Residential Interiors --BUDGET / MATERIALS / CHECK LISTS

How Much Should You Budget for the Interiors of Your Home?

How to budget for interiors – say a 3-BHK for wardrobes, living room and kitchen?

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Typically the budget for wardrobes and kitchen is about 10% to 15% of the cost of construction of a home. So for example if your home is 1,000 sq.ft. considering an average cost of 3000 per sq.ft. to build, then your budget should be approx 3 Lakhs (INR 300,000).  Irrespective of what you are paying for the value of the property, just keep in mind the average cost of construction at 3000/-

This is a basic guideline to follow. Depending on how much more room you have to spend or be extravagant, then it goes up from this basic cost.

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Well,  a budget can be based upon the materials to be used for selection irrespective of the design. So, I would say for a very minimal design with budget materials to be used, one can keep in mind of calculating a budget of interiors like say INR 900  / sq.ft rate for the same approximately.

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What should be the ideal per sq.ft cost?

There is no such strict guideline. For an approximate calculation, kitchens are approximately between 1800 and 2000/- per sq.ft. of the shutter area depending on selection of finishes.

Wardrobes are approximately 1500/- to 1800/- per sq.ft. of the shutter area. These are average prices to start with. Sky is the limit.

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We generally give a a rough budget based on materials look and finishing work for the clients to understand and distinguish our work deign concept from the rest.  It can go up to Rs.1,100 to 1,200 sq.ft for a classic look with neat finishing.  This rate includes false ceiling basic design, electrical works and excludes any toilet work or landscaping.

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 What else should one budget for?

When factoring in the cost to budget for a home, keep in mind to factor in:

Woodwork- kitchen, wardobes, TV unit, shoe rack etc.Electrical – lights, fans, geysers, additional wiring and plugs.Soft furnishing – curtains, curtain rods and any accent cushions for your existing furnitureRepainting- this is a must as the walls get dirty during the course of woodwork etc. So consider repainting the home before you move in.Pest control

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What type of material would you suggest for each of the rooms?

For the kitchen we always suggest a waterproof plywood with a laminate finish.

White or cream colored laminate is suggested for the insides of the cabinet as it looks bright once all the things are filled into the cabinets.

For the exterior of the cabinet, any colour of your choice is fine. Keep it to a minimum of 2 colours if you want a combination of colours on the cabinet.

Ideally keep the lower cabinets darker and the upper cabinets lighter colour (whichever cabinet comes above the counter is called an over head cabinet)

Laminates are easiest to maintain and wipe clean. Hence we suggest this for kitchens.

Its available in Hi-gloss, gloss and matt finish.

Wardrobes can be made with commercial plywood and laminate finish if you have a budget restraint. They look as good and are durable as well. A wide range of textures and finishes are available now .

If you have little more of a budget to splurge, go with a veneer finish on the shutters as it is the nearest to a solid wood look on a more economical level.

For big budget homes, we suggest solid wood finish shutters like rubber wood or any other timber that catches your fancy.

Avoid particle board and MDF as they are not long lasting. They may look like a cost effective option but not advisable in the long term as they last only a couple of years.  Please avoid this for kitchens especially as they are not water proof and spoil very soon.

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Checklist Before you Design Your Residential Interiors

Averse to planning and budgeting?

Hate numbers?

Don’t fret. Not after you read this post.

One of the oft-asked questions when you approach an interior designer is “What is your budget?” I cannot stress the importance of planning and budgeting for interiors because this is a huge project, one with many variables than buying the house itself. Often, we don’t know how much money we have and are scared to spend. At the other extreme, people end up buying more with limited resources, resulting in credit card debt. Both the extreme case scenarios are not ideal.

And if you ask me, budgeting for interiors right up to the point of moving in starts well before you begin house hunting. Let’s say, if you can afford to spend Rs.1.5 crores, then ideally your house including registration should not cross 1.35 ~ 1.38 crores considering you don’t want to compromise on interiors. A rough thumb rule used by designers is that one needs to set aside 10% of the house cost on interiors.

In this post, I’m going to list the various elements you need to plan for to move into your new home. Note that some elements maybe applicable, while some may be not depending on the size of your home. This is for a 3 BHK duplex/villa of over 2,000 sq. ft.

1)Wood work. Design charges if applicable.

2)Movable furniture: it is your choice whether you want to buy furniture or get them made. From what we have seen, getting them made is more expensive, though the quality may be better. This category includes bedroom furniture (beds, side tables, mattresses), living room furniture (sofa), dining table, deck chairs.

3)Flooring: if you opt to go for wooden flooring in some rooms, then account for that

4)3-track windows for mosquito mesh, if not provided by default.

5)Soft furnishings: curtains, blinds, cushions etc.

6)Wall treatment: paint/wallpaper/cladding.

7)Appliances: Kitchen (hob/chimney/builtin oven, microwave, dishwasher), bathroom(geyser), electrical (fans, LED/CFL/decorative lights, exhaust fans, tube lights/ ACs).

8)Kitchen: dado tiles in case of modular kitchen, granite, sink, copper piping.

9) Garden landscaping if you have one.

10) Micro cleaning and pest control of the new home after wood work just before you are ready to move in.

11) House warming/gruhapravesh pooja.

12) Shifting charges.

List down these items in an excel. Zero down on the model and the estimated cost for each of the items; the cost for most are available on the net and doesn’t take a physical visit. You will get a realistic idea of how much the whole project would cost. As and when you buy, document the actual cost.

I would like to hear from you. Have I missed something? Do you find this series useful?