Check list - HOTO from builder and later from interiors team

 

Since you’ve booked your property after your due diligence w.r.t property, documentation etc, you are eagerly waiting for taking possession of it. When the time has finally come after all the relevant paper work has been completed with the builder, you would get keys to your property. But before taking the handover from the builder, it is imperative that you do certain checks to make sure that you are getting what you’ve been promised. Below are a few items which I’ve tried to put together so that they can form a check-list for individual flat’s/villa’s handover.

Wall undulations – This is the most generic flaw that you’ll find in masonry, however with varying degrees as a more professional and reputed builder will take care to minimize it and you will probably see a larger degree of deviation in a regular builder/civil contractor construction. In either case – it is best to check and identify the issue at the very beginning if possible, as there will not be much that you can do about it later on. Also, cracks in the walls need to be checked and that there should not be any major ones apart from the hair line cracks which can be filled up with putty.

Hollow or broken tiles – From a generic glance, the flooring may seem to be perfect w.r.t the workmanship. But in a closer look you may find faint cracks or hollow tiles which are intact at this point, but they are bound to break in the near future. Cracks are something that can be identified by paying a bit more attention to each and every tile, no matter how tedious the job is. Hollow tiles are something that are impossible to find out with visual inspection – the only way to find out is to tap each tile on all corners and in the center using a wooden stick, where you can feel a different sound when the tile is hollow. This is something that has to be done primarily for two reasons, one they will break sooner or later and two you would not find a matching tile outside even if you choose the same brand and code. So it is better that you have the builder change it for you or at least have a few tile boxes kept aside specifically for you to use as needed.

Electrical points – Check to see that there is power in all the electrical boards (carry a bulb/tester), check the two way functionality wherever provisioned, operating of switches should be smooth. Ensure proper earthing/MCB load balancing and separate MCBs for AC points (you’ll probably need the help of a professional electrician for these checks).

Door frames/Windows/Locks – Ensure that all the locks of each door are locking perfectly with ease and also that the doors are not jammed. Check to see that the door frames and doors are not cracked and are free from borer infestation (you can identify this by closely observing if the door or frame have any tiny holes or if there is wood powder on the floor). Slide or open all the windows to check if they are working and locking as expected.

Window/Balcony grills – If the builder has provided window grills, check to see that they are not loosely fit and shaky.

Plumbing – There should not be any water leakage from the inputs to the taps (angle cocks), no dripping of water from the taps, general functioning of the commodes and handguns to the expectations. If any point has provision for hot and cold water for e.g. in kitchen, wash basins – check to see that both are functional (you’ll need a source for hot water for this check).

Bathrooms – Water slopes, leakage from slab above and clutter free drain outlets are the key points to check for here. Ensure that the water is flowing towards the drain by gravity and also that the drain outlet is relatively free of any clutter. To check the leakages from the slab above or to the slab below yours, you can run the taps for a while and see if there are any spots visible on the ceiling level. This probably will take more time to show up and one needs to have patience for this one as this will be a pain point in future if not taken care of immediately. Corrective measures like water proofing might have to be redone.

AC copper pipes – if the builder has provided the copper piping for AC points (in case of sheer wall construction, they usually do provide), it is good to have them checked for leakage (this can be done by the HVAC professional using Nitrogen test) so that any leakages can be addressed before you go about installing the gypsum ceiling which might have to be broken down to rectify if you found a leakage at a later point of time.

Safety systems – Double confirm that your safety systems like fire sprinklers, smoke and heat detectors are working. Just pushing a button on smoke and heat detectors will give you an idea, but it is prudent to have it checked thoroughly by the builder as they would have robust testing tools/methods. Similarly, have the fire sprinklers checked with the builder beforehand.

Utility meters – Check to see that the utilities meters like gas, electrical and Water meters are working properly and are ideally at 0 position (not practical, but at least the readings should be on the minimal side and to be noted down).

Internet, cable points – Check to see if they are given at the desired places and are not tampered.

Complete set of keys – Finally, you need to get complete set of keys to all the locks of your home.

Make sure that you receive all the electrical, civil and plumbing diagram files (CAD/pdf versions) from the builder as in the next phase, you will need them and would be referred to often during the course of the interiors work.

And after you are satisfied with all the rectifications done by the builder based on your observations, it is time to move to the next phase. By now, you might have already finalized your interior design team/contractor who would execute the project based on the agreed design. It would take around 2 to 5 months depending on the scope of the work for you to finally move in to your most prized possession. Before taking final handover from the interior designer/contractor, there are certain checks one must do to ensure quality and smooth functioning of the fixtures installed. Since it is best to identify the anomalies during the work is in progress rather than to identify at the final stage when not much can be done to rectify, below are few checks (both while work is on or before handover) which you can do to ensure the output you want.

False Ceiling – Check to see if the execution is done as per the design and if any aberrations can be corrected during the initial stages. Especially the curved designs will be a bit tricky and an overall consistent look has to be achieved. Also, there is a probability of misalignment between two gypsum sheets (at the joints), and it can usually be seen only after the putty is applied and smoothened. If they can be identified at an initial stage, they can be reworked upon without much impact.

Electrical – All the light fixtures along with the looping combination should work as designed, the two way functionality of fan/lights should be there, the power backup wiring (if given by builder) should be intact and working as expected. Besides that, there should be power in all electrical sockets, the speaker wires should work as expected

Wood work – Ensure that the promised material (be it plywood, MDF, laminates, veneer or hardware) is being/has been used. Smooth operation of all the draws, cabinet shutters, sliding shutters, hydraulic lifters and other hardware like corner units, pantry units. If the hardware is soft closing model, ensure that the soft closing functionality is working properly. Relatively scratch free laminate surfaces devoid of any major scratches, chip off’s and that all the surfaces are laminated. Alignment of doors to the cabinets, gaps between the cabinet doors, sandpapering of the laminate edges, removal of any protruding additional nails to be checked for. Any cutouts required should be in place (for e.g. in study units and TV units holes to be done to hide wires, holes in kitchen cabinets for LPG rubber pipe). Handles to be checked to see if they are tight enough and alignment (whether horizontal or vertical) is maintained as agreed. All the hinges should have all the screw slots fitted with screws.

Painting – Check to see if the colors and the brand and grade of the paint are the same as you have confirmed (do it before the painting is done to avoid rework). There should not be any inconsistent patches on the walls, any undulations should have been touched up with putty and primer. If you have performed any pooja (homam/havan) after the final painting (especially ceiling), please note that you may have to redo the painting as the smoke emitted from homam will leave a layer of cream tinge.

The walls otherwise should be stain free and putty should be applied wherever there is a gap between walls and the wood work units/tiles etc. Please note that some dark colored shades require more than the standard 2 coats to achieve the desired look.

Kitchen Counter top – They should be crack free or do not have any major imperfections in finishing especially at the joints. The grout/adhesives be properly applied to all joints and areas of sink cutout should be checked to see that there is no water leaking into the cabinets via the improperly sealed areas. Depending on your platform design you have opted for, there should be a ‘water groove’ beneath the surface of the counter top (this groove is done so as to stop the water dripping on to the cabinet shutters)

Glass – All the edges of the glass panes should be polished so as to have no sharp edges. Types of glass (toughened or normal, colored or plain), beveling, etching etc. have to be the same as per your agreement.

If kitchen backsplash has been opted with glass, then it has to be checked if the lacquered finish is uniform, if the cutouts are properly concealed with taps/electrical boards and if there are holes given as per your agreement (say for a piped gas connection, spoon hangers, towel hangers etc.) as these cannot be done later (i.e. after the glass is toughened). Check to see if all the gaps are properly filled with silicon sealant.

Polish – The shade of your units to be polished and the type of polish (glossy or matte) should be agreed beforehand and see that it is met as per your expectations. Please note that it can be further darkened from its natural shade, but it cannot be made lighter. Duco finish surfaces are generally done on MDF layers and a color of choice can be picked for it.

Post completion of the polish work, there should be smooth finish of the surfaces when touched with bare hands

Deep Cleaning – At the final phase of work, it is the turn of deep cleaning. Generally it covers a whole list of activities, but it also depends on what is your understanding with the team who has executed the work. Works such as removal of protective cover on the laminates, stain free cleaning of the units installed – both internal and external (Acrylic units should not be cleaned with a thinner as they take away the gloss), dusting of loft areas and top surfaces of all units, stain free cleaning of the floor, dust free main door, internal doors and hardware and all bathroom floors and sanitary items are generally covered in the scope. Dedicate at least a couple of hours to check all the items to see that they are up to satisfactory levels.

Hope the information above is helpful to you while taking handover from builders initially and later from interior designers/contractor teams before you move in.

Srikanth

Meticular Interiors LLP

Kondapur, Hyderabad.