Build smarter in Tamil Nadu

1. Collect the patta, chitta, sale deed, encumbrance certificate and latest tax receipt.
2. Get a site plan and building drawings signed by a licensed engineer or architect.
3. Apply online to the corporation, municipality, panchayat or DTCP, depending on where the plot is.
4. Pay scrutiny and development fees. Keep every receipt.
5. Site inspection by the local body. Approval usually takes 30–60 days.
6. Keep the approved plan at site. Banks need it for home loans.

• Entrance on the north or east side where the plot allows.
• Kitchen in the south-east, with the cook facing east.
• Master bedroom in the south-west.
• Pooja room in the north-east, kept light and open.
• Staircase in the south or west, never at the centre.
• For west- or south-facing plots, we adjust room use rather than lose space.

• Cement: ISI-marked 53 grade for structure. Check the manufacturing date on the bag.
• Steel: Fe550D TMT bars bend without cracking. Ask for the mill test certificate.
• Concrete: M25 for columns and slabs in most homes.
• Bricks or blocks: wire-cut bricks or solid concrete blocks. Both work when cured well.
• Curing: slabs need at least 14 days of water curing. It matters as much as the cement.

• Structure is about 45% of the cost, finishing 25%, services 18%.
• Keep 5–8% aside for approvals, deposits and GST.
• Decide tiles and fittings before the agreement, not during construction.
• Insist on an item-wise BOQ. A single lump-sum figure hides changes.
• Tie every payment to a finished stage, never to a date.

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• Terrace waterproofing with a ponding test before tiling.
• A slope of at least 1:100 towards every rainwater outlet.
• Drip moulds over every window and sunshade.
• Raise the plinth at least 450 mm above road level.
• Clean rainwater pipes and harvesting pits every September.

• Give a trusted relative a limited power of attorney for approvals.
• Agree a weekly photo and video update in writing.
• Choose finishes on video calls with samples held to the camera.
• Release payments only after a video walk-through of each finished stage.
• Plan one trip: for the handover and griha pravesam.