Chennaiites customising home for new look, needs
More and more buyers in Chennai are customising their houses to suit their modern needs. Some are re-designing their old houses for a new look, while some others are trying to equip their residence/buildings with added amenities. Naturally, it means a few extra lakhs spent on the re-designing and renovation but the idea is to have a house that fits in with your lifestyle.
Take for example, the inhabitants of Manikanthan Residence who planned to go in for a thorough makeover of their house. They wanted to make sure that their house stood out in the locality. They called in an architect and went in for landscape planning inside the house.
“Our grandkids keep visiting us. Parks are clogged with water during the monsoons and we thought we needed to give them an alternative play area preferably inside the house,” says Mukund Manikanthan.
Consequently, while the ground floor remained a semi-public space, the first floor was used as a private area. The second floor was remodeled as a recreational space.
Who’s doing it?
“People who are remodeling their houses are connoisseurs of fine living, who value design and comfort over money,” says Subhapriya Vadivel of DesignQube, a group of architects in Chennai.
“Luxury has become a necessity for a big cross section of the community over the years. Being well informed and well travelled, buyers have become finicky about the space they live in, where they spend their maximum time,” adds Vadivel.
Although a majority of these accommodations that are being remodeled are either farm houses or beach houses used as weekend getaways, there are those who are redesigning the houses they live in. Moreover, experts believe, if you put in a little extra into the look of your spacious house, it has the potential to grow your investment.
Abu Baker of Colliers International talks of the intricately done beach houses in Neelangarai that are a hit among keen investors. “They go in for corporate leasing, as vacation rental accommodations, as guest houses and earn up to Rs 4 lakh per month. Such houses are discerningly designed and that makes way for an additional income.”
Pricing and location
“We have worked on a range of luxury apartments, designer villas, cozy beach houses and farm houses in the stretch of ECR, Vandalur – Kelambakkam highway, the GST corridor and around Chengalpet. The prices of these houses vary between Rs 6,000-20,000 per sq ft,” says Vadivel.
Gone are the days when branded developers dictated the standards of luxury, today you have a range of world class design and interiors choices if you can’t afford a brand or if the branded houses don’t match your sensibility. Throw pastel shades on the walls, design a titanic book shelf, remove the doors of your kitchen, go for a custom-made bathroom, most of all, enjoy your space.
Source: Times of India Chennai, Magicbricks com Bureau