Periyavunga ezhudhi vacha pazha mozhi ovvondrum anubhavathaal ezhudhi vachirukkanga... We realize those only when we really get into it. There is a very famous saying as
"Veeta Katti Paaru.. Kalyanatha Panni Paaru.."
We are really recognizing the pain with which it is said. Though it is a sweet pain for some good cause, they have really meant these words..
It was a dream of us to build our own house (Each and every one have this dream). We initially started searching for a site to construct an individual house. Myself and Sankar was not interested in owning an apartment. we wanted to construct a small and cute house for our own choice. We searched for around two months and noticed that most of the sites in bangalore are not the registered ones and lots of forgery that was done in real estate. On no way we wanna give a chance for that to happen in our case and as no one at home
knows to speak Kannada its tough to manage if it is a individual house. And we cannot commit ourself more on the construction in the other state.
Later point of time we decided that for the situation now, apartment is the fine choice and the safest choice. Our initial budget was not more than 25L. We searched in and around the places we are in. We were surprised to see the cost and the construction quality of many of the apartments. Out criteria of search was very simple, it should not be outside the city, should be easily commutable and should have a school and hospital nearby. The search for apartment went around for 3 months and Sankar was not satisfied with any of the ones. I was ready to compromise with something but Sankar was very specific in his needs.
We got to see an advertisement on the apartment for sale in Koramangala 8th block. Sankar was very much interested on the place and he was already staying in that area. Koramangala is one of the Posh location in bangalore. We had a look into the apartment and it was in a good location and the apartment was in the bazaar. Though we can see some slums near by the location of the apartment was quite good. The price even was not too high for that area. We managed to select a small apartment as we dont wanna get more loan.
We booked the flat by June 2009 and the builder promised that the flat would be ready by Jan. These were the time in which we understood how tough is building a house. Though all the pain is taken care by the builder. Myself and sankar was very much tired and engaged in looking after the work over the weekends. Sankar wanted the best of all things in a affordable price and we planned and selected things as per our wish.
Made what all the modifications we wanted in our flat. Took away the balconies in kitchen as well as the master bed room. Made the kitchen wall half open. wanted to have a breakfast table there. Changed the provision of TV cabinet to the opposite side. We made the changes what all we felt to look good. The block work completion was over by august and the builder started the plastering work soon. The fixing of the window frames and door frames was done and the plastering of the flat was over by Oct. Our next decision
would be the interior. we decided not to spend more on the interior but wanted to do the best. Firstly we planned to bring people from Karur. Later we decided to book someone here.
Meantime the loan was released from the bank after lots of trouble. It was very painful for us to get the loan from CanFin homes though we went through a mediator called Nagaraju. The delay in loan processing lead to many misunderstanding between the builder and us. The loan was released sometime in oct and we started with paying the interest alone.
The next work to start is the tiling work. Initially we decided to put the tiles which buidler is offering. but after viewing some of the sample flats with the tiles which he used we wanna go out for the tiles as per our wish. We concluded to go to Nitco tiles as we felt branded ones would be of good quality and we decided upon our tiles for the two bath room. Even this tile selection got lot of confusion as the tile delivery was not on time and tile count mismatch and tile color mismatch etc..
Dad supervised the house during th tiling work. The bathroom's were the first place to get tiled up and it came out good. Next was the floor tile, even that came out as we expected. Somehow our selection went wrong in the Kitchen tile. It looked good when we saw it in the showroom but it didt come out well as we expected once the plastering was done. Even sankar's parents were not happy with the tiles. To compensate that we selected the borders for it and it became quite wide and the place for cupboard work was reduced.
Siva, our next flat owner became a very good friend of us and we enquired him on the interior person. He was familiar with a guy who did interior for his friend and he trusted that his work was good. We did call the person for estiamting our house for the work we asked for. He said the price to be around 2.5 Lakhs. we felt it to be too high and beyond our budget and we roamed around to see other peoples. But looking into the workmanship of other carpenters, we felt even if the cost is high the work would be good if we do with the interior named Amith and called him back for the deal. The deal was made ok and we put the agreement for the interior work in a day or two.
Sankar though he does things as per his wish he always gives more values to others view on the things he does. The same goes with the house. He always asks others whether the flat is good. Is it looking so small.. like that and get worried on hearing others views. I always say him to do things as per his wish as we are the peoples who are gonna stay in the home and not the others. He always feels bad for the kitchen tile selection. But i felt it was ok. once the cupboard work is done it would be looking good.
The putty work for the house was done in short time and the window doors were fixed. The main door was placed. We did have pooja for the same sometime in November. Athai, maama, thambi and Rathi came from karur and the pooja went fine placing the main door in a good time putting all the navarathnam and things underneth.
The cupboard work started in december. When the basic frame work was started we felt the cupboard work is very less and doubted whether this storage would be sufficient for keeping our things (we still have that thought). Selected the sheet color. I preffered to have it as per sankar's wish as his selection would always be good. The T.V panel came out very nice. The cupboard for both the rooms were done and we decided to have an extra shelf in the kitchen for the Oven. Once the lamination work was done with the combination of sheets we selected it came out very well. The house looked neat and the cupboard work didnt supress the size of the house.
Next was the decision on the house warming. I wanted to have it in January as it was Thai maasam. Sankar was not at all interested to have it in jan as the house work was not compelte and he felt reluctant to call his office peoples to have a look at the flat. I was not bothered on all those things. My only intension was to have it on a good day as we need to spend the rest of our life there and paapa has to be brought up in that house. Atlast Sankar accepted to have it in January as decided during the trip to Karur on new year.
The house warming day was decided and i wanted to have pathirikkai printed as this was the first occasion we ourself is doing and it ended up in lot of problems. Atlast all the problem was sorted out and the pathirikai was distributed to our close relatives and friends. Sankar and me roamed around to invite people and arrange for lodging and lunch for the peoples to come in. We booked rooms in Sri Grand Krishna a posh n neat hotel and arranged food in Mouli's catering. It was pongal that time and we celebrated pongal in our house in bangalore for the first time. This was the first pongal with Divya. Pooja at home went on well. Ordered for the new stove and chimney. Wanted to get the chimney fixed on that day but somehow they were not able to make it as it was pongal.
House warming is on Jan 18th but we decided to bring people here a day before and send them for sight seeing. As decided everyone started by 16th night (friday) and reached bangalore by 17th morning(saturday). Arranged for sight seeing that morning in Sri Sakthi travels. Received all of them that morning and rushed to catch the bus after getting freshed up. We cooked and packed the lunch for that noon as they may not like the food of karnataka. Jana maama and maami was about to reach bangalore. I was very happy that they are coming to our house warming. Received them on the way and welcomed them home. They decided to stay at home rather than in hotel.
We collected up all the necessary things needed for the pooja. Most of them were brought from Karur itself which made things very easy. Listed out the missed out things and we brought all the fruits needed from Madiwala market. Dad and maama went to City market to get the flowers needed. Atlast everything was brought and things are in place. Ayyar for the next day pooja reached bangalore late and booked a room for them to stay. We are supposed to have a pooja on Jan 17th night and made things ready and started to our new home. We picked up the poojaries on the way and reached home. After reaching home they made thigns ready and we need to do vastu pooja then. We started rushing for things here and there and it was all arranged up. The pooja started around 10 P.M. They did pooja in a good way and Ramireddy (the builder's supervisor) was with us doing all the things which masthiri was supposed to do. Vastu pooja was done on the corridor thanking all the grahas and Vasthu bhagavan for the land and to purify the place. It was almost 11 P.M when all the pooja was over. We turned abck home and rushed to sleep as we need to get up early and was damn tired.
People who went for sight seeing reached very late as thier shopping and stuffs took lot of time, that night we didnt have anyone to help us and it was all we managed to do things. Ran between the ground floor and 2nd floor hundred's of times. Intimated them to get ready by 5 the next morning for the pooja.
We kept alarm by 3 A.M but was very tired to get up. Athai was the first person to take bath and get ready and next was my mom. I decided to go next as i need to get Divya ready. Wore pattu saree and took things needed for Divya(milk, dress etc.,) by the time everyone was ready sankar lost his patience and started shouting as it was very late. We left Dad and Jana maama at home and started first. Asked them to come in auto later. Picked the poojaries on the way and reached our new flat.
The pooja was started and we both were asked to sit in the pooja and it went on smoothly. divya was with us for sometime and then started crying due to the smoke with come out of the yaaga kuntam. we were asked to change the dress, the wore the new pattu saree and sankar in pattu vetti sattati.. he was looking very pretty in that. i love to see him that way. Wore new dress to divya as well. Milk was boiled in good time and We sat in the pooja and after 1-2 hours the pooja was over. Got good money from relatives and morning breakfast was ready by that time.
One by one everyone started with thier breakfast and it was good. Jana maama and Maami wanna leave as maama was not well. Gave them send off and sent dad along wit them to house to take thier luggages. All the relatives had thier breakfast. Sankar and me was waiting for our friends to clear off the breakfast buffet. Senthil came first and then comes Siva, Prabu and saravanan. Dalou rushed in the last moment and gave the gift and turned back without having the bfast.
Started clearing things and cleaning the house. Our office friends are supposed to come by 12.30 that noon. Sankar and me sat for sometime after a long tiring day and started setting up the things ready.
Sankar's office friends reached first and they had a visit at the flat.Sankar was very curious to hear thier comments and it was all positive. Sankar started with the lunch and all his office friends had thier lunch. Meanwhile Divya and Jyothi reached the flat and received them to the flat. They looked around the flat
and in shorttime my teammates from oracle came in. Received them and took them to the flat. It was all in a mess at that time. Dont know whom to receive and with whom to go. Was scared whether will miss to treat someone well. Offered lunch for the friends in office and i joined with them. Relatives started having thier lunch then. I was very happy that Karthik and Dupati joined for lunch. Sankar and me was very relaxed only then that the function went on well and offered the remaining lunch to the labours in the flat.
In sometime People from karur started packing up things to go back home. Someone need to stay at home. Sankar and me decided to stay that night. I was damn tired as i climbed the stairs so many times. Was surprised to see sankar active as he was a weak person. Reached home by 3 that evening. All helped to get the things reach home and settled up the things. Sankar's relatives started back to karur. We rested for sometime. Evening wanted to settle up money for the people from whom we rented the tent and chairs. We went to flat to meet Kailash and Siva his office friends and turned back home soon.
After dinner, we dont wanna let divya stay in the new home as she may not be comfortable sleeping in the mat in the cold breeze. I packed up things like mat and bedsheet to stay there that night. We both wanted to sleep badly as we were very tired. Arranged up things to sleep but was very cold and couldnt sleep at all. Spoke upon things for sometime and slept as such. When we woke up it was 7.30 and rushed to home locking the flat.
Still more to go.. May take two more months for the completion.
