or North.
Window openings should primarily be towards East or North.
Walls should be thicker on the Western and Southern side
Doors should open towards North or East side.
Main Gate should be on the North East direction.
For the house facing a road on the South side the Main Gate should be on the South or South-East and not on the South-West.
For the house facing a road on the West side the Main Gate should be on the West or North-West and not on the South-West.
The Master Bedroom should occupy the South-West portion of the plot.
Kitchen should be placed on the South East.
Puja should be placed on the North East.
Bathroom should come on the Eastern side of the plot, if that is not possible South-East or North-West should be the preferred Side for Bathrooms.
Care should be taken that the number of doors and windows should be even and not odd.
Verandahs should come on the East and North and not on the West or South.
Overhead tank should be either in South or West.
Out houses should be in South East or North West but they should not touch the North and East walls of the main of the main house.
Septic tank should be placed in North West or South West part of the Plot.

GROUP HOUSING

The layout of the colony is very important.
The levels of the ground should be thoroughly checked, the rain water should flow towards north, east or north east direction.
The roads have to be formed exactly in north-south and east-west direction, so that the flats are good rectangles or squares which will be best according to Vastu.

FLATS

Construction of flats as per vastu is not simple. The number of flats in one complex, common walls for adjacent flats placement of kitchen and bathrooms make things more difficult. The following principles should be followed to benefit the flat owners:

The side should be four sided , square or rectangular in shape, with south west angle to be 900
North, east or north east roads would be good with two gates, one in east and other in north. Besides north- east south- west or north- west blocks are also good.
Ground levels should be sloping towards north- east and levels in south- west should be higher than all other sides.
An open well or a bore well should essentially be dug in north- east before the commencement of the construction.
More open space should be left in east and north compared to west and south.
Balconies should be on the north, east or north- east directions preferably.
Kitchen should be placed in south east or north west but never in north east.
Pent houses should be planned in south west on the terrace.
Staircases should be on the south, west or south west directions and it should never be on north and east directions because the larger head room on north east is not acceptable.
Main entrance to the flat could be from east, north, south, west, north east and north west,
Cellar should be kept under the northern or eastern portion of the complex and not on the southern and western side.
North -east cellar can be used for parking of vehicles.
Open area in the north -east should be used for lawns, bore wells and sumps.
Open areas in the north- east can also be used for temporary parking

SITE

SITE
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The geometrical axis of the plot should be aligned with earth's magnetic axis; one of the plot sides should parallel to the north south directions and other should be parallel to east-west directions. If the plot is not aligned in the north south direction, the land is poor for overall growth, peace and happiness. The shape, size, levels and angles of the plot should be examined. If it does not comply with the Vaastu principles the necessary additions and alterations should be done to the plot.

Slope of Plot

The land should be elevated towards the south and west sides and it should be lower in North and east sides overall growth and prosperity.

Shape of plot

Ideally it should be a square.
Rectangle is also good provided the breadth and length ratio should not be more than 1:2
Triangle, round and all other odd shapes are not considered good.
Angles of the plot ·

If all angles are 90 degreesit is considered best .
Square site: If the ratio of two adjacent sides of a site is 1:1 and every corner is a 90 degrees angle, it is called a square and is best for overall growth. ·
South west angle should be 90 degrees North west and south east angle should be close to 90 degrees or more. ·
North east should be close to 90 degrees or less but should never exceed 90 degrees

If the ratio of width and depth of a site is within 1:15 and all corners are of 90 degrees, it is also good for growth. If the depth is more than twice the width, the site becomes weaker for growth. The symmetrical geometry of shape is good in general. The unsymmetrical shape is not always good. The various shapes and their possible effects are as below :
Square : Overall growth Rectangular :Overall growth
Circular :Increases mental capabilities
Hexagonal :Prosperity
Unsymmetrical / Irregular Shapes : Oval Shape:Inauspicious
Triangular:Loss due to fire,Govt. harassment, Penalty etc.
Parallelogram : Financial losses, Quarrels in family.
Star : Quarrel and litigations, Destruction of peace.
Location and direction of plot ·

East and north facing sites are preferred over west and south facing plots.
EAST
1.This is the direction where Sun rises and gives light and heat to earth.
2.Lord of this direction are Indra-Planet ruling is Moon.
3.Other Lords influencing this direction are Shikhi, Parjanya, Jayant, Indra, Sun, Satya, Bhusha, Sky and Agni.
4.This is the best direction so keep it as open as possible so that resident gets sun's rays in full.
5.This direction should keep low as low as possible.
6.This direction is kept open and at low level native gets famous and is honored in society.
7.Entrance in this direction are beneficial so keep entrance door preferably in East.
8.Do not do evil deeds in this direction.
9.Bath room in this direction is good because resident gets advantage of sun's rays while taking bath.
10.Owner should use this direction for himself and should not give this portion on rental-once rented-owner will never get back.

Plots having two or more roads ·


It is good to have roads on all four sides of the plot - gives all round happiness to the native.
It is good to have more than one road.
North and east roads are the best.
South and west roads are good for business people.
South and east roads are good for women and women organisations.
Plot and levels

Levels inside the plot


The ground levels should be high in the south and west.
The ground levels in the north and east should be lowest in the plot.
Levels in the south east and north west should be more or less equal.
North should be lower than south and east should be lower than west.
Levels outside the plot

East and north levels of the adjoining plot or road should be low.
Hillocks and mounds are preferred towards south and west.
Water bodies are preferred on north and east for good results.
A high building towards south or west or south west bring good prosperity.
Water bodies, depressions and low levels are considered bad towards south west of the plot.
Wells

Bore wells and open wells which are to be dug in the plot before starting construction should be placed as per the principles below:

East side well should be in the first half of the plot towards north.
North side well should be in the first half towards the east.
Well should never be placed in the west or south or south west.
It is also not good to place the well on the north west or south east,
A well opposite to the gate or main gate is not advisable.
A well should never be placed in the center of the plot

Following to be considered for a successful home construction

The following should be considered for making a house.

SITE
BUILDING TYPE
KITCHEN
BEDROOM
TOILETS
STUDY ROOM
PUJA ROOM
STAIRCASE
DOORS
VERANDAH
LANDSCAPING
COLOUR

What is vaastu

Vaastu means the dwelling of humans & Gods. Vaastu Shastra tells us how to build a house so as to be happy and prosperous. It is a traditional system of Architecture & Design of Vedic origin. Vaastu Vidyaa is one of the sixty-four identified ancient Indian Arts. Vaastu Shastra was brought to light by sages for the betterment and overall welfare of society because it is believed that affliction of Vaastu creates sorrows and disappointments. So houses, villages, towns and cities should be designed according to Vaastu. The principles of Vaastu are derived from Vaastu Purush Mandala; a man lying with his head-pointing North-East, in a grid of 64 squares dedicated to different Gods. It is believed that the world comprises of five basic and essential elements known as SPACE, AIR, FIRE, WATER & EARTH.
Vaastu sastra
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Our sages and saints in India always wanted to ensure the happiness and prosperity not only to mankind but to energy living being in this world.
They showed serious concern about the happiness and welfare of every one, with a view to ensure that people live in peace and harmony with prosperity, comforts and happiness enjoying health, wealth, wisdom and all the pleasures and comforts, they evolved various codes and stem for one living which are contained in on ancient scriptures like Vedas, Upanishads etc.
A person with health but without wealth and wisdom cannot achieve anything in life. A person with health and wealth but without wisdom to use it properly will only harm the society and humanity.
As astrology remains a speculative science than result oriented subject, the Vaastu Shastra is definite a result oriented science if laid down as per its norm would definitely give positive result.
The home, which man builds in his lifetime is really his DREAM HOUSE hence proper care has to be taken when the house/plot is purchased. Here he has to consult with Vaastu - Shastra. Construction of house as per vaastu leads to the happy and prosperous life.
Before discussing more about Vaastu Shastra, one has to go for the Nature, which consists of five elements Sky, Air, fire, Earth and Water. Vaastu is affected with positive power of three elements: the earth, the water, the fire (the sun). The Earth was formed about 460 crore years ago and it was a fiery ball. In due course of time, the rocks melted and the surface has formed and acquired magnetism due to the magnetic particles embedded within. It has two poles, North Pole and South Pole.
Sky is the endless space available on the universe. The universal concept of sky is beyond the imagination and reaches of human being as it is a never-ending eternal development.
The Air (Atmosphere) is composed of gases like oxygen, nitrogen, Carbon-di-oxide, helium, neon, crypton and vapour. Oxygen is life saving gas indispensable to living organism. The Water: Due to rainfall from clouds, water flowed into low-lying area of earth's surface and oceans were formed. The eternal water cycling is mystery of nature. The Sun: Sun plays a vital role in Vaastu Shastra. Which is source of life on earth and this is the reason why Sun is worshipped as an incarnation of god or the potential source of creation on the earth. Sun has vast source of heat generation. Due to the far distance from sun to earth, the earth receives only a fraction of the heat generated by sun and the same is sufficient for existence of living organism on earth. See the voluminous power of SUN the LIVING GOD!!



Vaastu Purush Mandal
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Vaastu means : a surrounding, environment, matter or nature, (Prakriti in Sanskrit).Purush means : energy, work power, vigor or soul, (Shakti in Sanskrit).Mandal means : the astrological chart-which relates the layout to the orientation. The principles of orientation of building.
Vaastu-Purush-Mandal, the metaphysical plan of Vedic building, a temple or a site plan of a house. It is the intellectual foundation of the building. The surface of earth in traditional Indian Cosmology is regarded as demarcated by sunrise and sunset, by East and West, and also by North and South points, and is represented by a diagram or mandal of a square. Vaastu Purush and Mandal are equally important and significant. The Vaastu Purush Mandal is a sqaure which is its essential form and it takes its symbolism and significance from the square mandal of the earth and of the ecliptic and is therefore symbolical of recurrent cycles of time.
The science of architecture is a part of the science of luminaries.
The Vaastu had come to the place of adjustment of solar and lunar cycles. The number 32 of the divinities residing in the squares of the border of the Vaastumandal is also the sum of 4 and 28,the number of regents of the four planets who rule the equinoctial and solistical points referred to the cardinal points and of regents of 28 nakshatras (constellation). Each of the divisions in the mandal is called a pad and has a presiding deity associated with it.
The name Vaastu derived from Vaastu (Matter) a really existing thing, signifies residence as well as residue.The Vaastu Vidhaana (VIII-26-32) of Narad says that the Vaastu Purush Mandal is the magic diagram (yantra) and the form (roop) of the Vaastpurush. It is the body (sharir) and a bodily device (sharir yantra) by which those who have requisite knowledge attain the best results in the temple building.
In Purush, the celestial man, the supreme principle is seen. It is known by intellectual intuition as residing in man, the microcosm and in Universe, the macrocosm. Man and Universe are equivalent in this, their indwelling centre, of this equivalence the Purush is an image. Any place where this body lies down, where this plan is laid out by those who know it, exemplifies the presence of the Purush and its Bhoomi (Prakriti), the ground on which it rests.
The image of Vaastu Purush, one with mandal is drawn in the likeness of man. His head lays in the North-East in the mandal of 64 squares, the legs in the South-West, right hand in North-West, left hand in South-East and other parts of the body fill the square.
Forty-Five Gods or deities are constituent of the body of Vaastupurush, their number necessarily is the same in the mandal of 64,81 or any other number. Only the extent allotted to each of the deity differs but not their relative position in the plan.
The lord of central square is always the Lord of cosmos: Brahma and s attributed to the lord of wealth (Kuber), South to the lord of death (Yam), the East to the lord of light (Sun), the West to the lord of winds (Varun), suggesting that there be a courtyard in the center of the building. When these are scrupulously followed proper ventilation and good disposition to Sun and privacy is ensured. The house is compared with the human body and the central courtyard with Brahma, the eternal soul and their relationship is invoked when the grih-pravesh ceremony is performed with Vaastupuja and other traditional rituals.
This is the cosmological or metaphysical background on which the most fundamental doctrine of Vaastu-purush-mandal rests, and when Vaastu, Purush, and Mandal are brought together in a balanced manner the solution unquestionably relates to the place and the life style of the persons concerned ensuring certain minimum standards.
Western science is unwillingly to look at the physical and metaphysical are concurrently due to an intellectual conditioning that denigrates any kind of mixing up. In ancient India science, medicine, astrology, astronomy, mysticism, philosophy and spirituality lived in amiable juxtaposition, their boundaries overlapping and the enriching the other. Herein, in-fact lies its truth and freshness, a holistic sweep that allows us more than 2000-3000 years later to draw on perspectives that are missing in occidental science.

Another plan




Below 200 sq. yards, Duplex
Plot Size 38 ft. x 45 ft. , Total Covered Area = 1586 sq.ft

Sample plans for 200 yd plots



Below 200 sq. yards, Duplex Plot Size 29.5 ft. x 40.5 ft. , Total Covered Area = 1430 sq.ft

New plot (200 yds) near Miyapur

Today (Feb 6th 2006 at about 3pm IST), I purchased land of about 200 yds near Miyapur. Its worth of 8 lakhs. 36ft X 50ft is the size of the plot and its South facing. Its in bachpally near RR district.

Sunday, February 05, 2006

Janachaitanya

This is the site for janachaitanya . I was basically looking for the resi plots in Miyapur
There is one named "Sai Anurag"
Hyderabad Properties.org

Need to have my own place to stay

Today talked to friends and parents and am planning to take land and then have own house on the land.
This blog will have the developments and other details related to it.
Thanking many who were encouraging me in this regard