Know About - Carpet Area, Built-up Area & Super Built-up Area

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Know About – Carpet Area, Built-up Area & Super Built-up Area

A house is made of bricks and beams and a home is made of hopes and dreams. To adorn the home with hopes and dreams, one has to own a house which is not an easy task. One may have enough finances but it is essential to know the jargon of real estate. One should have some knowledge about the terms used in real estate language. Measuring the area of a residential space, demands a bit of technical knowledge. We hear three words when it comes to measurement of area of a house in a project. We will discuss three terms which sound almost similar but there is a vast difference in their meaning.

TABLE OF CONTENT

1.Pyramid Concept

2.Carpet Area

3.Built-up Area

4.Super built-up Area

5.Ultimately

1. Pyramid Concept :

Let’s make this jargon of words more simple. For a layman to understand, we will go through the concept of a pyramid. If a pyramid is to be divided into three parts, the largest portion of the pyramid, that is the base would be taken as the Super built-up area, the middle can be taken as Built-up area and the topmost smaller chunk is the carpet area. This is exactly that portion which one gets for his use in his apartment. Here is the pyramid to make the explanation simpler.

2. Carpet Area :

Carpet area is exactly that part of the house which can be covered by a carpet. It goes with its name. Carpet area does not cover the thickness of the inner walls, pillars or any area which is not inside the apartment. This is the actual area which one gets for use in the house. This is the space available for your disposal. It is wall to wall distance which is the net usable floor area of the apartment. Carpet area is usually 70% of the built-up area. It is important to have some knowledge of this carpet area because similar terms create a lot of confusion when you are out to hunt a house. This is the actual layout of the property which you are going to purchase and which will be at your disposal for your use. The following spaces fall under carpet area :

All rooms
Kitchen
Stores
Staircase if within the apartment
Balconies within the apartment

(a) Carpet Area as defined by RERA :

Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) defines carpet area as the net usable floor area of an apartment and the thickness of the internal partition walls of the apartment. It does not include the area covered by the external walls, areas under service shafts and exclusive open terrace area. The earlier practice of including lobby, empty spaces and garden spaces within the area of the apartment are discontinued after RERA gave out its rules. A builder has to charge as per the carpet area and not as per the super built-up area which was practiced earlier. The developers have to disclose the carpet area so that the sale price could be calculated.

3. Built-up Area :

Built-up area is the total area that covers the internal and external walls and the carpet area. This includes utility ducts and balcony or verandah if available. The area of the walls means the area covered by the thickness of the walls. The built-up area is the sum of the carpet area and the thickness of the outer walls of the apartment. Usually it is 70% – 80 % of the super built-up area. One gets only 70% of the built-up area to his disposal or personal use. Almost 20% of the built-up area will be taken up by the outer and inner walls and 10% gets occupied by dry balconies or flower beds. Water pipelines, utility ducts, sewage pipes, interior parts of doors and windows, AC ducts and shafts are also a part of the built-up area. Approximately built-up area is 70-80 percent of Super built-up area. It can be calculated as the total area enclosed in the outline of the apartment. Areas covered by Built-up area are :

External and internal walls
Carpet area
Utility ducts and interior parts that include sewage and water pipeline, interior parts of doors and windows, AC ducts and shafts

Built-up area is also known as the Plinth area or covered area. Balconies or cantilever does not count under built-up area. A cantilever does not have any support from ground or from the lower apartment. Basically Built-up area or plinth area is the area that is under the roof of the apartment.

4. Super built-up Area :

Super built-up area is the sum of built-up area and all the common areas that includes lobby, staircase, lifts, corridor and in some cases amenities such as swimming pool, gardens, sports area, club house are also included in super built-up area. This area is also known as a saleable area. At times, builders charge, based on saleable area. Yet Super built-up areas do not include open to sky swimming pool, compound walls, open sports amenities, weather sheds, flower beds, water or septic tanks, open to sky terraces if any etc. This area is the actual area measurement as specified by the builder. So if the amenities are more, then higher the Super built-up area and definitely more the price. Close to the Super built-up area there is one more term which a person should know before beginning his hunt for a house.

(a) Loading Factor :

This is the proportionate share of the common area in an apartment determined by applying a multiplier (1.25) to the carpet area. This would increase the total saleable area by 25-30 percent. The value of loading factor can also be calculated by taking the difference between the Super built-up area and the carpet area. Most of the developers price the apartment based on the loading factor.

Super built-up area is the Built-up area added to proportionate common area. Proportionate share refers to the sum total of all the common areas divided by the number of apartments in the building. If the common area of 10 apartments is 2200 sq.ft , then the proportional area that comes to one housing unit would be 220 sq .ft.

5. Ultimately :

One has to be well versed with the terms related to space and the legalities that come with it. Checking the legalities is of utmost importance but having knowledge of the space which you are actually going to own is also necessary. This helps in easy purchase of the asset, without hurdles and with transparency. Carpet area is the area that can actually be covered by a carpet excluding the thickness of the inner walls. Built-up area is the sum of carpet area and the thickness of external and internal walls. Super built-up area is the sum of built-up area and the common areas including all amenities. Real estate is the best source of investment. Anyone without any special skills can invest in real estate but only one precaution is required. The buyer should know the terminology used in this process of buying. Learn the terms before you buy an asset in real estate as this is the only investment with almost no risks of financial loss.