Looking for an architect? Check your own design skills first. And certainly avoid hiring Sherin Balachandran Architects from Koramanangala, Bangalore.
The lady was recommended to me by friends, They said she was a woman too and would understand the needs of another woman. They said her houses looked good.
So I trusted her completely. I shouldn't have.
I went to her with a budget and asked her to design within it. She took at least 6 months for the very first design for the two-storey house. She said we'd go by item rate so we could do away with elements I couldn't afford right away. These could be done later.
On this Do Later list was - would you believe it - no plastering for the walls! Have you ever tried leaning against a wall built from rough concrete blocks?
The apartment on the first floor would only be a shell, no finishing - in keeping with my budget. (Which was really about 35 lakhs, so not so poor).
As for design boo boos - her windows in the kitchens are so huge, I've had to rectify them to make space for kitchen counters.
My bathroom has a HUGE window and no ventilator.
My windows have no chajjas. I've had to get iron "monkey caps" installed.
One of my bedroom walls was so thick, the space it required would hold a bed. I decided to make this space. She wanted to make a creative wall in that space. Such a waste!
She had a bullying attitude, which meant I couldn't ask for clarifications easily. I mean, what do I know about construction?
She was insistent about the water tank on the terrace being camouflaged in a pretty way, when that was an extra I couldn't afford to spend.
When I saw that the "finished" house was exceeding my budget by at least 10 lakhs, I asked for a change in the contract with the builder (that's another horror story), We changed the item rate to square foot rate. This meant, the house would be well within my budget.
At this point we'd just finished with the foundation (no pillars- as she said I wasn't building a second floor any time, but pillars make a home stronger). And Sherin had barely visited the site in that time. Just 3 visits at the most and she was supposed to supervise construction - which is partly why her fees were so high. I was to pay 11%. I had already paid her over a lakh by then.
Sherin threw in the towel as soon as I changed to square foot rate. I was glad to see her go, but it meant I would need to supervise construction myself.
So if you're building a house, make sure you hire the right people. Even recommendations need to be double-checked.
