Trip to Kozhencherry,Aranmula-Aranmula mirror

I had a client request for inspection of existing house at Kozhencherry.House built about three years back in rock solid laterite soil is developing cracks .Owner of the house,Mr.Murali Nair who is an NRI on leave to his native place requested me to come and inspect house and find out why cracks are developing on walls . Everyday he get bad dreams of his house built about three years back with plinth area about 2800 sft crumbling down with cracks developing on walls.

While building house at Ranni and also at Thiruvalla,I have faced hostile local people assembled in large numbers for not following their generally accepted foundation construction methods.

Even if the soil is very strong laterite,they dig about six feet depth for foundation.Then on bottom of it they put concrete without reinforcement and lower mix ratio about 1:5:10 for a thickness of about 10 cm.Then they simply dumb rubble without proper packing in to that almost six feet depth and without force filling  with water and sand,they build basement with rubble using cement mortar at a ratio of 1:10.Deeper the excavation for foundation,they think foundation is stronger.If you go against this generally accepted practice,you will not be allowed to build in any other manner reducing depth of foundation.Almost every person staying at a radius about 5 Km will come to the building site and will check and supervise the work being done.

At Ranni I had to threaten to leave the work to build foundation in the proper technically correct manner.At Thiruvalla,they were more strict.I had to leave the work for not following their practices.Later when the house was completed at Ranni,all those who were against our method of work agreed that our method of work is correct and started ridiculing others following their old practices.

When I checked up cracking walls of 2800 sft house built by Mr.Murali Nair about three years  back with close supervision of a local builder who is also a close relative of him,spending about Rs.35 lakhs,I noticed that the foundation was sinking and cracks developed due to this.Naturally their generally accepted method of foundation which actually do not give proper strength to foundation is the reason behind development of these cracks.

Having reached the place,I also did a Vasthu evaluation of the house and suggested some modifications possible without spending extra money.

Look at the amount of money spent by him about three years back.He could have constructed the house with better design and better quality saving about Rs.10 lakhs had he taken care to obtain professional assistance and guidance in design and construction of that house.This house has several design drawbacks and lot of wastage of size,improper planning etc.But all those Mr.Nair will have to suffer through out life of that building.If only he could spend few thousands initially for a professional Architect,he could have obtained a better design for the house.A professional if involved during construction could have ensured proper engineering and quality of construction and finally with all these benefits,he could have saved lakhs of money

On my way back ,I passed through Aranmula famous for Aranmula mirror about which I have only heard about earlier.I found out a place where they made these special and unique mirror without use of glass.They actually use an alloy and rub it continuously using different sizes of sand paper progressively till you get mirror finish or in fact mirror quality.Major component of this alloy is brass and because of this when you touch the Aranmula mirror with your fingers,salt from your sweat will adversely affect the visibility of the mirror.So the craftsman gave me red oxide and tissue paper to clean surface of mirror after touching by hand.

I purchased a medium type Aranmula mirror costing about Rs.2000/-You can see the craft man holding that river with a smile in the picture.Bigger variety shown in picture without glass inside will cost about Rs.35,000/- with Aranmula glass inside.

They get mostly export orders as people abroad are more fascinated by this special mirror manufactured only at Aranmula and according to him this Aranmula mirror is likely to have a silent death within few years as not many are interested to learn the art of making Aranmula mirror as other jobs are more lucrative for youth of present day Aranmula.

He also told me that the belief is that if you keep an Aranmula mirror in your house,you will become more prosperous.So I am keeping the mirror in my office.Let us see whether  more prosperity will come my way.

Now look at pictures

Foundation-Soil Investigation

There are lot of wrong concepts,beliefs and wrong practices on construction of houses in Kerala depending upon location.As I have built houses in almost all parts of Kerala,I have come across these local practices and beliefs many a time and had tough time convincing local people especially in the interior parts of Kerala as almost the entire population around construction site will come to the site to supervise,question and offer free advices and suggestions sometimes cautioning the owner,sometimes threatening him with dire consequences and always opposing what we “coming from Cochin”  are doing.

First of all you have to assess the soil condition technically.In stable soil conditions,an experienced Construction Engineer will be able to assess the soil nature and suggest appropriate foundation design.In places like Cochin where most of the land is filled up or marshy area with practically not even a trace of sand even up to depths as high as 40 feet,a proper professional soil test will be essential to find out what type of foundation will be required.

While conducting such a soil test they will dig the place where the house has to come up up to about 45 feet and will collect samples of soil on the way to depths.These samples of soil will be tested in Engineering laboratory and a proper professional soil test report will be given to you.This report will be passed on to a Structural Consultant(An Engineer who has done post graduation in Structural Engineering) preferably with experience in designing structures for many years in that area.

Structural consultant will give a foundation design prepared using a software called STAAD in consultation with the Construction Engineer/Architect concerned.For smaller plots one bore for soil test will be sufficient normally done at centre of the plot.For bigger plots,more no of soil test bores will have to be used.

Engineering Estimate

After the Plan is finalised an Engineering organisation dealing with house construction will be able to give you a detailed item wise,step by step costing at least for the structure part.

From the drawings they will calculate quantity of each item of construction like brick work,concrete,plastering etc . Using data available with them about cost of inputs required for construction of each item in the Estimate like material,labour and other expenses involved,unit rates for each item can be calculated to a greater extent of correctness depending upon extent of their involvement with  regular construction activity.

If you simply get an Engineering Estimate from a design office or those with little day to day contact with actual construction activity,even though quantity of each item calculated may be correct,costing figures need not necessarily be correct as cost varies rapidly in Kerala conditions.

For work after structural work like foundation,brickwork,concreting it will be better to attempt to take cost figures after completion of structure work.One of the main reason for this is that for after structure work there are so many options each varying in cost figures at greater difference.Depending upon fund availability and your taste for finishing and interior works,cost figures will vary.You will need the guidance and assistance of your Architect in plenty at this stage even though many people think that Architect and Structural Engineer is required only at structure stage

Site clearing,leveling and filling

Once the Architect mark four boundaries of the place where your house will come up,you will have to clear that space by removing or cutting down trees or any other items that may exist in the space.

While cutting down trees make sure that you remove tree routes also.Removing root of the tree later will be difficult after cutting down top above soil portion of the trees.

It is better not to do any leveling or filling of the space before  foundation work except in case of piling foundation where you will require a clear level filled space.In the case of rubble foundation,you can do the filling after foundation rubble work is done.

After the site is cleared your architect will have to do set out of the building at site.In some cases Architect may issue a Set out plan of the house and work in charge may do this set out work.But it will be better to do this very important step of construction in presence of the person who designed the house as he will be able to make any minor changes if required on the spot.

Set out of the plan is nothing but drawing plan of your house on the land where it comes with strings and posts.Traditionally it was called as “Kutti adi”.Central line of the brick wall is  drawn by using strings and wooden posts.

Loosing technology of our elders

There are so many specialties of construction of houses in Kerala adopted by our earlier experts of House construction.Most of these die with that expert as he never bothers to pass on the knowledge to next generation.With his death ,the technology dies.

We have heard a lot on Perumthachan.There are  exceptionally great work of Architecture used in temple construction at Uliyannoor  near Alwaye where Perumthachan used to live.Whatever extra ordinary capabilities Perumthachan had in designing and building is not available in any books and nobody has made an attempt to study specialties of those buildings.Similarly the technology of making tiled roof with wooden rafters which was so common in Kerala of yester years is practically lost as it is very difficult to find people who know about such roof structure work now as nobody practically do such roof work now.In one of the houses which I built about ten years back,owner of the house(An Advocate of high court of Kerala,who is no more now) insisted on having such a roof for portion of his house facing a lake at Kadavanthra in Cochin.Even though he called me to see the work in progress,even I did not bother to learn the technique from those carpenters.

There are so many special features of olden days Kerala Architecture which are simply forgotten.It will be good if some one can at least make a study of such features by visiting such old buildings and houses in Kerala.Thekkanattu Parayil house at Thycattussery near Cherthala which is about 120 years old is one of those remarkable houses using olden days Kerala architecture features.

Locating position to build house

This is again something used to be done by Asaris as a part of their secret knowledge never explained how to anyone.The so called”Sthanam Kanal” will be done by the Asari by performing so many intricate steps like telling the owner of the house to cut a tree branch from anywhere in the plot.

Owner of the house is supposed to walk towards east and cut a tree branch which has flowing fluid coming out when you cut the tree branch.Some of the owners must be knowing this and they will walk correctly and cut the correct tree branch.If they do not do like this knowingly or unknowingly then construction of house is not supposed to be auspicious.

Question of locating position of house arises only when you have more space in the land.If you have a three cents plot and after leaving free spaces as per Building rules,you do not have much options.

I have tried to enquire with these sthanam kanal experts about how they go about locating most appropriate place for house in a larger plot,nobody was willing to part with the secrets.So I searched Vasthu books about this issue.

In a larger plot,you divide the land into four equal parts.Then position your house in the North east part and in cases where north east part is not big enough to have a house,keep it as close as possible to North East.North East in any case is Easanya which is the most auspicious place of the land.So this is as simple as that and you can find out the most appropriate place for house now without having to call an Asari who will simply make lot of exhibition of words and acts before he finally put that first wood post to mark location of house without ever explaining why he chosen that place.

Again as Per Vasthu books this first “kutti adikkal”(placing wooden post to mark beginning of house construction) should be done at the most auspicious time by consulting an Astrologer.This being the first act of construction is more important than usual Stone laying ceremony which is just a function and nothing more.

Vasthu compliance

Almost everyone irrespective of religion and cast are now aware of importance of Vasthu in designing and building a house.Some people think of Vasthu as a superstitious belief.Vasthu is not superstition or blind belief.It is basically a science which deals with effect of polarity on human beings developed  by old sages of India.

Like many sciences developed by old Indian sages, several aspects of Vasthu are also lost especially those dealing with why certain effects happen.Such loss has happened mainly because of reluctance of our old sages to teach the knowledge they acquired till they find a student good enough for teaching.Sometimes they will never find that good student and the knowledge acquired by the sage will die with him.All science and other knowledge oceans we have are passed on to next generation through books and in normal case,next generation after studying and understanding knowledge already acquired try to improve upon that.

One area where there is no clear cut written information is  available is on House construction In Kerala.That is why I started writing these blogs using my experience in designing and building houses in Kerala.

During my years in designing and building houses,I have seen and heard the influence of Vasthu factors in the life of people living in houses.With these first hand knowledge I can tell that Vasthu as written in books are completely correct and it influences life of people.But Vasthu is one area where there are so many crooks with little or no knowledge in Vasthu but pretends to be experts in Vasthu .They emphatically tell people totally wrong ideas as vasthu factors.Most of them belong to old “Asaries”of Kerala.

As Per Vasthu there are four sections in a house.North East portion is called Eesanya.This is ideal for Pooja room and this area should be kept neat and tidy.This is the only area where there can be well for the plot.Our old asaris used to keep Kitchen in North East and some of those crooks who call themselves as experts of Vasthu insists on advising people to put Kitchen at North East which is not correct and it will give bad effects to people staying in the house.

Second zone is South east. It is called Agni kone and it is ideal for Kitchen.If you have a Bed room at South east it will give very bad effects.South West is called Nairudhi and North West is called Vayu corner.Ideal position for Bed room is at South west.In an office the Chief should sit at south west.North West can be second option for Kitchen.If you want to study Vasthu get book on Vasthu available at The Avenue  Press,25,D’Silva Road,Mylapore.Chennai-600004.Please do not simply believe all those self proclaimed experts on Vasthu who will definitely misguide you.

I had several experiences of these crooks misguiding my clients as I do not wear a Kaavi mundu and sport  a long beard to look like a Vasthu expert like these crooks.While designing house for a Marine Engineer at Edappally I have kept all rooms at Vasthu correct positions.But the owner of the house wanted to cross check with a Namboodiri who is the self proclaimed expert of Vasthu in Kerala and he get the maximum business for Vasthu consultation In Kerala.Almost everyone desirous of Vasthu compliance simply believes him and he due to his ignorance advice them wrong positions.Whatever plan of the house you take to him ,he will say that Vasthu is wrong.He has got a drawing section who will redraw the plan and will charge for redrawing the plan.Only if you redraw then only you can get money from the client.So he make money by misguiding people.

This Marine Engineer client of mine got the plan redrawn  by the Namboodiri resulting in wrong Vasthu positions.After few years he started getting wrong effects in the house and then he called another Vasthu expert who fortunately was knowledgeable on Vasthu.He told my client about wrong positions of rooms and then he called me.Fortunately I had copy of original plan with me untampered by the great Vasthu Namboodiri.So the new expert told my client that all changes made by the Namboodiri was wrong.I had several clients who go to him after getting plan from me and then he changes positions of rooms.Luckily in the recent past he made only dimension changes for a Plan and kept room positions as I kept.I do not know What happened to him.

Then there is this so called story of “Chuttalavu” and “Maranachuttu” talked about by our local Asaris which do not have any mention in Vasthu books.My attempts to learn this from old Asaris was not producing any effect as none of them was willing to part with the secret.Finally I got a fellow who after making me promise not to tell the secret to any one told me the great story of Marana Chuttu.I have not told anyone this secret even after years.This deals with chuttalavu or perimeter of plan of the house.Take this measurement in meters.Convert the measurement into old measurement system in Kerala.Instead of feet introduced by British people and meter introduced in India after independence,they used Kol as measurement unit.One kol is 0.72 meters.If you convert perimeter of a house into kol and divide it by a certain number, the result should not be a whole number.If it is so the owner of the house will die immediately after completing the house.This is called Maranachuttu.If it is exactly in between two numbers say something like 3.5,then the perimeter of the house is supposed to be highly auspicious.

I do not understand the logic of this.It is as good as assigning divinity to the measurement system called Kol and Angulam which cannot be true and hence this story of maranachuttu does not have any scientific basis and can only be a lie by these crooks.These local self proclaimed experts of Vasthu insists on having this safe perimeter for each room also and I do not follow these as in my opinion,this has no justifiable basis of correctness.