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Building a home in West Bengal or Assam from abroad
For families who live outside India and are building, rebuilding or restoring a house in Kolkata, elsewhere in West Bengal or in Assam. The studio designs it in Kolkata, prepares the drawings the authority needs, and visits the site at each stage, so you can follow the work from wherever you live.
The studio is at Golf Green, Jadavpur, Kolkata, and works Monday to Saturday, 10:00 to 20:30 India time. Call +91 90079 36957 or WhatsApp the studio.
How a project runs when you are abroad
- A first conversationBy phone, WhatsApp or a video call, at a time that suits your time zone. Send the plot address, the land papers you have, and what you want to build.
- A visit to the siteThe studio visits the plot or the old house, measures it and photographs it, so the design starts from what is really there.
- Design you can review from abroadScheme layouts and 3D visualisations, walked through with you on a video call before anything is fixed.
- Approvals through your representativeThe studio prepares the sanction drawings. The person who holds your power of attorney in India can file and sign them.
- Site visits at each stageVisits tied to stages such as the plinth, each slab and plaster, with a written note and dated photographs you can check from anywhere.
- Payments against checked workEach payment to the contractor follows a stage that has been checked against the sanctioned drawings.
Homes and a restored bungalow by the studio
An old family house
Many families abroad own a house in Bengal that needs either careful repair or a sensitive rebuild. The first step is the same for both: a measured survey of what stands, its structure and its condition, before any decision about what to keep.
The studio’s heritage work includes Budlapara Tea Retreat, where a planter’s bungalow kept its verandahs, proportions and red oxide floors while it was adapted for guests. The heritage conservation page describes that service.
Approvals, power of attorney and payments
Three things make building from abroad workable: a power of attorney held by someone you trust in India, the building plan filed by that representative with the architect named, and payments made by stage through banking channels.
The guide on building a house in Kolkata while living abroad sets out each step with its sources. The building plan approval page describes the drawings the studio prepares. Stage visits are part of site supervision and project management.
Questions families abroad ask
Can I build a house in West Bengal while living abroad?
An NRI or OCI may acquire immovable property in India other than agricultural land, a plantation or a farm house, under para 3.1.1 of the RBI Master Direction on acquisition and transfer of immovable property under FEMA (updated 1 September 2022). Payments go through banking channels. Ask your bank how spending on construction should be routed.
Who signs the building plan application if I am abroad?
Your authorised representative. Rule 2(8) of the West Bengal Municipal (Building) Rules, 2007 and rule 2(6) of the KMC Building Rules, 2009 count the owner’s authorised representative as the applicant, so the person who holds your power of attorney can file and sign, with the architect named in the application.
How do I follow the work from abroad?
Through site visits tied to construction stages, a written note with dated photographs after each one, and a video call before each payment is released. Keep the sanctioned drawings, approved changes, bills and payments in one shared folder.
How are fees agreed?
In writing and in Indian rupees, for the scope of each project: design only, design and approvals, or design with site supervision. The site publishes no price list. Pay through banking channels, and ask a chartered accountant about tax on payments made from abroad.
Can the studio restore an old family house?
Yes. Heritage conservation is one of its services. Budlapara Tea Retreat, a 96-year-old tea-estate bungalow in the Udalguri district of Assam, was conserved and adapted by the studio and received a Gold Star Recognition from the Ministry of Tourism.
Guides from the blog
- Building a house in Kolkata while living abroad: POA, approvals, payments
An NRI or OCI may buy non-agricultural property in India under RBI's Master Direction, and may be represented by an attorney under a power of attorney executed before a notary, magistrate or Indian consul and then stamped in West Bengal. Building authorities accept an authorised representative as applicant. Pay by stage against measured work.
Guides, - Site supervision checklist for house construction: stage-wise checks
Site supervision means checking, at fixed stages, that the building is made as drawn and specified. IS 456:2000 sets minimum curing at seven days for ordinary Portland cement and a sampling rule of one cube set per 5 cubic metres of concrete. In West Bengal the architect or LBS and the structural engineer carry duties on site.
Guides, - Heritage building restoration in Kolkata: KMC grades and the process
KMC grades heritage buildings I, IIA, IIB and III. Work on a graded building goes through the Environment and Heritage Department and the Heritage Conservation Committee, and Grade I proposals rest on a Mayor-in-Council resolution. Check whether your old house is graded before you plan any repair or alteration.
Heritage, - KMC building plan sanction in Kolkata: online steps, documents, timeline
A plot owner in Kolkata engages a KMC-empanelled architect or Licensed Building Surveyor, who files the plan online under the KMC Act, 1980 and the KMC Building Rules, 2009. Reported timelines range from 15 to 30 days for the fast track and 45 to 90 days from one vendor.
Guides, - Completion and occupancy certificate in Kolkata: who issues it and how
In Kolkata Municipal Corporation limits the permission to occupy is called the Completion Certificate. Other West Bengal municipalities and NKDA call it the Occupancy Certificate. Each needs a notice within one month of completion, an inspection within 15 days, and a structural stability certificate signed by the engineer.
Guides, - Architect fees in Kolkata in 2026: percentage, per sq ft and scope
Architect fees are a percentage of the cost of the works. The Council of Architecture scale lists 7.5% for an individual house, which is about ₹150 to ₹203 per sq ft at 2026 Kolkata build rates of ₹1,995 to ₹2,706. About 45% of the fee falls due by the tender-document stage.
Guides,
