Understanding - Carpet Area, Built-Up Area & Super Built-Up Area

        

First time home buyers often hear the property agents or realtors repeating the terms and jargons which are very common in the real estate industry, leaving us absolutely clueless.  Nevertheless terms like carpet area, built up area or super built up area normally elude our dominion of anticipation or at least cause some false impression.  

In every residential complex, there are these three different ways of calculating the square foot of the flat area. They may not all seem much distinct but there is in fact a “BIG” difference between them, especially the carpet area and the built up area which as a buyer it is mandate to understand.

Ignorance or half knowledge in this matter can place you in resentful state. Here the brokers or developers can take you on ride. Don’t worry, it is not rocket science, just a little exploration and you will be well-thorough with these terms. So let’s explore these terms in details and understand them well before any visit to home buying.

Carpet Area        

The very basic concept is the Carpet Area. It is nothing but an area that can be in fact covered by a carpet or the floor area of the apartment excluding the thickness of inner walls. Generally, the carpet area is the actual area you get for usage in a housing unit. Hence in case of home search, it is very vital to scrutinize the actual space while taking the decision as that figure will give a clear picture.

Weightage on the carpet area will help you know the usable area in your kitchen, bedroom ad living room, etc. Recently, many developers and builders don’t even speak about the carpet area primarily, and generally charge on the basis of the built-up area or the super built-up area. Carpet area is usually about 70 per cent of the built-up area.

Built-Up Area

To understand the term ‘Built-Up Area’ is simply a combination of “Carpet Area + Wall Area”. By the wall are doesn’t mean the surface area but the thickness of the inner walls of the apartment. This area comprising the walls is about the 20 per cent of the built-up area and entirely changes the viewpoint.

The built-up area also contains other areas sanctioned by the authorities, such as a dry balcony, flower beds, etc. adding up to the 10 per cent of the built-up area. In simple words you are able to use the 70 per cent of the built-up area. To understand more clearly let’s say for e.g. if the built up area is 1000 square feet, it means around 30 per cent  (300 square feet) is really not usable and the actual area you will get to use is only the left 700 square feet.

Super Built-Up Area                                                                   

It is said that Super Built-Up area is the builder’s Best Friend Forever (BFF). It is calculated as ‘Built-Up Area + Common Area”. The common area includes the lift lobby, corridor, etc. and in some cases the builders even take account of amenities such as garden, club houses, pool and so on. The builder or a developer charges you on the basis of the super built-up area which is why it is also known as the ‘Saleable Area’.

Bearing in mind the fact that the developers and the builders customarily price their apartments based on this super built-up area or saleable area, being unaware of this important difference between built-up area and carpet area including other terms leaves one run blind. It is often the tangible usable area much lower than the super built-up area. Some developers/builders take into account the carpet area while charging you, but that can be just in the rarest of the rare cases. About 90 per cent of the builders compute the base cost on the basis of the super built-up area, more the amenities – higher the super built-up area

For the beginners, real estate can be complex to understand but you can amend the practices and rules. You can definitely make a knowledgeable decision when you are aware of the diverse kinds of calculations for the square feet – apparently major but very simple task.

Hope this article clears the confusion that always has been to permeate floor areas and how is it calculated, making it easier for you to decide. Still any questions, feel free to ask us!