THE JOURNAL
Building Guidelines
120 articles from the studio on building guidelines.
Building Guidelines
Common Construction Defects in Kolkata Homes and Who Pays to Fix Them
Common construction defects in Kolkata homes, from damp and seepage to cracks and joinery failure, why they happen here, and who is liable to pay for repairs.
Building Guidelines
What a Builder's Defect Liability Period Actually Covers in West Bengal
What a builder's defect liability period actually covers in West Bengal, from leaks and hollow tiles to retention money, snag lists and the first monsoon test.
Building Guidelines
Hairline Cracks vs Structural Cracks: How to Tell the Difference in Your Home
Hairline cracks vs structural cracks: how a Kolkata homeowner can tell the difference by width, direction, location and movement, and what each repair needs.
Building Guidelines
Rising Damp in Ground-Floor Kolkata Homes: Causes and Real Fixes
Rising damp in ground-floor Kolkata homes: how to tell it apart from condensation and leaks, why the DPC fails, and the repair sequence that actually holds.
Building Guidelines
Termite Protection for a New Build in Kolkata: What to Do Before the Floor Goes Down
Termite protection for a new build in Kolkata is decided before the slab is cast. A New Town architect explains the five site stages, costs and detailing.
Building Guidelines
How to Spot Bad Concrete Work on Your Own Site Without an Engineering Degree
Spot bad concrete work on your Kolkata site without an engineering degree: pre-pour checks, curing red flags, honeycombing, cover and crack diagnosis explained.
Building Guidelines
Steel Reinforcement on a Kolkata Site: What to Check Before the Pour
Steel reinforcement checks before a concrete pour on a Kolkata site: cover, spacing, laps, anchorage and buried services, from a New Town architecture studio.
Building Guidelines
Studio Contour: NKDA Rules for Rooftop Water Tank Placement
Studio Contour breaks down NKDA rules for rooftop water tank placement in New Town: height exemptions, load paths, setbacks, waterproofing, and sanctioned-drawing coordination.
Building Guidelines
Studio Contour: NKDA Rules for Basement Parking Ramp Gradient
Studio Contour breaks down NKDA's basement parking ramp gradient rules for New Town plot owners, covering slope, transitions, headroom and why so many sanction drawings get sent back for this exact detail.
Building Guidelines
Studio Contour: NKDA Rules for Chajja and Sunshade Projection
Studio Contour explains NKDA chajja and sunshade projection rules for New Town plot owners: setback limits, structural detailing, and why sanction rejections happen.
Building Guidelines
Studio Contour: NKDA Rules for Garbage Collection Point Provision
Studio Contour explains NKDA's garbage collection point rules for New Town plots: mandatory provision, sizing, placement, and how it fits your sanctioned plan.
Building Guidelines
Studio Contour: NKDA Rules for Fire Escape Staircase Placement
Studio Contour explains NKDA's fire escape staircase placement rules for New Town buildings, covering setbacks, widths, worked examples and the mistakes that get plans rejected.
Building Guidelines
Studio Contour: NKDA Rules for Internal Courtyard Design
Studio Contour breaks down how NKDA rules treat internal courtyards in New Town, covering FAR, ground coverage, light and ventilation norms, and where owners lose plan approval.
Building Guidelines
Studio Contour: NKDA Rules for Common Passage Width in Apartments
Studio Contour explains NKDA and KMC common passage width norms for New Town apartments, why plans get stuck on corridor widths, and how Sumana Kumar's team gets sanction through clean the first time.
Building Guidelines
Studio Contour: NKDA Rules for Electrical Meter Room Location
Studio Contour breaks down NKDA and WBSEDCL rules for electrical meter room placement on New Town plots, with a worked G+2 example and common mistakes to avoid.
Building Guidelines
Studio Contour: NKDA Rules for Overhead Water Tank Structural Support
Studio Contour explains NKDA's structural rules for overhead water tanks in New Town, covering RCC support design, height limits, load paths and why the tank matters more than owners think.
Building Guidelines
Planning EV Charging Into a New Town Home or Apartment Block
How to plan EV charging into a New Town Kolkata home or apartment block: load sizing, cable routes, stilt parking conduit, metering and sanction timing.
Building Guidelines
Cross-Ventilation on a Narrow Kolkata Plot: What Is Actually Possible
Cross-ventilation on a narrow Kolkata plot is possible but limited. What actually works on 20ft-wide sites, shafts, stack effect, and the trades involved.
Building Guidelines
Solar on a New Town Rooftop: Structural and Layout Questions to Settle First
Rooftop solar in New Town: the structural, shading, waterproofing and layout questions a Kolkata homeowner should settle at design stage, not at installation.
Building Guidelines
Where Mutation and Property Records Sit in Your Build Timeline
Where mutation and property records sit in a Kolkata build timeline, what they block at sanction and completion, and how to sequence records alongside design work.
Building Guidelines
Building a Bungalow or Duplex in New Town: What NKDA Rules Allow
What NKDA actually allows for bungalows and duplexes in New Town, Kolkata: FAR, ground coverage, setbacks, height limits, and the sanction process explained plainly.
Building Guidelines
How to Get HIDCO Permission for Transfer, Mortgage or Sale in New Town
A practical guide to HIDCO permission for transferring, mortgaging, or selling property in New Town, Kolkata, covering when you need it, the process, and common delays.
Building Guidelines
HIDCO vs NKDA: Who Controls What in New Town
HIDCO built New Town, NKDA regulates it, and Salt Lake answers to Bidhannagar entirely. Here's who controls what, and why the mix-up costs homeowners real time.
Building Guidelines
Plot Amalgamation and Subdivision Rules in New Town Explained
A practical New Town guide to NKDA plot amalgamation and subdivision rules, what drives setbacks and coverage, and how to sequence records before you design and build.