Journal
Notes on designing, approving and building in Odisha
Written for the questions people ask before they call an architect — what a plot permits, what approval takes, why a bill of quantities matters, what the coast does to materials.
Modular kitchen design for Indian cooking
Modular kitchen design for Indian cooking: counter height, depth, aisles, L, U, parallel and island layouts, chimney, gas safety and storage, measured.
ReadNext in the journal
Written, reviewed and scheduled. Each one appears here on its date.
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Roof and bathroom waterproofing before monsoon
Roof and bathroom waterproofing for Odisha's monsoon: falls and outlets, membrane types compared, sunken slabs, joints and the ponding test that proves it.
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Natural light in a house: windows and glare
How big windows should be, which walls get glass, how to shade them and how to stop glare: natural light in house design, with numbers for Odisha homes.
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Staircase design for homes: sizes and types
Staircase design for homes: riser and tread sizes, width, headroom, the space each stair type needs and where to place it in your plan, with numbers.
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Earthquake- and cyclone-safe homes in Odisha
How to build an earthquake and cyclone safe home in Odisha: today's seismic zones, wind speeds, the codes that matter and the details where houses fail.
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30x40 house plan: planning 1,200 sq ft well
Planning a 30x40 house on a 1,200 sq ft plot: what Odisha's rules allow, 2BHK and 3BHK zoning, the car, the stair and how to bring …
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AAC blocks vs red bricks vs fly ash bricks
AAC blocks vs red bricks vs fly ash bricks: weight, heat, strength, cracks and cost compared with IS codes, so you can choose the right wall …
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How to keep your house cool without AC
How to keep your house cool without AC in Bhubaneswar's hot-humid climate: roof first, shade by orientation, cross-ventilation and the right materials.
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Duplex house design: what to decide first
Duplex house design starts before the drawing: FAR rules in Odisha, double height, stair position, floors for two generations and a structure that stacks.
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Do you need an architect for your house?
Do you need an architect for your house? What an architect does at each stage, how architects' fees work in India, and what to ask before …
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Building near the coast in Odisha: humidity, monsoon and salt air
Coastal Odisha is unkind to ordinary specification. What fails, why it fails, and what to specify instead — for anyone building in Puri, along the coast, …
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Building plan approval in Bhubaneswar: how the process actually works
Plan approval is the part of a project clients understand least and worry about most. Here is the shape of it: who approves, what they look …
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What a bill of quantities is, and why you should insist on one
A per-square-foot rate is a guess with a decimal point. A bill of quantities is a measurement. The difference is where construction cost overruns begin.
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What to check before you buy a plot in Bhubaneswar
Planning to buy a plot in Bhubaneswar? Learn what to check about land use, building rules, site conditions, and hidden costs before investing.
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Why houses go over budget, and what one contract changes
Discover why house construction goes over budget and how one contract for design, approvals, construction, and interiors improves cost control.
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Building a house in Bhubaneswar that costs less to run
Running cost is decided at design stage and paid for over thirty years. The decisions that matter most in this climate cost little or nothing when …
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Seeing Your House Before It's Built: What AR & VR Change
Walkthroughs are more than a presentation feature. Their real value is catching costly design mistakes early, before construction makes changes expensive.
Have a question these do not answer?
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