Some aspects to consider when building houses in view of the adverse times
Many Saints have often said that the coming times are going to be very adverse. These times have now begun and adverse situations such as sudden cloudbursts, flooding of rivers, epidemics, war-like conditions or actual warfare are taking place and can continue in the future too. Here, we will thoroughly ponder on where should we live, how a house should be, what is needed to build a house in the adverse times, if such a situation arises. Detailed criteria have already been given in our earlier articles on selecting homes and their location for the adverse times. The location should be selected according to those criteria.
Living in metropolitan areas is unsafe given the severity of the adverse times. Hence, many seekers are looking for a suitable place to stay in villages. To build a house in a village, the zoning of the agricultural land has to be changed to ‘non-agricultural land’ (NA). Some people think that it is legal to buy a 1,000-2,000 square feet Gunthewari plot and build a house on it. Row houses can be built thinking that it is allowed for one person to buy agricultural land and build row houses on it. Build houses only after getting in-depth information and understanding what is permitted by law, so that you are not cheated or the construction is not considered illegal.
1. It is also necessary to get permission from the ‘Town Planning Office’ besides the Gram Panchayat to construct a house on agricultural land : When building a house on farm land in a village, permission has to be obtained from the ‘Town Planning Office’ besides the Gram Panchayat. It is illegal to build without the permission of the ‘Town Planning Office’.
(Note : The above rules have recently changed for Maharashtra. Similar changes may have been made in other States too. Therefore, those who wish to build houses in rural areas should study the rules applicable to their States by consulting appropriate authoritites. – Editor)
2. According to the Agricultural Land Act, the person buying agricultural land has to be a farmer, and only after purchasing a minimum of 20,000 square feet of agricultural land at a time, can the land be in his name : Some people decide to buy 5,000 square feet collectively with 5-6 people. Assuming that everyone wants 1,000 square feet each on which they will build a house, 1,000 square feet per person will not be enough to buy agricultural land. According to the law, at least 20,000 square feet has to be purchased at a time for the agricultural land to be in one person’s name. Even a farm house can be built only on 4% of the 20,000 square feet, meaning construction can be done only on 800 square feet.
The person buying the agricultural land must be a farmer – meaning, on the 7/12 extract (Form I-XIV in Goa), there should be agricultural land in his name.
3. Consult an advocate on purchasing agricultural land and the rights of all : If seekers want to buy agricultural land in villages collectively and construct on it, they should take the following actions.
A. One seeker should buy 20,000 square feet and get it changed to non-agricultural land.
B. Various plots should be made on it as per the Government laws.
C. To legalise the ownership of land, consult an advocate and then build on it or buy a non-agricultural plot and build on it.
4. Consider these aspects from the perspective of Vastushastra (Science of architecture as per Indian Scriptures) when buying land and building on it :
A. The shape of the land should be square or rectangular.
B. Flat land on all sides is good for building a house.
C. The ascent and descent of a plot should face east or north and south or west respectively.
D. Do not buy a plot with a lake or a river towards the south or west and a hill towards the east or north.
E. The plot should preferably face east or north.
F. The shape of the house should be square or rectangular.
G. Build a house in the south-west corner of the plot, leaving more space in the east and north.
H. The main and courtyard entrance : All four directions are considered for the main entrance of a premises. North and east, in particular, are given more importance.
I. The main entrance should have a wooden threshold.
J. Build a house according to Vastushastra; for example, the temple in the house should be on the north-east side, the living room on the east or north side, the kitchen on the south-east side (arrange the kitchen in such a way that cooking can be done facing the east). The bedroom should face south-west and head side of the bed should be towards the south. Build a toilet towards the west or south.
K. Dig a bore well, well or build the underground water tank in an area from the east to the north-east or from the north to the north-east. These should not be built in the corner of the north-east.
L. The septic tank should be constructed in the area from the west-central to the north-west.’
– Mr. Dhananjay Karve, Sanatan Ashram, Ramnathi, Goa.
5. How to build a house in a village in a short time and at minimal cost ? : Priority should be given to buying a ready-made house than building a house. If what you desire is not available, you can decide to build a house. Some information on how to build a house at minimal cost and in a short time is given ahead.
5A. What all to do before construction
1. Considering the adverse times, study which village would it be appropriate to buy land, and as per the guidance of responsible seekers, select land in the right village.
2. For the foundation of the house to be strong, hard murum (A type of hard stone) is necessary. Select land where hard murum is found after digging 2 feet. This will strengthen the foundation, and the construction of the house will be sturdy.
3. Show the land map to the Dharmapracharak Saint or a seeker who is above the spiritual level of 61%, does not suffer from any distress caused by negative energies and is capable of perceiving the subtle dimension. If positive vibrations are perceived by looking at the map, the decision to buy that land can be made. (Detailed instructions in this regard have already been published.)
4. The number of rooms should be decided after thinking about the number of people who are going to stay in the house and what are their needs.
5. Since building a house is a necessity in view of the adverse times, only the amenities essential for the living should be considered instead of all thinking about all amenities for convenience and comfort.
6. Take guidance from a Vastushastra expert regarding the direction of the house entrance and other rooms. Contact your Vastushastra expert and get a map of the house drawn from him.
5B. In terms of actual construction
1. The house construction should be of ‘RCC frame structure’ or ‘load-bearing structure’.
2. Preferably, build a house on slabs. The walls should be done with ‘neeru finish’ on the inside and ‘sponge plastering’ on the outside.
3. The height of the plinth should be 2 feet above the road. The height of the room should be 10 feet from the floor to the roof (To the upper end of the slab).
4. In the kitchen, build a platform of 5’ (length) X 2 ¼’ (wide) X 21/2’ (height) from the kadappa stone. Install a stainless steel sink. The platform should not be made of marble.
5. Thresholds should be placed on each door frame to prevent reptiles from entering the house.
5C. Connecting taps
1. Connect the taps from the pump to the tank and from there to the inside of the house by using good quality pipe and plumbing fittings.
The main cock of the pipeline should be installed at a place where it can be easily opened or shut.
2. If no drainage system is available, install a septic tank of size 6’ (length) X 4’ (width) X 6’ (height) outside the house. Its outer walls should be 9” thick and the inner walls (compartments) should be 6” thick. Good quality pipes and fittings should be used even to carry the waste water, so that future maintenance and repairs will not be a problem.
3. The water coming from the bathroom as well as the kitchen should not be connected to this tank. Make a separate pit for it and put some pieces of bricks in it (This is called a ‘soak pit’) so as to soak this water.
5D. Carpentry work
1. The main door of the house and other doors of the rooms should be made of wood. Fiberglass doors should be installed in bathrooms and toilets. Do not install wooden doors there.
2. Since sliding windows are more expensive, wooden windows should be made as usual.
3. Cabinets should be built within the walls of the house instead of making separate wooden cupboards.
6. Miscellaneous points
A. Apply dry distemper on the inside and cement color on the outside of the house.
B. The floor should be cobbled with cement in red or install 1’ X 1’ ceramic tiles along with 4” high skirting of ceramic tiles at the bottom of the inner wall.
C. Install Indian style or western style (commode) toilet as per the requirement of the household.
D. Do electrical wiring with casing and capping instead of concealed wiring (Connecting electrical wires through walls). ‘Casing and capping’ is the easiest type of electrical wiring. PVC insulated wires are placed in plastic casing and then capped.
E. In general, a person requires 100 litres of water per day. According to this estimate, if there are 5 people in the house, a plastic round tank with 750 litres capacity should be installed on a slab.
A tank with a capacity of one and a half times more than the total water consumption should be installed to avoid any problems if there is no water supply some day.
F. Considering that it may be difficult for the Government agencies to supply electricity and water during the adverse times, separate arrangement of their supply should be made. Make arrangements to generate electricity in the place you plan to stay during the adverse times, meaning install a solar power system. Dig a well in your land or install a hand pump on the bore well and arrange for pumping water.
7. Estimated cost and duration to build a house
If a house with an area of 800 square feet is to be built, the estimated cost would be Rupees 12 to 14 lakh. There will be a separate cost of purchasing land for the house. Depending on the village, the cost may vary.
Such a house can be built in a short time. The maximum time required to build a house is 4 months.
O’ seekers ! The adverse times are approaching fast. Considering the severity of the times, complete all these processes (Finding a new place, buying or building a house, etc.) as soon as possible in the next 4 months with intense faith in Bhagawan Shrikrushna ! Even if accommodation is arranged in a village, do not move there right away.
8. Some guidelines on the kind of construction
8A. ‘RCC frame structure’ is strong and protects against natural disasters : The ‘RCC frame structure’ construction is strong, durable and safe. The impact of an earthquake on it is minimal. It is also protected from fire and electric shocks. So, it is better to have this type of construction. It can take up to 4 months to build one floor, but for this, the land should be flat and with hard murum so that the construction takes less time. It takes more time to build in hilly areas – up to 6 months; but overall, this type of construction protects against natural disasters such as heavy rains or earthquakes.
8B. ‘Load Bearing Structure’
8B 1. Houses built with ‘load bearing’ method can be compact, cost-effective and time saving : In this type of construction the walls are loaded with ‘slab’ or sheet metal, the outer walls are built thick (broad). This increases the built-up area. If there are brickyards that make good bricks near the place where the house is to be built and the bricks are reasonably priced, it is always advantageous to build using the ‘load bearing structure’ method. These types of houses are compact, cost and time saving even where the upper floor is not to be built. It can take up to 3 – 5 months to build one floor; but for this, the ground should be flat and with hard murum. If the murum in the foundation is not hard, consider using the ‘RCC frame’ method.
8B 2. Houses with ‘load bearing structure’ can be affected by heat or cold : In ‘load bearing’ or ‘RCC frame structure’, the roof can be made of metal sheets or Mangalore roof tiles. If the height of this house is at least 10 feet, the air in the house will be well-ventilated and the temperature will remain stable. Even though these types of houses are suitable for rainy areas, they can be affected by heat or cold.
8B 3. Mud houses (‘Load bearing structure’ in mud mortar) : At times, the white clay needed for construction is available in abundance and at a low cost near the place where the house is to be built. At such a time, when building with well-fired bricks, this clay is used to fill the mortar between the bricks. The walls of this house have to be thicker than usual. Here, the roof can be made of metal sheets or Mangalore roof tiles. This can be 25 – 30% less than the cost of construction with cement and sand.
8C. Considering the type of land, the cost of both the types of construction is the same : The cost of construction of ‘RCC frame structure’ and ‘load bearing structure’ is the same.
1. If construction is done on 800 square feet using ‘RCC frame structure’, then 700 square feet carpet area becomes available (Carpet area – available for use).
2. If construction is done on 800 square feet using ‘load bearing structure’, then 640 square feet carpet area becomes available. (Because, its wall thickness is more.)
This shows that there is not much difference in the construction cost of both the types of houses. So, it is always better to build a house with a strong, durable and low cost ‘RCC frame structure’ !
8D. Container (Pre-fabricated house)
8D 1. Container to be used for a house : Ship containers are used for as containers and making a house in it. The map of such a house is made as per the need in this container. The construction of such houses can take about one to one and a half months. Considering this house from all perspectives, the following aspects are understood.
A. Since these houses are made of iron sheets, they are not fireproof.
B. The house can get an electric shock and can kill the people inside.
C. This type of house can rust in case of heavy rains. Such houses can leak. Constant maintenance is required to remove this rust.
D. The thickness of the exterior metal sheet and overall weight is less. Therefore, in a strong storm, this house is likely to dislodge from its original place.
E. This type of house is not suitable for regions where it is very hot or very cold. The health of the individuals living in such a house can be endangered.
8D 2. These houses not very useful for permanent residency and their construction cost is also not low : According to some, if these houses have insulation, it will not create a problem; but even then, it does not have the required thickness of walls to maintain human health. So, the utility of these houses is not much. Therefore, seekers should take a decision only after considering all these aspects while buying or building such houses.
The cost of construction per square foot of this house is not less. Surveys have shown that these types of houses are mainly built for the lower middle-class population or labour camps.
8E. Precast houses with walls and slabs already built : Such houses are built with walls and slabs already made in concrete. With the help of a crane, this material is brought to the place where the house is to be built.
1. The walls of this type of a house are not very thick. If they are not of good quality, these walls are likely to hold moisture during heavy rains.
2. It costs a lot to build a house or two, but it costs less to build more houses.
3. If the houses are adjacent to each other, it is beneficial to build these types of houses; because the walls between two houses are used as ‘common walls’. So, the house is built in less space; but for this, the number of houses needs to be higher.
Such houses also need permission from the ‘Town Planning Office’. It takes 3 months to build these houses, and they last about 5 years.
In this way, we have read about different types of houses. Seekers should build a house which is strong, durable and protects from lightening, rain or wind with the thought that these houses can be used not only in the adverse times but also in the future.
This article about the adverse times could be written by the grace of Shri Guru. I offer gratitude a million times unto His Holy feet for this !
– Mr. Madhusudan Kulkarni, Sanatan Ashram, Ramnathi, Goa. (10.2.2021)