Terrace Garden Landscaping Design

​Adding up extended living space to a house can be quite interesting if you have even mild interest in plants, herbs, shrubs, flowering plants, etc. A lot many more people consider themselves as not the ones with a green thumb, but that’s actually not true.

Yes, growing and maintaining plants at your terrace the garden will take some amount of good time in a week but if you plan, select and execute it strategically and carefully, the results will be more than satisfactory. So here with this piece, we are sharing our thoughts and guidelines for planning and designing terrace gardens.

There can be a variety of shapes for the terrace garden. Like rectangular, square or oblong shape, but before you start following the steps as follows:

Step 1: List down all the plants that you are thinking of having in your garden. Make a pictorial image of those plants by searching the same on the internet.

Step 2: Prepare a small list of your must-haves on the terrace.

• Seating area (only for two people or four people.)
• Foldable seating / permanent seating.
• Comfortable seating or coffer house seating
• So on and so forth….

Do spend some time to prepare this list, but be courageous enough to discard which are too many. Terrance garden will require regular watering, composting and maintenance, etc so be frugal in making your decision to only have a minimalist approach in selecting the overall features of your terrace garden.

Step 3: Once all the essential features are considered and finalized, then browse online for a few terrace garden inspirational images.  Do keep only a few as a greater number of them will only create confusion and not results. If you are developing and designing your terrace garden for the very first time, then it will be well to select six essential features out of your wish list and then develop a plan drawing layout out of it. The drawing may look somewhat look like this.



​

Note :- You can watch our youtube video to learn about drawing a terrace garden layout.

 

Step 4: After you have the first draft drawing of your terrace garden, spend the next couple of days to study it, and also discuss it with your friends and family. This will help you to get a better idea about other points of view. Do remember to make a drawing on a piece of A4 paper and not on the computer. Once you have some comments and feedback you can develop some more options and ideas for your layout. Remember to have enough hardcopies so as to move around or to place the furniture along with softscape.
​
Step 5: Within the layout, once the hardscape is defined locate all the places for plants and shrubs. Make an arrangement that is more like a cluster and think of plant gradation i.e. higher plants being behind and smaller plants being in the front. Also, make a selection of fragrant and non-fragrant shrubs that need to be part of the overall scheme along with the colour shade. 

 

Step 6: Even though the layout is not yet executed do make a broad judgment about lighting for your plants and the terrace to get an overall look and feel of the place. Think about it well, if it will be wired or solar powered etc. Check some sample products online and try to incorporate them into your terrace garden layout to see the total no of them that you will need.
​
Step 7: With this, we come to the end of the planning process for developing a terrace garden layout. Now it will be good to make a list of all the work that needs to be done so as to arrive at an approximate costing for your project.

Main elements will include
S O F T S C A P E

1. Planters (cork, mud, cement or plastic)
2. Soil
3. Manure
4. Watering equipment.
5. Garden maintenance equipment etc.
6. Plants, variety and nos, etc

H A R D S C A P E

1. Planter box
2. Lights and wiring
3. Floor finishes
4. Waterproofing membrane, etc

There may be a lot many more queries or doubts but do give it a try and if you feel then we can work along with you for developing your garden design. Do write to us at homeplansindia.mail@gmail.com

Online Architecture Service during World Pandemic COVID-19 in April 2020

It is not one of the best times in our life right now with the wide spread of Coronavirus pandemic and being home quarantined. We have been through tougher times during World War I and World War II, but nothing compared to this. As we are all under city wise & state wise lockdown in India, we at homeplansindia.com are hopeful to work towards giving a reason to those who have been meaning to design and build their house. Due to the forced lockdown the only things left for us is to take care of ourselves and our family (Also to keep our mental sanity).

As things are currently not under our control the only things that we can do is to organise & control our life at home. This is a good opportunity to ponder on things which have been on our mind for quite a while, but have not been dealt with. Every one of us will have a bucket list of things to do for ourselves or for our family. So, if you are in the midst of this and have been planning to do up your house design, then let's talk.

​1.  Creating a daily Schedule of personal and professional work is helping us to keep up with the focus at our architecture design work. It is surely taking a lot more of discipline and perseverance than what we expected, but it is the new way of work which can become fruitful if we manage our path well for each day. It is a lot less distracting than office with lesser number of coffee breaks.

2. This time is better for the projects that we currently have in our hand as we can spend some more time to ponder through the design and develop them better (with lesser office distraction) and can have more specific thoughts towards health and hygiene issues.

3. The current scenario has given us a stark jolt to bounce back with a fresh look to our architecture design process and allow more space for cleanliness, natural light and ventilation for all designs. It is also a good idea to adopt minimalism as part of our designs as it’s about the environment in which we live in, making it more practical and rational dealing with bigger life problems.                                                                    

​4. Now seems to be the right time to adopt green design, building material and sustainability to make it the language for expressing all our designs for any project. It is no more a fashionable sentence (mostly used by professionals to explain their designs) and rather a necessity for all designs. Health and hygiene have come to the forefront and now aiming the design to be well prepared and equipped for the environment of the future.

​5. We will emerge out of this pandemic (hopefully by May 2020 in India), with a new approach towards our work life knowing we can organize our work and professional commitments from remote locations and can co-ordinate with our clients and staff in the same manner even from office. The prime focus will be work and the outcome, not with the location where we operate from, helping us save a lot of our time and effort.

This lockdown has motivated us to explore more of the online technology to keep progressing with our Architectural Practice in India. We do see it as a bright new beginning which will be more thoughtful towards our environment and people alike. Architecture Practice in 2020 will be remembered as an era which survived the pandemic COVID-19, as well as managed to evolve for the better.

Note:
Our Online Architecture practice started in 2011 and the idea has been to reach out to a greater number of people from India who cannot reach a professional architect in their locality. The idea has always been to provide best practice to all which we follow in Mumbai at very affordable prices (still our fee structure will be higher than local architects). Hoping that with this new drive and a new beginning we will manage to explain the novel initiative leading to a better future.
Do write back to us with your comment's at homeplansindia.mail@gmail.com 

Top Five Green Home Building Ideas

Here are some staggering statistics. Based on estimates, cities in the world generate 1.3 billion tons of waste annually with Asia accountable for 1 million tons per day. With current urbanization and population growth rate, the global waste generation is estimated to rise to 2.2 billion tons by 2025. There are 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic debris in the ocean. Of that mass, 269,000 tons float on the surface.

Owing to the waste that is being produced globally, it is the responsibility of every human to work towards a zero waste life. This does not mean you cannot have your dream home. You can realize your dream, but by leaving a minimal carbon footprint. But how is this possible? 

  

There are many methods to ensure that you can create eco-friendly spaces. A path-breaking example is The Edge in Amsterdam. It is easily the smartest and most green building and it ticks all the boxes to make itself a self-sustained structure.

Enlisted below is a list of ideas to build Green Homes:

Sustainable Building Materials to consider for your house construction

The thing that I champion is sustainability, my fear is that suddenly we see it as a luxury, not as essential. That is the danger. – Kevin Mc Cloud. 

  

Historically homes and dwelling were made keeping in mind the topography, climatic conditions and available material at hand. People who lived in these homes did not need modern facilities and could acquire the desired effect just by a thorough understanding of their surroundings and using building materials appropriately.

In a globalized universe where everything looks like the other, whether they are airports, malls or homes, the knowledge and understanding of indigenous materials have diminished. However, there are many environmentally conscious individuals and conservationists who use eco-friendly materials for their projects. There are abundant sustainable building materials to choose from before starting the construction of your project. 

1. Bamboo is an extraordinary material to consider while constructing a home. Considered a traditional material, Bamboo grows abundantly and rapidly. It produces oxygen and absorbs carbon dioxide, which makes it perfect for climate change. Bamboo has been very sustainable, cost-effective and durable and should be considered to build a sustainable and eco-friendly home.  Bamboo is also very versatile and can be used for flooring, roofing, concrete reinforcement, scaffolding, piping and walls.  There are numerous advantages of bamboo. Not only is it very flexible and can take the shape and form of your desired pattern but also it absorbs shock and is perfect for earthquake resistance homes. Due to its lightweight, installation, and transportation, the basic cost of construction comes down. Lastly due to longevity it is a perfect choice for people who desire a house that emulates their natural surroundings. 

 2. Earth construction is basically constructing and working with raw earth/dirt. There are various techniques to use earth depending on the quality and composition of soil. In the realm of sustainable homes, we can categorize earth constructions under the following categories. 

Ø Cob Buildings is the most archaic method yet most cost-effective and efficient for building homes. Cobs are made of moist soil and straw and kneaded into mud loaves that are joined together by the hands to create the desired design. Once Cob dries it becomes almost as hard as concrete. One can create walls up to six feet wide, which can be finished with lime plaster or clay.  

Ø Rammed earth is also an option for sustainable homes. It is a technique of constructing foundations, floors and walls using natural raw material such as earth, chalk, lime, and gravel. It is an ancient method that has been revived. Rammed earth is simple to manufacture, non-combustible, strong and durable. There are shortcomings with rammed earth such as they are can be damaged by water leakage if not maintained but if used efficiently, this is a good solution. 

Ø Wattle and Daub is the method of building vertical wooden stakes or wattles with horizontal branches and then daubing it with clay or mud. This technique has been used for nearly 6000 years and is still an important construction method in some parts of the world.

Ø Light Straw Clay is essentially composed of straw and clay and is much lighter than walls made of cob and rammed earth. Light straw is an excellent choice to build a sustainable home since it can be filled in nearly any kind of wall framing, be it timber, lumber or pole framing. Also, Light straw-clay is less time consuming than cob and rammed earth so using it can be cost-effective.

Ø Earth bricks are made from earth and straw mix and placed in molds to form bricks and then dried in the sun. These bricks are load-bearing but have very poor insulation. 

Ø Earthen floors are constructed with sand, finely chopped straw and clay. The mixture is thickened and spread on the surface. A drying oil like linseed oil is usually used to seal the floor and protect it from wear and tear. Earthen floors have a long life and were prevalent in 14-century Europe. In medieval times, nearly all the peasants had earthen floors.

 3. Recycled Concrete is a fantastic method of reducing your carbon footprint in this world since layers and Layers of construction debris such as concrete; asphalt, gypsum, bricks, metals, etc. accumulate in landfills. In this method, concrete aggregates are put through a crushing machine so that it can be reused. Concrete used in this method should not contain trash, paper or wood. However, there are magnetic methods to extract metal from the debris. Recycled concrete is becoming very popular and is used as gravel in many construction projects. With the ever-growing population, there is a constant need for construction. Small buildings give way to high-rise ones. Breaking down these buildings creates construction waste which most often ends up in landfills. Hence if adequate measures are taken and this waste is recycled, not only is it cost-effective but also reduces the pressure on the world resources. 

4. Terracotta Roof Tiles are environmentally friendly and a must be used if you are planning a sustainable home. Research has revealed that 39 percent of energy cost goes into cooling and heating a house, thus by using Terracotta tiles one can easily cut down this energy cost. These tiles have a long shelf life and date back to 700 BC. The spread of Terracotta roof tiles was directly linked with rise in architecture in ancient Greece. These tiles have a fantastic aesthetic appeal as well. 

5. Use of Plaster / Paint is natural, non-toxic, biodegradable and sustainable way to treat your walls. This treatment allows the wall to breathe so that the moisture inside the house can escape. If you are looking for a home which aims to look after the planets wellbeing then consider some important factors while choosing your paint. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the paints cause skin, nose and eye irritation, the stench of this new age paint is unbearable and they need touch-ups very often. While making an educated choice you should look for paints that have low VOC or ‘Zero VOC’.

With such a wide range of naturally available material, it becomes imperative as a concerned and informed individual to make the correct choices while making your dream home. 

Imagine in a world where every single person is conscious and uses available natural resources optimally, don’t you think our carbon footprint will reduce? Don’t you think we can change the tide and have a greener less cluttered world for our children? Don’t you think we can sleep at night knowing we have done our bit not only for ourselves but also for our planet. 

Examples:

1. A home like Hombelaku is a great example of an eco-friendly home. Karunaprasad Kanavi and his Vishakha Kanavi, an artist, along with their son Kushal, are the residents of this beautiful house. Amongst many of the houses’ salient features are the handmade mud blocks. Clay and mud blocks have been used for construction instead of bricks. The walls are plastered to avoid usage of lead and simple kota tiles and Give the example later)

2. The need of the hour is to reduce the use of plastic and what better way than to use it as pillars for strengthening your build while designing your home.  In the Philippines, Gonzales created an incredible movement called the ‘Plastic solution’.  It is an environmental initiative that hopes to encourage individuals and businesses to put this into action. The campaign was to encourage people to stuff as much of non-biodegradable trash into plastic bottles tightly, until its too full to squeeze, then leave these bottles at a drop off site where people could collect it to reuse it as bricks for construction. This campaign did very well and the community came together to make eco-friendly homes with plastic bricks. [1]

How much is an Architects fee for doing House Planning in India

An architect is a professional who has invested years of practice and learning to create spaces which are optimal for use, functional in nature and aesthetically appealing. An Architects fee varies from project to project but for residential project it ranges from anything between Rs. 40 per Sq.ft. to Rs. 180 per Sq.ft. for doing Concept Design. 

Mumbai Architect Designed Hosue Planning and Architecture - 2017 Pricing from HomePlansIndia.com

We at HomePlansIndia.com (RSDM Architects) have been providing online architectural design consultancy for last 5 years and now we are purely focusing on providing our clients with efficient design consultancy for custom house plans and design. Our Consultancy fee is divided into two sections:

Section A - Conceptual Architectural Design

Fee - starting at Rs. 1,25,000/- inclusive of taxes.

No of Drawings - 15 No.

Delivered Drawings include - Floor Plans (2 No), Sections, Elevations, External 3D View of the House along with Area Statement

Time Frame - 20 to 30 Days

Revisions - Four Revisions to floor plan designs and any other modifications. Additional drawings are charged seperately

Sample Drawings - Check the Sample Drawings Page on our Website to see the quality of drawings that you can expect at the end of the process.

Drawings included:

1. Area Statement

2. Site Layout Drawing

3. Floor Plans - Ground Floor, First Floor, etc

4. Roof Plan

5. Sections - 1 No.

6. External Elevations - 4 No.

7. 3D Views of House - 2 No

8. Basic Specification for the House

Section B - Detailed Architectural Design

Fee - starting at Rs. 1,85,000/- inclusive of taxes.

No of Drawings - 50 No. (approx.)

Delivered Drawings include - Detailed Floor Plans, Sections, Elevations, Detailed Wall Sections, External 3D View of the House, Water Tank detail, Door detail, Window detail, Railing details, Schedule of finishes, etc.

Time Frame - 50 to 60 Days

Revisions - No revisions are done to these drawings and these are only started once the Coneptual Architectural Design is finished or finalised.

Section C - Structural Design & Detailing

Fee - starting at Rs. 1,25,000/- inclusive of taxes.

No of Drawings - 20 No.

Delivered Drawings include - Footing Drawings, Slab Drawings and Schedule, Coloumn & Beam Drawings and Schedule, Water Tank Drawings, Compound Wall drawings, etc.

Time Frame - Worked out within the same time period as detailed architectural drawings.

Revisions - This work is done in conjunction with detailed architectural design.

Section D - Basic Electrical and Plumbing Drawings

Fee - starting at Rs. 75,000/- inclusive of taxes.

No of Drawings - 10 No. (approx)

Delivered Drawings include - Electrical and Plumbing Drawings for all floor plans along with Schedule of Fixtures and Specs.

Time Frame - Worked out within the same time period as detailed architectural drawings.

Revisions - This work is done in conjunction with detailed architectural design.

Section E - Cost Estimation for Concept Design

​

Fee - starting at Rs. 40,000/- inclusive of taxes.

No of Sheets in the Document - 5 No.

Time Frame - 10 to 15 Days

Revisions - Each revision is charged separately

Section F - Bill of Quantities for Final Detailed Drawings and Documents

Fee - starting at Rs. 65,000/- inclusive of taxes.

No of Sheets in the Document - 45 No.

Time Frame - 14 to 20 Days

Revisions - No revisions are done.

Section G - Overseeing project during Execution Phase

Section H - Site Visits by Architect / Structural Engineer or Meeting with Client

Section I - Printed Set of Drawings

Importance of Passive Design for House Design and Construction in India

Passive design is inspired by climate, framed by the environment and built for comfort. In an ecologically diverse environment such as India, there is no one size fits all approach to passive design in both residential and commercial properties. Depending on your location in India, your passive design needs will be influenced by hot dry conditions, wet and humid conditions and cold and damp conditions.

Architectural forefathers understood the challenges of adapting home to climate in India. For warmer climates in India, a traditional way of cooling was with stepped wells, a pond dug into the ground or surrounded by walls above ground allowing the air to be-cooled by evaporating water in an enclosed, shaded zone. This innovative technique stood the test of time, providing cooling techniques in larger homes in India for generations. 

At Homes Plan India, we continue this innovative legacy with the same goal: to design buildings that place paramount importance to its occupants’ comfort. Our approach to passive design with wide-range of experience in designing houses across India, gives us the confidence to customise a home to your standards and provides you with the reassurance that environmental elements will be factored into any house plan design.

For plot owners across India, the importance of passive cooling for their home and climate controlled house design cannot be understated. Without taking climate into account and the requisite cooling and heating systems, homeowners can encounter a range of problems including mould, water damage and compromises to structural integrity. We understand these risks and have a full suite of solutions for all plot sizes, locations and topography.  

However, before considering a passive designed cooling or climate controlled system for your plot, it is good to understand the process and the immediate goals. Firstly, we recommend the best options to achieve passive cooling in a building. This is achieved by identifying the unnecessary thermal loads that might enter your future home. In our experience, there are typically two types of thermal loads homeowners need to be aware of - exterior loads due to the climate and internal loads due to domestic factors such as people, appliances, cooking spaces, hygiene and lighting.  

Once the aforementioned factors have been thoroughly analysed, we provide a recommendation on a customised passive cooling system. The ambition of any system is consistent across India: to transfer heat from the home to natural energy sinks such as air, water or the earth. 

Despite the environmental aspects of the passive-cooling systems, it is equally important to consider the efficiency benefits. In our experience, implementation of a passive cooling system on a plot reduces the energy needed for cooling. This not only cuts down on electricity bills but also gives the house a green feel in terms of emissions.  

The advantages are also cosmic. For example, passive cooling techniques can moderate the peak cooling load in homes, thereby reducing the size of the air conditioning equipment and the period for which it is generally required.  

In terms of some of the newer breakthroughs in passive cooling, solar techniques are playing more prevalent role in India. In particular, driven by both climate and economic factors, solar shading has been an effect climate control solution in many new homes.  

Particularly for more open plots, solar shading with locally available-materials like terracotta tiles, hay, inverted-earthen pots can reduce the temperature significantly. In addition, well-designed sun control plus the shading devices, can have parts of a building /separately placed from building facade, can play a major role in the reduction of heat gain, enhance cooling requirements and improving the natural-lighting quality of building-interiors. Furthermore, the design of effective-shading devices can depend on the solar orientation of a particular-building facade, which is key consideration depending on what part of India your land is located. 

Solar chimneys are other solution we are seeing in increasing numbers of passive designs. Acting as a natural ventilation, solar chimneys provide further homeowner comfort during the day if combined with an evaporation-cooling device.

Of course many other passive design and cooling techniques exist in an ecosystem as diverse as India. If you do own a plot and are looking to construct, it is essential that you understand the elements and design accordingly. With the amount of options available in India, we are available to advise, consult and design a home that works with, not against, the climate. Write with your queries to homeplansind@gmail.com and we will be glad to work along with you.