Millennials prefer living in apartments and smaller units because of easy maintenance. That is why you will find more people choosing flats as their abode. Owing to its popularity, there is an increase in the construction of apartments. Builders and constructors in order to quickly construct a building pay less heed to the overall construction quality and the result is a poorly built apartment with cracked walls and a rickety floor. In this blog, we will help you check the construction quality of an apartment so that you make a better decision when investing in a flat.
Let’s take a look at the checklist on how to measure the quality of construction of a flat.
How to Check the Construction Quality of an Apartment
In the current situation where every home is an apartment and every apartment is a skyscraper, the quality factor has become even more crucial. Before investing your life’s savings in buying a flat, go through these quality checkmarks and make the right decision.
- Soil test
- Concrete mix
- Plaster and paint
- Fittings and fixtures
- Safety check features
- Flooring
- Elevator
We will now discuss these in detail.
Soil test
The kind of soil on which the foundation of your apartment is built is crucial for ensuring the building’s stability. The ground soil differs from one place to the other and it is therefore important to check the quality of soil on the construction site before building an apartment. Foundation made with clay and black cotton soil is not durable as it usually expands and shrinks, which is not suitable for construction.
Experts recommend using bedrock and loam soil for building construction. It is important that every builder gets the soil tested and certified by the government before they initiate the construction process. Before you purchase an apartment, make sure the buyer checks the certification from the builder.
Concrete mix
If you want to check the building’s stability, then check the tested concrete grade documents from the builders. The concrete mixture varies from apartment to apartment depending on the load and how tall the apartment is.
The concrete mixtures are known as grades like M20. Some builders and constructors don’t get the concrete grade tested in a laboratory as to how much load the apartment can bear. Therefore it is important to ask the owner of the building for the tested concrete grade documents before making the purchase.
Paint, wall and flooring
When you first enter the apartment, take a good look at the outer walls and the paint of the house. If the plaster or the paint is coming off then it means the apartment is not in a good shape or it is quite old and would require major maintenance cost once you start living in it. Also, take a close look at the exterior and interior walls for any particular signs of uneven surfaces or any seepage issues. In some buildings, the seepage problem is persistent which makes the construction quality quite poor.
To check the quality of construction of an apartment, give a hard tap on the wall and check the amount of sound produced. If the sound is high, it means the walls are of better quality. To check if the flooring is constructed properly, roll out some marbles on the floor. If it slopes down to one side it means the flooring is uneven.
Fittings and fixtures
The electricity fixtures and bathroom accessories are also important deciding factors when choosing an apartment. If the fixtures are of poor quality it shows the constructors did not pay much attention to detail in the construction process or have compromised on the quality of construction materials.
From laying the foundation to the finishing stages, the construction materials used should be of top quality which ensures a building’s stability in the long run. Bad or cheap fittings in the kitchen can be quite problematic.
Safety check features
One of the best ways to check an apartment’s construction quality is to watch out for the safety features. Is there an emergency and fire exit in the flat? Where are the exits? If you have small kids at home and the apartment is a tall one, then be sure the windows and balconies are secured properly. Moreover, the stairways outside the apartment should be wide enough so that you can comfortably walk into your unit.
Elevator
Most of the flats being constructed now come with a lift. The elevator should have these features:
Speed Governor – This device controls the speed of the elevator
Overtravel – Electromechanical limit switches avoid collision from the ceiling with the ground
Automatic Rescue – During any emergency service or a power cut, this battery-operated device brings the lift to the nearby floor
Buffer Springs – These are high-grade springs under the elevator which absorb some mechanical energy & reduce the impact of falling lift on the people inside.
We hope this guide on the construction quality check of a flat will help you make an informed decision. In case you are buying a house, read our checklist to understand the construction quality of a house. If you are planning to construct a house of your own, then don’t forget to read our construction cost guides:
- Construction Cost of a 5 Marla A Category House in 2020
- Construction Cost of a 10 Marla A Category House in 2020
- Construction Cost of a 1 Kanal A Category House in 2020
- Construction Cost of a 5 Marla A+ Category House in 2020
- Construction Cost of a 10 Marla A+ Category House in 2020
- Construction Cost of a 1 Kanal A+ Category House in 2020
Stay tuned to the Zameen Blog, the best real estate blog in Pakistan for regular updates. Don’t forget to write to us at blog@zameen.com and we will surely get back to you. Make sure you subscribe to the Zameen Newsletter appearing on the right hand side of the page if you want to stay abreast with the latest happenings in the real estate industry of Pakistan.
