Carpet area
It is the area within the walls of an apartment that is for the exclusive use of the buyer. While computing the carpet area, the terrace and balconies are usually considered as half the actual area.
Carpet area is the actual usable area of an apartment, office unit, showroom, etc minus wall thickness. Carpet area is the area enclosed within the walls, actual area to lay the carpet.
Depending upon the builder practice, carpet area may be 50% to 70% of the saleable area. It is used to calculate the cost of the property you’re buying. So, if you’re planning to buy an apartment or an office, always check the ratio of carpet area to the saleable area; because higher the ratio, the better value you get for your money!
How to calculate Carpet Area?
Carpet area is calculated by multiplying dimensions of a room, i.e. length x width. We get the total carpet area by adding carpet areas of all the rooms, varandas, passages, gallery inside the main door and balconies.
Built-up Area
Built-up Area or BUA consists of this carpet area along with the area covered by inner and outer walls and additional areas mandated by the authority such as flowerbeds, dry balcony etc.
It is typically 10-20% more than the carpet area and is also sometimes known as the plinth area.
Super Built-up Area
Super Built-up Area or SBUA is the built up area plus proportionate area of common areas such as the lobby, lifts shaft, stairs, etc. The plinth area along with a share of all common areas proportionately divided amongst all unit owners makes up the super built-up area.
How to calculate Super Built-up Area?
To calculate the cost of a property, per square foot rate quoted by the developer is typically applied on the super built-up area. This is the reason super built-up area is also sometimes referred to as the saleable area.
A builder can place anywhere from 65%-85% of the super built-up area as carpet area. That means, if the price is quoted as Rs.1000 per sq. ft. super built-up area, the carpet area could be anywhere from Rs.650 per sq. ft. to Rs.850 per sq. ft. If this break up is not mentioned in the agreement, demand that the vendor/ builder mentions it in the sale deed.