by Mr. Yusuf Turab, Y
T Enterprises
The housing market
may have had a rough time of late, but there are still plenty of us looking to
buy a new house.
Whether it is a first
time or / a seasoned house buyer, it is worth remembering that purchasing a
house is one of the biggest decisions one can make.
It is not just the
financial aspect but also the location, size & style of the home that
matter.
It can have a huge
impact on the running cost & the ecological footprint of the house.
Factors that should
influence a home buyer’s decision:
Location is an
important factor.
Consider the
commuting distances & proximity of local facilities. With the rising fuel
costs, it is always worth paying a little extra to live in a location where the
grocery store & some of the other basic amenities are at walkable distance.
Amenities such as
swimming pool, gymnasium, jogging track, club house, steam & sauna, spa,
games room, movie hall & even a golf course are just some of the value-additions
that the developers offer.
What constitutes a
good house in the long term is a building that ensures comfort, health,
well-being, convenience, resilience, safety, durability, and environmental
sustainability.
It should be easy on
the pockets when it comes to maintenance, energy bills (EB) & costs / or hassles associated with water.
The additional
amenities will not serve the purpose if they are not well-maintained. These
also require well-paid, and trained personnel to ensure safe use.
Check if the windows
are single or / double-paned & the doors to feel a draft coming through
around the edges.
Never buy homes that
are not fully day lit or / have too much
direct sunlight coming into the house (in warm climates).
Insist on energy
efficiency measures like appropriate shading, cool roofs, high performance
glazing, efficient lighting, and controls etc...!
The smaller your
living space, less energy is needed to cool & light it. With some thoughtful, careful
interior design, one can create beautiful living environments out of some
surprisingly small spaces.
Smaller house are
likely to be better maintained &
hence, command a higher resale value per square foot compared to big
houses.
Proper Water
Management Plan..!
Never invest in a
project that does not have a proper water management plan and seems unlikely
to be prepared for drought situations.
Check if the project
is harvesting the maximum rainwater possible and is treating all its waste
water on-site to be reused for landscaping, flushing & external uses.
Install water efficient low flow fixtures in bathrooms and kitchen. Water and
energy are intrinsically linked. So, saving water saves energy as well.
A good structure
should have cross ventilation and should have enough fresh air inside.
Insist on fully
operable windows & check if the window area is 13% to 15% of the
floor area.
Look for exhaust
systems in bathrooms & kitchen. Get a list of all the paints, varnishes
& adhesives to be used at house and ensure that these are free of toxic
Volatile Organic Compounds.
Any residential
development must allow & encourage its residents to segregate domestic
wastes and turn it into a resource.
Look for projects
that have separate storage area with different bins for recyclables & a separate facility for composting organic waste
to create manure or / biogas. The recyclables can be sold off and the organic
manure can be used in the garden.
Look for a landscape
plan that is natural to the surroundings, is maintainable, improves
bio-diversity & cuts down on non-functional bits. Trees are good for a lot
more reasons.
Space constraints
should never be an excuse as there are many green roof and living wall
technologies available that can help green urban buildings.
A new home should
have an owner's manual to explain in plain English issues such as how to
operate & maintain heating and cooling equipment, the importance of
cleaning out gutters, what homeowners need to know about the various comfort
features of a house, the names of products & materials used in constructing
the home, and how to inspect for termites or /
other problems.
Any project must
enable & encourage its residents to
live in an environmentally responsible manner.
It is the duty of the
house buyers to buy responsibly, put in a little extra effort gathering project
information & demand highest performance achievable within a budget.
About the author..
Mr. YUSUF TURAB,
Managing Director, Y T Enterprises at Coimbatore
Contact Details:
Y T Enterprises, 18A, Hamsa Layout
R.S Puram,
Coimbatore - 641 002
Tamil Nadu
Tel: +91 (0) 422
4368896
Fax:+91(0) 422
2473697
Principal Consultant
Mr. Yusuf Turab
Managing Director
Email:
yusuf@ytenterprises.com
Yusuf Turab's
Overview
Current:
Managing Director at Y T Enterprises (Sole
Proprietorship) and Co - Owner at Saifee Hardware Mart.
Past -
Manager of ICT at Institute of Hospitality
IT Manager at Institute of Hospitality
Customer Service
Executive at Wilkinsons retail
A self motivated
Ecopreneur & an accredited Green
Building Consultant with a vision of a greener world & a passion for
smarter living, an overwhelming desire to make Y T Enterprises a one stop shop
for carbon neutral living.
Specialties:
Green Building
Consultation, Green Roofs, Waste Management,
Rain water harvesting,Energy Simulations, Web marketing, Project
management, business development, IT, Computer Networking and security and HR
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