Everything that can go wrong in your dream space
Despite realities like cost overruns and erratic vendors, we still seek to create spaces that embody our dreams. The path to getting there can be difficult, but eventually it is fulfilling
If you talk of house-building as a dream, as in “making your dream home", it probably means you have never tried to build one. This is a facetious line I’ve written several times in several ways over the years. It is my quippy way of warning readers that the process of space-making is never what you expect, unless you are actually expecting to be reduced to tears. I’ve been part of several construction projects across the country in the past three decades. I’ve watched, at close quarters, how difficult it is, how unexpected the twists and turns, and the painful costs, both emotionally and financially. Those were projects that were considerably larger but recently, I took on something that I assumed would be easier and was surprised to find that tears (figuratively speaking) are still part of the trajectory.
If you’ve been reading this column then you may know that I have been working on an office space for myself. Two floors of a small suburban house, which wasn’t in great condition but had the potential for my partner and I to create a warm, cosy work environment. But what was a simple renovation—painting, fixing lights, redesigning two bathrooms and the kitchen—that was estimated to take three months, went on for nearly six. We just moved in.
A few weeks ago, I was talking to acquaintances who are building homes in different parts of the country. They are seasoned entrepreneurs who have overseen many construction projects, both personal and professional. And yet, we were all bemoaning the waywardness of our projects. They were working with architecture studios with excellent reputations, and yet the stories merged into common plot points: Cost overruns, schedules stretching like chewing gum, erratic vendors, illplanned details. Actually, most conversations on this topic feel like people are trapped in the same long discussion with similar complaints.
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The size of the firm you’re working with, the nuances of design, nothing really matters. When design decisions are off the page and on site, a zillion things determine the final outcome. On the one hand, India is one of the few places on earth where you can custom-build, and at reasonable prices. At the same time, custom-making in a market where there is no way to measure quality standards involves other challenges. After chats with many people, including architects, I’ve put together a potential snag list of my own. It certainly cannot be considered comprehensive because any number of things can go wrong. But if, perchance, you’re at the starting line of making something then it may be helpful to consider some of these things. Communication: Set up a clear communication system from the beginning.
Your project’s progress will depend very much on the eyes you have on site, so make sure they’re clear and conversant. I had a site supervisor who didn’t have a notebook on him, or a checklist on his phone. Yes, we had a WhatsApp group but the problem with these groups is that you need to do a full doom-scroll to find anything. Despite its many functionalities, WhatsApp can still present language barriers. Insist on the site supervisor having the drawings displayed on site or with him at all times. Make sure he can read drawings properly and carries a notebook or something more tactile than mobile communication.
We’re obsessed with getting drawings finished at the design stage, but I’ve found that drawings can become redundant for two reasons. One is that most carpenters and masons don’t know how to read drawings and neither do some contractors. Also, architectural drawings are only accurate if the architect has considered the scale of the things that will finally occupy a space. And that level of thinking requires consideration to the endpoint of projects—that doesn’t always happen. Quality: If you’re working with a good designer or you’re fastidious, then you’re going to want good quality finishing. But what that means is entirely subjective.
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The carpentry vendor I worked with was terrible. When we pointed out many seemingly evident flaws in the work, his defence was to cite the one big-name gallerist and a few headlining designers he’d worked for over his 30-year career. You’ll hear these excuses quite a lot: “That’s the best that can be done" or “So-and-so was happy with my work". Depending on the design of a space and how particular the client is, quality can mean completely different things to different people. A straight line can be wonky but only if you notice it. Many vendors will try to pass off substandard work. Either you choose to live with it. Or, you break things down and have it redone.
Cost overruns: The biggest bane of construction projects. Every time a work that is completed inadequately is broken down to be redone, there is a cost implication. The estimate at the beginning of a construction project is all blue-sky, everything is imagined under perfect sets of circumstances. It does not account for “correcting mistakes", which rack up a vast amount in opportunity cost and real money. Maybe your contractor says he’ll fix it but rest assured the hand signing the cheque is still yours. Another common reason for cost overruns is the lack of detailed planning. An estimate is provided without considering the actual cost of certain decisions. Say you decide to have marble in your bathroom and fastidiously select good quality marble within your price range, but no one has mentioned that skilled stone masons are expensive labour, and the bathroom you thought would cost ₹X climbs up the price ladder.
A good contractor who does a detailed breakdown thinking through these line items should be able to give you this information beforehand. Or say you’re attempting a design intervention that hasn’t been tried before, and then there’s no way to know what challenges will arise and what those solutions will cost. It’s good to keep that in mind, and have a financial buffer because once you get started with construction, stopping the process is even more expensive.
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Neighbours, the weather and other unthinkables: A friend lost a valuable amount of construction time fending off a retiree neighbour who lodged complaints with the municipal corporation about “potential" threats to his property as a result of design decisions on her project. The weather will eat up construction time, festivals will dethrone your plans, so try to account for as many of these factors as possible by considering the time of the year you’re starting construction.
Despite these realities, we still seek to create spaces that embody our dreams and offer emotional succour. The path to getting there can be difficult, but eventually it is fulfilling. And in India we are also undisputably lucky to be able to have things made to measure. Once I sat at my wooden work-table in my refreshing beige-walled office space looking out through the cloaked window, the smell of coffee in the air, I realised this was precisely the vision I had in my head when we started. It was how we started. It is how we all begin.
Manju Sara Rajan is an editor, arts manager and author who divides her time between Kottayam and Bengaluru.
