Sanepa, Lalitpur–02
Courtyard house restoration
Complete
2,600 sq ft
14 months
Cost plus 12%
A ninety-year-old three-bay house with a sagging ridge, failed mud mortar and two cracked party walls. Several contractors had told the owner to demolish it. The survey found the walls sound below first floor level and eleven timber members past saving.
We propped the structure, took the roof off, replaced the eleven members, repointed the facade in dachi apa, and relaid the jhingati tiles on a new sub-roof with concealed flashing. The carved windows were repaired by a specialist joiner in Bhaktapur, not replaced.
Job record
Job no.
MCC-187
Type
Traditional brick and timber house, three bays
Location
Sanepa, Lalitpur–02
Area
2,600 sq ft
Client
Krishna Bahadur Shakya
Contract
Cost plus 12%
Structural engineer
R. Shrestha, NEC 12408
Code basis
Conservation approach agreed with the metropolitan heritage section
Duration
14 months
Handover
Falgun 2078
Before / after
Scope of works
- Measured survey, member-by-member condition record and photography
- Full propping and temporary roof before any dismantling
- Replacement of eleven timber joists, two beams and the ridge
- Mud mortar repointing and dachi apa facing brick repair
- New sub-roof with concealed flashing under relaid jhingati tiles
- Repair of three carved tikijhya windows by a specialist joiner
- Discreet insertion of wiring and plumbing without cutting structural timber
Key dates
| Measured survey | Mangsir 2077 |
| Roof dismantled | Chaitra 2077 |
| Timber replacement complete | Bhadra 2078 |
| Handed over | Falgun 2078 |
What was difficult
Cost-plus is the only honest contract for this work, because nobody knows what is behind a wall until it is open. In exchange we opened our books monthly: every supplier bill, every day's labour, and the 12% on top. The final cost landed 9% above the first indication.
“My father's house was ninety years old and half the carpenters in the valley told me to knock it down. They found eleven members worth replacing and kept the rest.”
All client testimonials
Interested in similar work?
We can arrange a visit to a comparable site, and the owner of this job has agreed to take a call from prospective clients.