Home   >   Homebase   >   Family home building, home improvement

Family home building, home improvement

By on April 29, 2010

Houses in Japan are generally built to last no more than 20-30 years from a Japanese perspective.  Homeowners therefore have to put up with home improvement costs against wear and tear on or by its thirtieth year.  

 

Surprisingly though, many houses in western countries today still remain in livable condition even after 90-100 years and can command a resale price even higher than the prevailing market value sans major improvements.  This is considered unthinkable from the Japanese perspective where, in contrast, a property’s value depreciates over time.   

 

According to Altershome, the latest addition to the architect and builders’ network, there is a current 10.4% glut in Japan of old homes for sale that are past 30 years, waiting to find a buyer.

 

As the current wave of foreigners establishing careers, a business base, and starting a family in Japan continues to grow, the diversity in architectural, construction, and design packages in the market are likewise expected to evolve into what has never been possible in past years.  

 

What’s new?

Altershome, an innovative architectural and construction company and builders of theme houses, recently launched a one-of-a-kind service they call “Half-Build”, which allows homeowners to do the interior finishing by themselves, with imported materials selected and ordered online.  Unlike the customary practice of waiting for the contractor to submit a cost estimate, which could take so much time,  Altershome’s website will instantly give you the final cost after making your construction material selection.

 

The overall advantage of this scheme is to cut construction costs from anywhere between 10-20%, and, at the same time, to enable the dwellers join in the fun by expressing their own brand of creativity in working on the final interior finish by themselves, such as wall painting, doing the floor and kitchen tiles, etc.

 

Altershome has an array of theme houses to choose from: European style, Mediterranean, Early American, etc.  They are open to any home improvement or building works starting from a total value of ¥10 million.

 

Alterridge K.K.    AltersHome division

info@alter-k.co.jp    www.altershome.com

 

Komatsubara Komuten, a boutique type of construction company targeting the foreign community, is equally making a strong pitch in providing a more engaged builder-and-homeowner relationship with English as the medium from day one to the end of the project. They provide building contracts in English to get you involved as much as possible in the project.  Some of the projects they’ve completed include reinforcement works at Tokyo University, the Supreme Court of Japan, etc.   Having been in the market for 100 years, Komatsubara has remained competitive and rated value-driven contractors, earning them prestigious tenders in the public sector.  Komatsubara aims to offer quality services for 20-30% less than what using normal channels would cost.  They have cut corners and skimmed off the fat, enabling prospective homeowners to enjoy a more relaxed building cost.

 

Komatsubara Komuten Architects and General Contractors

kikaku@komatsubara.co.jp    www.komatsubara.co.jp


About TF Tribe