Many of our clients live in Mumbai but are building somewhere else: a weekend home in Alibaug or Karjat, a family house in Pune, a villa in Goa, or a home for parents in Gujarat. Others live elsewhere and want a studio whose work they already know. Either way, the question is the same: can it work if the architect isn’t down the road?
It can, if it’s planned properly. Here’s how we do it.
1. how far is too far?
Our rule of thumb is that a project should be within about 5–8 hours by road, a short flight with frequent connections, or around 4 hours by train. That covers Alibaug, Karjat, Lonavala, Nashik, Pune, Goa, Ahmedabad, Vadodara and Surat. Within that range we can reach site quickly when something needs a decision, and that’s what keeps quality high. See where we work.
2. the visits that matter
We agree a visit schedule in the proposal, tied to the moments when being there makes the biggest difference:
- Site survey at the start.
- Setting out, when the plan is marked on the ground or slab.
- Services: before walls and floors close over plumbing and wiring.
- Joinery and stone: approving samples and checking installation.
- Finishes and snagging.
- Handover.
We add visits whenever the project needs them.
3. local teams, our drawings
We work with contractors, engineers and craftspeople from the region. They know the local materials, climate, suppliers and rules, and they’re there every day. We brief them thoroughly and coordinate them. Detailed drawings matter even more on a remote project: the drawing is how we’re present on site when we’re not physically there.
4. staying in touch between visits
- A shared schedule with milestones.
- Regular photo and video updates from site, reviewed and answered by us.
- Marked-up drawings for questions, so decisions are recorded, not just spoken.
- Video walkthroughs for quick checks.
5. what it costs
Travel and stay for site visits are agreed upfront in the proposal, either included in the fee or charged at cost. That way there are no surprises. Building outside Mumbai is often cheaper per square foot, and good local materials can reduce costs further.
6. what you’ll need to do
- Be reachable for decisions, especially around the key visits.
- Visit site yourself at a few milestones if you can. Seeing the space in person changes how you feel about it.
- Trust the process between visits. That’s what the drawings and updates are for.
7. regional knowledge
Every region brings its own climate and materials: coast and monsoon in Alibaug and Goa, hill rain and rock in Lonavala and Karjat, dry heat in much of Gujarat. We’ve written about Alibaug and the Goa monsoon. Our founders’ earlier work includes projects in Kutch and Yavatmal, as part of other practices’ design teams (before in•elements).
Building outside Mumbai? See architecture: homes and holiday homes, our process, or start a conversation.