set back area

You may run into terminology like “carpet area,” “built-up area,” and “super built-up area” if you’re considering purchasing a home. There are various types of areas in a building’s floor plan. Reading a floor plan is an important skill for a civil engineer to have. These are various methods of describing a property’s area. In this article, we will see about the different types of areas.

Types of areas in Building Construction

Types of areas in Building Construction

We should be informed with the following building construction practises before making home buying plans. Following are the terminologies usually followed in dealing with building construction.

Plot area
Built-up area or Plinth area
Carpet area
Setback area
Super built-up area

Before getting into these terms first we have to know what is RERA

Real Estate Regulation and Development Act, 2016, (RERA)

The Real Estate Regulation and Development Act, 2016, (RERA) is an act established by the Indian parliament. The main objective of RERA is to give prompt information between the buyers and sellers. This increases transparency and reduces the chance of cheating.

There are three different ways to calculate the area of the property.

In terms of the Carpet area
In terms of Built-up area
In terms of Super built-up area

While buying a property buyer should pay for the area which is usable. RERA provides safety of money, buyer protection and balanced agreement.

Plot area (Areas of building)

The plot area includes the complete area which you own. This area comes under the fencing.

Carpet area (Areas of building)

Carpet area is a term which the real estate agent uses the most. It is the area of the building which can be covered by using carpet. It is also called a net usable floor area.

Carpet Area = Total floor area – Area of internal/external walls

But as per RERA Carpet area = Total Floor area – Area of external walls

According to RERA flats should be sold on the basis of carpet area. The carpet area as per RERA is the area of usable spaces such as bedrooms, kitchen, bathroom, toilet etc. It also includes an area covered by internal partition walls. It excludes areas such as Balcony, utility areas, external walls area, open terrace area, lift, lobby, staircase etc. Mostly carpet area is 70% of its built-up area.

Plinth area

The plinth area is also known as the Built-up area. It is the total area of the building within the plot area. It is mostly 30% of the total plot area.

Built-up Area = carpet area + Area of walls

It includes living room, bedrooms, utility, bathroom, wall thickness, kitchen, balcony closed staircases etc. and excludes open terrace area, lift, open staircase, swimming pool etc. It is 10 to 15 % more than the carpet area.

Super built-up area

Super built-up area was used to measure the area of property before the RERA act came into existence. Because the super built-up area lowers the rate per square foot. Saleable area is another name of super built-up area.

Super Built-Up Area = Setback area+Built-up Area+20% of common area

Super built-up area includes common areas like swimming pool, clubhouses, lobby, staircase, Lift, etc. and the built-up area of the flat.

Set back area is the space between the boundary and the building. It is the minimum open space necessary around the building. As per the municipal regulation a specific margin should be provided between building and road.

Setback area = Built-up Area – Plot area