Most of the Nepalese people have a dream to buy home in
Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal. Some people would prefer to construct a
house in their land, but land is too scarce in central Kathmandu. So, it is a
smart idea to buy home in Kathmandu if you want to live in busy cities. Many
homes are now in sale. The problem is you are not an engineering specialist and
don’t know whether the price of the home you are buying is worth paying it.
Here, we explain you the things you should consider why you
buy a home in Kathmandu.
The year in which the home was built
Earthquake in 2072 had hit Kathmandu city and damaged a lot
of homes. After the earthquake, the municipalities inside the Kathmandu valley
decided to standardize the minimum column size to 12 inches by 12 inches. Homes
in Kathmandu used to have 9 inches by 9 inches’ minimum column size. It is
always safer to buy a home where the column of size 12 inches by 12 inches have
been used.
Cracks in structural elements of Home
Most of the homes in Kathmandu have framed structure. And
the main structural members in the framed structure are column, beam and slab.
If there are any cracks appearing in the column, beam or slab, that home should
be rejected because the building might be prone to major damage in future
earthquakes.
If the home you are buying is a load bearing structure, you
must see for cracks in every wall and verify that they are not structural
cracks.
4 Inches of Outer Wall
While some people may argue that walls are not structurally
significant and thickness of outer walls can be limited to a mere 4 inches, the
building suffers from the problem of seepage, noise and temperature if the
outer walls are just 4 inches thick. Kathmandu has slanted rainfall and outer
walls often catch rainfall- most often in box styled houses. If the walls are
just 4 inches, the wall can undergo seepage. And though Kathmandu has warm
summer, it also has chill winter. 4 Inches outer wall is not enough to bear
cold temperature of Kathmandu. And Kathmandu is very noisy too. Therefore, 4 inches’
outer wall doesn’t fulfill the concept of sweet and comfortable home.
Material Used in Doors and Windows
If the materials used in doors and windows is wood, then the
doors and windows are expensive. Woods like Saal and Seesam are costlier and
Nepali wood is costlier than Indian or Malaysian wood currently available in
Nepalese market. If wood hasn’t undergone expansion in a home after about 5
years of construction, your building will always be free from problems of doors
and windows. If you want durability, you should go for a home with aluminum
door and windows instead of UPVC doors and windows. However, if you are more
concerned for looks, UPVC doors and window frames have high finishing quality
than Aluminum frames.
Quality of granite and Marble and their use
You must look for a home with
high quality of granite and marble. For areas where there is more movement of
people, always prefer granite in a home you are buying than marble. For low
traffic area, marble can also suffice the need.
If possible, you can check the
quality of marble used in the home. If you drop 3 to 4 drops of lemon, a bad
quality marble will absorb all drops of lemon whereas a good quality marble
will not absorb lemon drops.
For checking the quality of
granite, you should see the shine of granite. If the polish is uniform and
shine is good, then the granite quality is found to be unique.
Compare your Requirement with the design of home
Your realtor might make you see a
lot of homes in Kathmandu. But all homes are customized for the person who
constructed it. Most of the homes you will see will not suffice your
requirement and expectations. Make a list of features you want in your future
home and give it to your realtor. The realtor will see the matching home for
you and finally make you buy home in Kathmandu.
Give attention to plumbing and seepage
The owner of the home might have hidden
the seepage defects by just applying fresh putty and two coats of paint. There
might be a lot of plumbing defects. Similarly, the rebar may have rusted
because of previous seepage problems. You must also check for the cover given
to the rebar in structural member. For that you can remember skillsewa because
we use covermeter in your preferred real estate to find out whether appropriate
cover in beams, slabs and columns have been maintained.
Find out Average Price of Home in the locality
You must compare the price which the owner had asked with
the price of similar homes in the same locality. Homes in Kathmandu have
varying price according to the importance of locality. Locality where the rent
is expensive will cost higher than the home whose rent is cheaper. You can find
out various ways to compare. For example, you can find out a property where
transaction has taken place recently.
2 months ago