It’s a common site and every prospective real estate buyer must have gone through this understanding trouble. Confused? Well, we are talking about the terminology often used by real estate agents which a commoner like us is completely alien about. There are three commonly heard terms that are mostly beyond understanding of buyers – Carpet Area, Built-up Area and Super Built-up Area. Well, in a residential complex, these are the only ways to calculate the square footage area. These three may not sound very different from one another but the fact is a BIG difference lies between carpet area & built-up area!
Neglecting to understanding difference the difference can the developers chance to take you for a ride. Remember, it’s no rocket science. With just a bit reading one can be pretty thorough with these terms.
Some important basics of the Real Estate sector one should know –
Carpet Area
It is the area that can actually be covered by a carpet. Simple, isn’t it! This excludes the thickness of inner walls. Common areas like stairs, lobby, play area, etc are not included in carpet area. It is the actual area you get for use in a house/apartment.
Therefore, when you are in search of a house or apartment, take into consideration the carpet area while making decision, as it will be the actual area at your disposal.
Carpet area is usually around 70% of the built-up area.
Built-Up Area
In simple calculation, Built-up area is Carpet Area + Wall Area. By wall area we mean the thickness of the inner wall and not the surface area.
It is mandated by the authorities to include area such as dry balcony, flower beds, etc., while calculating Built-up area and this adds up to 10% of the built-up area. So if you think about it, the usable area in total built-up area is only 70%.
Super Built-Up Area
In a way one can say that Super Built-up area is builder’s best friend! The Super Built-up Area includes built-up area plus common area like corridor, stair, lift lobby, lift, etc.
Sometimes builders even include facilities & amenities like pool, clubhouse, and garden in the common area. A Builder charges on the basis of super built-up area and that’s the reason why it is known as ‘saleble’ area as well.
With RERA coming into real estate picture things have transformed even the way salable area will be measured and charged.
Usually price of an apartment is based on the super built-up/saleable area, one should be aware of fundamental difference between carpet area and built-up area or else you’ll find yourself confused..
Real Estate can be complicated, and one cannot change the prevailing practices, but an informed decision can be made if one is aware of the various types of calculations for square footage area.
