Decoding Living Spaces – Choosing between 2 and 3 BHK Apartments

Buying an apartment demands one to make important decisions at almost every step. Out of many such decisions, the most significant has to be the size of the apartment. The size of an apartment has to cater to your family size, budget, and requirements. Also, it’s important to have a comprehensive understanding of the terminologies used by the builder in requirement analysis of a purchaser. Here’s what will help you consider such factors to make an educated decision in choosing the right size for the apartment. Before you mull over buying a 2 and 3 BHK apartment, you need to know certain terminologies and what they stand for in order to get an ally on the right size.

• Carpet Area – The first thing that one gets acquainted with is the carpet area. This is the most important thing that a buyer should be concerned about. Now, what is a carpet area? In simple layman terms, the carpet area is the actual floor area that one can use inside the apartment. It excludes the area on the walls and other spaces exempted from the floor. In other words, it is the area where one can lay the carpet and is generally measured wall to wall taking into consideration the area for the dining room, kitchen, storeroom, balcony and any other room that is there.

 

• Built Up Area– Apart from the carpet area, you need to know about the built-up area, often referred to as the plinth area. It includes the four walls, the terrace, any utility area beside the area marked for carpet. Normally, the built-up area is around ten percent of the carpet area.

 

• Super Built up area – It is the built-up area of a single apartment along with the proportionate area of all common areas like lift shafts, staircases, lobby, and other areas. In some cases, it may also include certain common areas like swimming pool, the garden, car parking or the clubhouse area. It is the actual saleable area.

 

• The load factor–The total amount of extra cost that a developer shall pass on to a buyer for common spaces development is invariably referred to as the load factor. The load factor normally defines the relationship between the carpet and the super-built area. The loading factor throws in the percentage of the difference between the super built-up area and the carpet area. So, lesser loading factor shall account towards less common space and hence more area for your unit. The loading factor is project and city specific and also varies from between 20-50 percent at least.

 

• Floor Area Ratio & Floor Space Index–These two terms are often used on the interchangeable basis and significantly relates to restrictions upon the gross floor area that can be built on it. While Floor Area Ratio is expressed in percentage Floor Space Index is expressed in a ratio. Technically speaking, it is the quotient of the ratio for the gross covered area (built-up area) across all floors in relation to the total plot area. For instance, if any developer says that total floor area is actually two times the plot area then FAR would be 200 and FSI would be 2.

 

Now, that you have gained a good understanding of the terminologies, it’s time to decode the apartment size and choose between 1, 2 or 3 BHK Apartment. The following chart should help you refocus your requirements and zero on your buying decision.

Apartment Size	Merits	De-Merits
2 BHK	Cozy and Compact, less pricey than a 3 BHK Easier to clean or maintain Good alternate to high rental Easier to find tenants if you are planning to rent it out Ideal for bachelors, newly-weds and working couples Load factor per unit is quite low which means more space within your apartment An ideal option for anyone buying a house for the first time or for nuclear families Easy availability	Demand and Supply gap depending on the city where you live Limited space can be an issue for  a growing family High demand often compels the buyer to book a unit really fast; a hindrance if you are cash-crunched and wanted to buy some time. Less chance for a discount  from builders
3 BHK	Abundant space is seemingly the biggest advantage above all. Ideal choices for a large family (above three members )	Difficult to maintain Not a popular choice for rent out Low return on investment

Are you lost over deciding a 2BHK or 3BHK apartment? Are you looking to buy an apartment in a prime location with modern amenities for a blissful life? Look no further than StarOm Millenia where you can choose from between 2 and 3BHK apartments. StarOm Millenia is a premium G+12 High Rise project on B.T Road, North Kolkata. The focus is to create a property with well thought out architecture, a unique design aspect and quality spaces which suits various consumer segments.