THE JOURNAL
From the Studio — page 43
Building Guidelines
Mapping Action Area I's Schools, Hospitals and Markets Before You Build
Action Area I is not one neighbourhood but a string of distinct pockets, and which one you build in decides your walk to school, your nearest clinic, and your daily market run.
Building Guidelines
Can You Split One New Town Plot Into Two Homes? The Subdivision Rules Explained
A HIDCO-allotted New Town plot is not automatically yours to split into two saleable homes, and the sanctioning path for a genuine multiple dwelling unit is narrower than most owners expect.
Building Guidelines
Boundary Wall Height and Design Rules for New Town Plots
A solid 6 foot compound wall feels safe until NKDA flags it at sanction stage, we explain the actual height and transparency rules New Town plots have to follow.
Building Guidelines
Stilt Floor Parking Rules in New Town: When It's Mandatory and How It Counts Toward FAR
A stilt floor is not always optional in New Town, and whether that area is exempted from your FAR calculation or quietly eats into it depends on details owners rarely check upfront.
Design Inspiration
When a Parent Moves In: Designing an Accessible In-Law Suite in a New Town Flat
We walk through the one-time retrofit plan we use when a parent is moving in permanently, from an attached accessible bathroom to grab bars and flooring.
Practical Guides & Ideas
How to Fix Low Headroom After False Ceiling and AC Ducting in a Kolkata Flat
When AC ducting and a false ceiling drop stack in the same room, a nine foot flat can start to feel like a corridor, and here is how we fix that without redoing the whole ceiling.
Hiring Guides
Hiring an Architect for a Kolkata Heritage Home Restoration
Restoring a heritage home in Kolkata takes more than a good contractor. Here's how we approach lime plaster, NKDA/KMC sanctions, and structural risk, honestly.
Building Guidelines
Lease-to-Freehold Conversion for HIDCO Plots: What It Changes for Your Building Plan
A leasehold HIDCO plot and a freehold one can look identical on a site visit, yet one clears a mortgage desk in weeks and the other stalls a sanction file for months.
Building Guidelines
Mandatory Open Space and Greenery Norms on New Town Plots: What Counts and What Doesn't
We walk through NKDA's minimum open space and greenery percentages plot by plot, and why a paved driveway rarely counts toward the number owners assume it does.
Building Guidelines
Rainwater Harvesting Is Mandatory in New Town: The Design Rules Most Owners Skip
NKDA won't sanction a New Town plot above the threshold size without an approved rainwater harvesting pit, yet we still see half-built pits fail inspection every season.
Building Guidelines
Residential Pockets Bordering Sector V: Living Next to New Town's IT Hub
The residential blocks closest to Sector V trade a longer commute for something else entirely, and the design brief for a home here looks different once you see what that trade actually is.
Practical Guides & Ideas
Where Should the Overhead Water Tank Go? Vastu Direction for New Town Rooftops
Independent house clients ask us this before the terrace slab is even cast, and the answer changes depending on whether you mean the overhead tank or the sump.
Hiring Guides
Commercial Interior Designer for a New Town or Sector V Startup Office
Looking for a commercial interior designer in New Town or Sector 5 for your startup office? Here's how Studio Contour approaches fit-outs, NKDA rules, and 8-12 week timelines.
Building Guidelines
Can You Add a Floor to an Existing KMC-Sanctioned Building?
Adding a storey to a KMC-sanctioned house is possible, but only after a structural stability certificate and a revised plan sanction, not by simply building upward on your own.
Decision Guides
Full-Service Studio or Room Specialist: Who to Hire for a Kolkata Home
Full-service studio or room specialist for your Kolkata home? A concrete, honest breakdown of cost, coordination, and NKDA/Bidhannagar rules, from a studio with 330+ buildings delivered since 2014.
Decision Guides
Matte Laminate vs Glossy Laminate for Kitchen Shutters in Kolkata's Climate
We compare matte and high-gloss laminate on real kitchen shutters across a Kolkata monsoon, on fingerprints, scratch visibility, and how each sheen actually ages.
Building Guidelines
How Road Width Determines Your FAR in Action Area I: A Street-by-Street Reality Check
Two identically sized plots in Action Area I can carry different buildable areas simply because of the road each one fronts, and we walk that arithmetic street by street here.
Building Guidelines
Basement Parking in New Town: Why High Water Tables Change the Design Brief
A basement in New Town is never a routine dig, our soil reports keep coming back with water within a few metres of grade, and that number reshapes the waterproofing plan.
Building Guidelines
Does Plot Orientation Affect Your FAR in New Town? Separating Myth From NKDA Rule
We hear it in nearly every client meeting, that an east-facing plot earns extra FAR under NKDA rules, and we have to explain why that simply is not how the sanction works.
Building Guidelines
Service Lane Access Plots in New Town: The Setback and Entry Rules Buyers Miss
A plot with service lane access at the rear is not a bonus entry point in NKDA's eyes, it is a second frontage with its own setback and access rules most buyers never check.
Local Guides
Adding a Floor to an Independent Bungalow in Salt Lake Sector I
More Sector I families are choosing to add a floor to their existing bungalow than to sell it, and the decision starts with what the old foundation can actually carry.
Design Inspiration
Designing a Calm One-Bedroom Home for a Single Parent and Child in Kolkata
Starting over in a smaller Kolkata flat with one bedroom doesn't need a second bedroom to give your child their own space, it needs better zoning of the one you have.
Practical Guides & Ideas
Cabinet and Door Handle Finishes That Won't Corrode in Kolkata's Coastal-Adjacent Air
We explain exactly which cabinet and wardrobe handle finishes survive Kolkata's humid, salt-adjacent air, and why cheap chrome-plated ones start pitting within a year.
Building Guidelines
Action Area III's Upcoming Zones: What to Know Before Buying in New Town's Newest Frontier
Action Area III is New Town's least developed zone, and we walk buyers through what current road and utility completion actually means for a build timeline.