Looking for a spacious, private and independent house in populated urban cities? But unable to find enough space, or are you scared of the prices of individual villas? Then a Builder Floor might be the house for you. Unlike apartments, it offers a large living space, and complete ownership of an entire floor, with separate entrances, and the flexibility to customise your home according to your needs and desires. This blog will explore this unique housing option, which helps you understand if this is what you are looking for.
Definition of Builder Floor
Builder floors are notable and flexible housing options for low-rise buildings (2 to 4 floors), where each floor of the building is owned by different owners. It offers more privacy, autonomy, and customisation, offering a luxurious and quiet living space. These housing options are crucial for urban cities, where space constraints and the cost of constructing individual villas are high.
Features of Builder Floor
- Builder floors offer more privacy and rights in terms of the design and structure of their respective floors.
- Unlike apartments, the owners not only own the internal spaces but also have ownership over the entire floor.
- These buildings have separate entrances for each unit, adding to the sense of privacy.
- They offer more space compared to apartments with larger floor plans.
- Separate and dedicated parking spaces are allocated for different owners to avoid parking issues.
- It offers full rights for the floor owners to customize and modify the floor design based on their needs.
Types of Builder Floor
Single-Floor Builder Floor
It is a straightforward type, where an entire floor is owned by an individual, and has separate amenities and rights over the floor space.
Duplex Builder Floor
It consists of two floors within the same unit and is connected through internal stairs. This type of builder floor offers the sense of owning a separate house and is generally more expensive compared to a single-floor builder floor.
Triplex Builder Floor
This is similar to a duplex builder floor, but instead of owning two internally connected floors, it offers ownership over three floors. It is a luxurious option and high-end option, that is suitable for larger families.
Advantages of Builder Floors
- It offers large and private housing options at lower prices compared to private residencies.
- It offers larger living spaces in congested urban cities, where the cost of owning an individual residence is costly.
- Due to the low-raised building options, and separate entrances, it offers more privacy for each occupant.
- Unlike apartments, it offers more freedom to customize your floors, based on the design and requirements of the individual.
- Builder floors offer high resale values compared to flats, especially in urban city centres.
- Each floor has its amenities such as water and electricity, thus there is no need to share such facilities with other residents.
Disadvantages of Builder Floors
- Builder floors tend to be more expensive due to the larger space and independent ownership.
- It has higher maintenance costs due to individual ownership of each floor, unlike apartments, where maintenance costs are shared.
- They offer fewer amenities, recreational and community spaces, compared to apartment complexes.
- They often don’t have a centralised security system, as each floor owners has independent access.
- In busy urban spaces, parking spaces may not be available or may cause inconvenience.
- Lack of proper regulations for builder floor houses can lead to faulty or sub-standard constructions.
Comparison: Builder Floor vs Apartment
| Features | Builder Floor | Apartment |
| Building Type | They are low-rise buildings typically of 2-4 stories. | They are high-rise buildings and have multiple stories. |
| Number of Units per Floor | One self-contained unit is designed per floor. | Multiple individual apartments are allocated on each floor. |
| Privacy | Higher privacy as the entire floor has individual ownership. | Lower privacy due to shared walls and common areas. |
| Customisation | More flexible for customisation within building guidelines. | Limited customisation options due to shared spaces. |
| Amenities | Fewer shared amenities; might require separate arrangements. | Often has shared amenities and recreational spaces like a gym, pool, security, and more. |
| Cost | Typically more expensive per square foot. | Generally less expensive per square foot |
| Maintenance | Owner responsible for maintenance of entire floor | Maintenance is typically shared by residents or building management |
| Ownership | Individual ownership of the entire floor | Ownership of individual apartment unit |
Who Should Opt for a Builder Floor?
- Builder floors are suitable for families who prefer larger, spacious and private living spaces compared to apartments.
- People who prioritise privacy over community living in larger urban cities can opt for builder floors.
- Individuals who prefer independent living and the right to customise their personal living space can opt for this housing.
- Larger families with multi-generation family members who prefer larger living spaces should consider duplex or triplex builder floors.
- Individuals or families who wish to live in the city centre with a large living space can opt for this housing option.
- Investors who want to rent the floor or sell it later for a high price due to higher resale value.
- Individuals or families looking for an alternative for individual villas.
Conclusion
Builder floors offer a unique and independent living experience with larger spaces, more privacy, and autonomy over a complete floor. It is a good choice of investment for people seeking larger and more private living spaces in a congested urban environment. They offer a large space compared to private properties and have a high resale value. While there are drawbacks like no centralised security system and communal amenities, the value and luxury living that it offers are unmatched by other joint living environments.
Apoorva H P Achar