Aakar Studio, step by step

A complete guide to the survey and the smaller choices behind your house plans, model, estimate and drawings.

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00:00 Plan your own home, one answer at a time

Imagine you are planning a home for your family. Start with the land documents, a measured site drawing and a list of what your family needs. In this lesson, we will go through the actual Aakar Studio questions. We will explain what to choose, where the information comes from, and what the answer changes. You can pause and use the chapter list. Different choices need different amounts of space; the studio may ask you to revise a request that cannot fit.

00:31 Tell us where the plot is

Choose the municipality where you will build, then enter the ward. You can search in English or Nepali. Use the address on your land records and confirm it with the ward office if needed. This selects the rule profile the software checks. A place that is not listed can be typed, but it may use a broader fallback. Read the rule note; selecting a municipality is not permission to build.

01:00 Is this an old-town or heritage site?

Some municipalities show this extra question. Choose Yes only if the plot is inside the protected old-town core, No if you have confirmed it is outside, or Not sure if you do not know. Ask the municipality or ward office rather than judging by the age of nearby houses. Core areas can have special height, roof and facade rules. Not sure keeps these matters on the review list; it does not confirm that ordinary rules are enough.

01:34 An optional map pin is a location aid

If Find your plot on the map is available, you may place or move a pin, open the place in Google Maps or Google Earth, or remove the pin and continue. A supported ward map can fill in the municipality and ward, but check the answers yourself. The pin is saved with the survey and drawings. It locates the site; it does not measure the boundary or replace the land survey. You may skip it.

02:01 Area and shape are different information

First choose how to describe the plot. Rectangle is suitable when the boundary really is rectangular. Draw the plot is for a different outline. Trace your site plan uses a photo or PDF as a guide. A value such as five aana tells us how much land there is, but not its shape: the same area can be wide, narrow or irregular. Use the best measurements you have, and keep an early sketch separate from a verified survey.

02:30 Enter a rectangle in metres

Choose Metres when you know the rectangle's measured dimensions. Width along the road is the length of the front edge. Depth from the road goes from that edge towards the back. For example, a twelve-metre width and ten-metre depth make a different planning space from a ten-metre width and twelve-metre depth, even though both have the same area. These dimensions set the boundary the planner works within; they are not the requested house size.

02:59 Use the area units on your land record

You can enter ropani, aana, paisa and daam, or switch to bigha, kattha and dhur. Enter the parts shown on your land record, then the measured width along the road. The software converts the area and calculates a rectangular depth by dividing area by width. Read the live size preview. This is useful for a rectangular starting model, but an aana value plus width cannot recover the true corners of an irregular plot.

03:27 Trace an existing site plan

Open Trace your site plan and choose a clear photo or PDF of the site drawing. For a PDF, select the correct page. Turn or crop the image so the plot is easy to see. If a photograph was taken at an angle, use the paper-straightening tool only when you can identify the paper corners and size. Tracing follows your source: a blurry, stretched or outdated drawing can still give a wrong boundary.

03:55 Trace corners, then give a real size

Mark each boundary corner in order and close the outline. Undo or move a corner when needed. Then give the drawing a real size. You can use one known side, all the written side lengths, the printed map scale, or a scale bar. Metres and feet are length units here. A line on a photo has no real-world length until the size is established. Check any suggested text readings against the original drawing yourself.

04:26 Check the traced plot before applying it

For a printed scale, choose the correct ratio or enter another scale. A scanned image may also need its scan resolution. A correctly sized PDF page or straightened paper can supply the paper size instead. Set the road, neighbours and north, then inspect the final outline, lengths and area. If a detected rectangle is offered, use it only when appropriate. Apply the checked plot to the survey. The drawing stays on this device; the traced outline and sizes are used.

05:02 Draw an irregular plot with measured sides

In Draw the plot, begin at corner A and enter the boundary sides in order. Choose metres or feet for all side lengths. Inside corner angle means the angle within the plot; a square corner is ninety degrees. Direction mode instead describes the direction of each side relative to the first side. These are different answers. Use angles or directions from the survey drawing, rather than guessing them from a picture. Add or remove side rows to match the real boundary.

05:34 No angles? Use measured diagonals

Side lengths alone may not fix an irregular shape. If the survey gives diagonals, choose Side lengths and diagonals. A diagonal joins two non-adjacent corners inside the plot. Choose the named diagonal, or its starting corner, and enter the measured length. A triangle needs no diagonal because its three sides fix it. For larger plots, enter the requested diagonals. The software checks whether the triangles fit; do not invent a diagonal just to make an error disappear.

06:07 Close and check your outline

You can also click to place corners for an early sketch. Check the resulting lengths rather than treating each click as a surveyed point. Close the plot and remove empty rows. A crossing boundary or a closing gap means something needs correcting. Compare the calculated area with the land record when available, and mark a road side. Use this plot in the brief applies the outline and its side information; Cancel leaves that work unapplied.

06:37 Mark every road and its width

For each side, choose Road, Neighbour's house, Open land or Not sure. Mark the actual access road and enter its width in metres from reliable site or road records. If the plot has roads on two sides, mark both; do not describe a corner plot as having only one road. Road sides affect the frontage and boundary checks and are shown in the site context. This value describes the road, not your gate width or a promise of legal access.

07:09 Describe what is beside the plot

Choose Neighbour's house where a building stands, and enter its height if you know it. A missing height uses a simple nine-metre preview box in the rectangle form, not a measured neighbour. Open land can look like a green field, rice field or bare ground. Those choices describe the surroundings picture; they do not give you ownership or permission to build there. Use Not sure when information is missing, and check the result's assumptions.

07:38 North does not always point up the screen

Choose where north points on this drawing. Up, down, left, right and the diagonal choices refer to the screen, not to the road's name. Use the survey's north arrow when available. In the tracer, turn the arrow to match the source; if the source has no arrow, state that you set it yourself. This orientation is carried into the site information and direction-based planning. A guessed north direction should not be presented as a surveyed one.

08:07 A boundary wall cannot have normal openings

This asks which house wall must stand directly on a non-road boundary. Tick a side only when that is your intended arrangement. It becomes a fixed requirement in the planner, with a shared or blind wall and no windows there. Road sides cannot be chosen here. Leaving sides unticked lets the planner compare boundary arrangements; it does not promise a detached house with space on every side. The current local planning system still chooses boundary contact and checks opening clearance.

08:39 Choose where the house should stand

Let the planner choose gives it freedom to place the house. Towards the front means closer to the road; Towards the back means the other end of the plot. A front or back choice is treated as a requirement, not just a label on the picture. If your rooms cannot fit in that position, the planner should explain the conflict instead of quietly moving the house. Choose this separately from how deep you want the front yard.

09:05 Describe a sloping site

Choose Flat, Gently sloping or Steep. For a slope, say which way the ground falls and, if known, the height difference in metres. Get a measured difference from a site level survey when possible. The current planner keeps one level ground floor: a stepped plinth for a gentle slope, or retaining walls and fill for a steep site. It reports the resulting heights. It does not yet plan split levels or partial basements, and retaining walls need engineering design.

09:36 How much of the ground should the house occupy?

For plots of five aana or more, this control normally offers three approaches. Use the available allowance gives the planner its usual freedom. A target footprint asks for a percentage of the plot under the ground-floor house. This is not the total area of all floors. Setbacks, access and room requirements still matter. The displayed seventy-percent cap is this system's working allowance, not a universal legal limit, and rooms are not automatically shrunk to meet your target.

10:07 A preferred yard and a required yard are different

Choose a yard in front and enter the depth from the road boundary to the house. Prefer this depth asks the planner to try it, but it can return to the usual front setback if the rooms cannot fit. Keep at least this depth is stricter: the planner must keep that minimum, or explain why no plan fits. More yard can mean less room for the house. Neither option replaces the municipality's setback and access checks.

10:35 Compare the record with the outline

Recorded plot area is optional. Enter the area on the lalpurja and choose the matching unit: aana, ropani, paisa, daam, square metres or square feet. Keep it separate from the area calculated from your boundary measurements. A difference is a reason to recheck the inputs, not to stretch the corners until the numbers agree. The site preview reflects your answers. It is a site diagram, not an approved building envelope or a generated house.

11:10 Full and partial storeys

Choose how many storeys you need: one up to four and a half in this form. A half means a partly built top floor with an open roof terrace, not a room with half its height. More storeys change the room arrangement, stairs, structure and likely cost; they still need to fit the plot and local checks. In More options, leave the partial-top-floor area blank to size it around its rooms, or enter an area within the displayed limit.

11:42 Your home and rental flats

Turn on rental floors only if the house has at least two full storeys. Choose how many lower floors to rent, then one, two or three bedrooms in each rental flat. Those flats receive their own living room, kitchen and toilet. The shared stair reaches them without passing through another household's rooms. The next bedroom and bathroom totals describe your own home, so do not add the tenants' rooms to those totals again.

12:11 Bedrooms, bathrooms and elderly parents

Enter the total bedrooms and bathrooms or toilets your household needs. A living room and a kitchen with dining are already included; the planner tries different ways to place the rooms across floors. Tick the ground-floor bedroom if someone should sleep downstairs, for example an elderly parent. This is a real planning requirement, not just a bed shown in 3D. Check each result for usable access and bathroom locations. This short survey does not show a separate attached-bathroom question.

12:43 A shop facing the road

Choose a ground-floor shop if you want business space at the road front. Choose one to four shutters, or let the plot decide how many fit. The shop can have its own toilet. Its size uses real floor space beside the stair, while the house keeps a separate entrance. This can reduce space available for rooms or parking. It does not give permission to operate a business: shop use, access and parking still need the municipality's checks.

13:12 What the budget answer does

Enter your approximate budget in lakh if you want to compare it with the estimate later. One lakh means one hundred thousand rupees. This answer currently does not make the planner choose a smaller or cheaper house. It is a comparison number in the Cost view. If the estimate exceeds it, review the rooms, size, specification and local prices with your designer. Leaving this optional field blank does not prevent you from starting.

13:40 Only request rooms you will use

Extra rooms add needs to the house, rather than changing a room's colour. Choose a puja room, guest bedroom, study, store, laundry or separate dining room as needed. An extra WC means a toilet and basin without a shower. Home office adds a desk-and-shelf space; family lounge means another family or television room; recreation asks for play or exercise space. Every addition needs room in the plot and programme. A long wish list may need fewer rooms or more buildable space.

14:13 Balconies and projecting upper rooms

For balconies, let the style decide, choose none, or select the living room, main bedroom, other bedrooms and kitchen service side. These are upper-floor requests; ground-floor rooms use the yard. A separate choice lets upper rooms project toward the road, or keeps floor edges in line with the frame. The current planner limits these projections and checks open space, columns and door clearance. Choosing a projection is not proof that it is permitted or structurally approved. Read what each result actually fitted.

14:46 Count the vehicles you need to park

Enter how many cars and motorbikes must fit inside the plot. These numbers reserve parking space and affect the entrance arrangement; they are not just decoration for the 3D model. A car also needs a route from the road, a wide-enough boundary gate and manoeuvring space. Parking can compete with a shop, a downstairs bedroom or a larger living room. Compare the parking notes and drawn access on the results, rather than assuming a vehicle symbol means access is solved.

15:14 Grills, a sit-out and drying space

For window grills, a covered entrance sit-out and a roof drying place, choose yes, no, or let the planner follow the house style. If you ask for grills, choose plain bars, a square lattice or a decorative pattern. The entrance sit-out needs clear space within the plot. The drying place uses a suitable part of the roof terrace. These items are added only where they fit, and do not move rooms. Check the option notes for anything that could not be included.

15:43 Power backup

For backup power, choose none, an inverter with batteries, or an inverter with rooftop solar. You can also let the house style choose its default. This records the intended household equipment and roof-space needs where supported. It is not a finished electrical design, a battery-size calculation or a guarantee of how long the lights will run. Give the equipment supplier your actual loads and backup hours, and have the wiring, protection and roof mounting reviewed.

16:13 Floor height and underground water storage

In More options, floor-to-floor height means the vertical distance from one floor level to the next. It is not the clear room height below the slab or a false ceiling. Changing it affects the building's height and vertical arrangement, so use your designer's intended value. Enter the underground water tank capacity in litres; the current input starts at five thousand litres. This is a storage request, not proof of groundwater conditions, safe excavation or a completed tank design.

16:45 Wardrobes and stair shape

The main bedroom can have a standard wardrobe, a walk-in wardrobe, or none. A walk-in needs usable space; it is not just a different cupboard front. The separate tick asks for wardrobes in other bedrooms. For stairs, a half-turn with landing turns back through one hundred and eighty degrees; a quarter-turn with landing turns ninety degrees. These change the route and footprint of the stair. Compare the actual landing, room connections and headroom notes in the plan.

17:13 Find the house character you mean

In Exterior look, search for a house style or filter by family. The catalogue includes established contemporary and brick looks, budget and rental houses, heritage-inspired looks, regional references, glass villas, courtyard-and-garden ideas, and other contemporary designs. Search and family filters only help you find a card; selecting a card chooses the character. Read its explanation as well as its picture. A glass-focused villa does not turn shared boundary walls into glass, and a courtyard label alone does not create an open court.

17:50 Style changes to the actual plan

Plan for this style is different from applying a colour scheme. When on, the planner can adjust front-window sizes, balcony requests and the frame alignment needed by that style, where the plot and structure allow. When off, it applies the look while keeping planned rooms, openings and balconies. Read What this style changes and the result's fit report. Some identities are only compact interpretations; features marked as not yet buildable, such as a complete court in some styles, are not silently promised.

18:26 Colours and where brick appears

Keep the house-style palette, or choose ivory and red, terracotta and cream, sage and white, cream and brown, pure white and gold, slate, ochre, or dusty rose. These set the appearance, not the room arrangement. Brick and Newari looks also offer matte or satin-looking brick. Brick placement can cover the road front, piers, room bays with a plaster stair volume, all outside walls, or just the stair volume. These are surface and composition choices; do not assume every decorative change is priced in the estimate.

19:04 Timber finish and perforated screens

Timber window finish follows the style or uses dark-stained, warm natural, or light-painted timber. For screens, choose none, brick jali, perforated metal or timber slats. If a screen is chosen, select balcony fronts, a blank feature wall, road-side terrace edges or the stair-window wall. These screens have openings you can see through. Balcony and terrace screens keep a separate safety railing behind them. A decorative wall screen belongs on a wall without windows; it should not hide an opening or replace a designed guard.

19:41 Surface detail is not a new material quantity

The 3D material detail choice switches between original studio materials and photographic ambientCG materials. The photographic set can show more surface texture in the model. It still follows the house style. It does not change room dimensions, the selected construction assemblies or their quantities. Use it to compare how a surface may look, then specify real products with your designer. A texture on a screen does not certify the supplier's product, waterproofing, durability or installation method.

20:18 Window design inside the planned opening

Window design can follow the house style or use sliding aluminium, a side-hung casement, paired French casements, picture glass, a fixed pane, a bathroom ventilator, timber transom divisions or a Newari-inspired timber lattice. These change frames and divisions in the planned window opening. Picture and fixed glass do not become opening windows. Ventilation, privacy and safe opening clearances still depend on the plan and technical review. The Newari lattice is an inspired model detail, not a measured copy of historic carving.

20:56 Door leaves and entrance width

Door design can follow the style, use panelled wood, glazed timber, a plain flush leaf, crafted timber panels or a metal security leaf. Double timber asks for two leaves only where the entrance is already wide enough; a narrow room door stays single. These choices preserve the planned aperture and swing. Glazed timber adds a glass panel, while crafted panels add relief rather than a larger room. Check security, privacy, door hardware and the clear walking width when choosing the actual product.

21:30 One gate and the boundary-wall finish

For the boundary gate, choose horizontal slats, vertical bars, closed privacy panels, timber slats, ornamental steel or perforated lattice. These change the infill of the same planned access gate; they do not make a second gate or enlarge the opening. The compound wall can follow the style or look plastered, brick-faced, stone-faced or concrete. Stone facing still needs attachment review. A visual gate choice does not prove a car can enter: check the planned width, driveway and turning space separately.

22:05 Outside surfaces and inside paint

Outside wall finish can follow the house style or show painted plaster, brick, stone, timber cladding or a concrete appearance. Concrete appearance does not replace the house with a different structural system, and timber or stone facing needs weather, fire and fixing details checked. Indoor wall paint can follow the interior family or use pure white, warm white, sage, clay or soft grey. These choices preserve the walls and openings; they are not permission to remove structural walls or columns.

22:39 Kitchen construction and finish

The kitchen options show a concrete counter with wood cabinets, modular laminate, timber fronts, a steel utility look, or a two-tone contemporary finish. They change the appearance of the fitted counter runs and worktops. They do not add an island, move the sink or stove, rearrange the room or create extra cabinets outside the planned space. Choose the look here, then review the actual layout, worktop material, storage, appliance sizes, water and electrical points with your kitchen designer.

23:13 A semicircular balcony needs room

Balcony shape can follow the style, stay as planned, or request a semicircular front. The curved option changes the slab outline and matching guards inside a space already reserved for a balcony. If the finished door clearance cannot fit, the rectangular version is retained. This does not create a balcony on a new side of the house. After planning, the Design control handles a coordinated change to a reserved projection; asking for a new balcony location means returning to the survey.

23:44 A terrace swing and garden trees

Swing options are a timber bench, cushioned bench, metal-frame bench or compact daybed, within an already reserved terrace space. No swing removes its visible assembly; it does not give that planning space back. For ground trees, request one, two or three and choose a small evergreen, compact fruit tree or small flowering tree. They are illustrative choices, not exact species. Safe planting space must fit; mature roots, canopy, care and the local permit condition still need review.

24:17 Entrance details and front windows

Choose a plain entrance or timber slats, then keep or remove the paved gate-to-door path and the slab bands, base plinth and rail caps. These add visual detail where the model allows. For Front windows, balanced openings keep the normal balance; glass-heavy widens living and dining windows toward the road where columns, doors and furniture allow. Glass-heavy still keeps solid sills, so it is not floor-to-ceiling glass. Decorative preview pieces are not automatically included in drawings and estimates.

24:50 Calm, warm or formal rooms

Interior family sets a coordinated room palette. Calm uses pale walls and light oak-looking floors. Warm uses warm-white walls, walnut-looking floors and dark timber slats behind the television and bed. Formal uses greige walls, polished stone-looking tiles and a stone-looking feature wall. These are appearance families, not a change to room dimensions. Kitchens and toilets keep their tile treatment. Compare the model in useful lighting, and check the actual material specification before buying anything based on a preview.

25:27 Feature walls, desks and a child's room

A feature wall goes behind the television and main bed only where enough solid wall remains; it stops around doors and windows. Study desks are added to bedrooms only where they fit. The low dining-kitchen divider must not block a walking route. A child's-room option gives one bedroom a single bed, desk and softer accent wall; it is not another bedroom added to your total. Check the real model and option notes to see which of these details could be placed.

25:57 The Vaastu preference used here

The current survey explains one Vaastu reading based on Jain: kitchen toward the south-east, puja toward the north-east, toilets away from the north-east and centre, and stairs toward the south or west. This is an explained planning preference, not a menu of different Vaastu schools. Accurate north matters. Space, necessary access, structural safety and local checks can create conflicts, so read the findings rather than assuming every wish is satisfied. Ask your designer to review any conflict that matters to your family.

26:32 Check the brief before generating

Review your answers before asking for plans. Check the municipality, plot dimensions, road side, number of floors, bedrooms and parking. A field marked as missing or a conflict needs attention. Generate only after these describe your real needs. The engine searches for layouts that fit its current checks. If no layout fits, read the reason and change the relevant request. Do not keep entering a larger plot or fewer rooms just to hide an error in the real brief.

27:05 Read one option, floor by floor

Each option is a different proposed layout for the same brief. Choose an option, then use the floor buttons to inspect every level. Read the room names, dimensions, door swings, windows and stair direction. All floors helps you check how the levels line up. The site plan shows where the building sits inside the plot. These are proposed designs to review with your architect; the presence of a drawing is not municipal permission to build it.

27:35 Compare what matters to your family

Open Compare options to review the alternatives together. Look at usable rooms, routes through the house, privacy, outdoor connections and the findings shown for each design. A larger room may leave less space somewhere else. Choose priorities that match how your family lives rather than treating one score as the whole answer. Open the option you prefer, inspect its individual floors, and keep the other options until you are sure. A comparison cannot replace checking the actual drawing.

28:07 Make a change and check what was accepted

Details explains the selected house and its review findings. Edit plan opens the available editing tools. Start with a small change and read the preview or validation message before accepting it. The accepted drawing remains the source for coordinated outputs. If a change fails, it should not silently become the house you download. Use the available undo or history controls when needed. Changing survey answers is a different action: those answers change the plan only when you generate again.

28:39 Explore the same house in 3D

Open 3D for the selected option. Let the model finish loading. Orbit to see the house from outside, zoom for details, and use the floor or roof controls to look inside. Check the entrance, parking, balconies and windows against the plan. The surroundings help you understand the site, but illustrative neighbours and landscape are not a land survey. A lighter viewer may appear on some devices. Its controls and available tour features can differ from the desktop viewer.

29:09 Review materials, daylight and surroundings

The exterior and surroundings controls let you explore the appearance choices supported by this house. Look at the actual result instead of assuming a style name guarantees a particular photograph. Check the walls, window treatment, balcony, boundary and landscaping. Use the lighting controls where available to inspect the model at different times. Decorative objects help explain a mood; they do not automatically become measured items in the estimate. Apply a supported change and wait for the accepted model to update.

29:43 Walk through the rooms

Walking mode puts you closer to a person's view. Follow the viewer's on-screen movement instructions and enter through the doorway. Look at how the living room connects to the kitchen, stairs, bedrooms and outdoors. Check whether furniture leaves a useful route. This visual walk is not an accessibility certificate or a structural inspection. Return to orbit if you lose your place. On a small device, use the available lighter controls or open the desktop viewer for the supported walking experience.

30:17 A house tour and a high-quality film

House tour plays an automatic camera journey when the current viewer supports it. It is a different action from walking yourself. Use its playback controls to watch the spaces that the tour includes. Video creation may depend on the device, account and available service. A high-quality film request, where offered, is a separate rendered production. Do not assume every room appears in a short tour or that the browser tour has the same lighting and detail as the high-quality film.

30:48 Read the whole-house estimate

The large cost range is a planning estimate for this house, using its built-up area. Basic, Standard and Premium change the assumed tiles, doors, windows, fittings, ceilings and facade. A simpler finish does not remove the structure or services. Your separate budget rate lets you compare your budget with the estimate; it does not force the plan to fit that price. Read the range as a range, not a contractor's fixed quotation.

31:18 See what a price includes

Open Where the money goes, then open a group and an item. A measured item shows its quantity, unit, rate and source. An allowance is money set aside for work whose full details are not yet measured or priced. The location panel explains district adjustments and any fallback rates. The whole-house headline includes VAT, while the priced materials subtotal excludes VAT and covers only part of the house. These two totals should not be compared as if they covered the same work.

31:49 Match the quantities to the materials

Under Adjust takeoff assumptions, brick length, width, height and the mortar joint describe the brick module used for counting. Brick waste adds an allowance for losses; tile waste does the same for cutting and breakage. Plaster thickness and the mortar mix affect estimated material needs. Cement bag mass tells the calculator how much cement is in one bag. Use the actual specified products and the estimator's reviewed assumptions, then press Apply assumptions. Defaults are starting values, not proof of what your site needs.

32:27 Check the finish and concrete assumptions

Paint coverage, paint coats and putty use change the estimated finishing materials. Check them against the chosen product and surface preparation. The current takeoff assumes bathroom wall tiles reach the full clear wall height, and it excludes tiled walls and ceilings from paint quantities. Preliminary slab thickness affects a concept quantity; it is not permission to thin a slab. Concrete supply grade selects a price specification. The engineer's structural concrete grade is a separate design input and must agree before you rely on the estimate.

33:04 Add reviewed measurements

If a quantity surveyor or engineer has measured more detail, use Add separately measured quantities. Choose the matching material or labour rate, confirm its unit and specification, and enter the measured quantity. Do not enter kilograms into an item priced by the tonne. The structural quantity template is another route for reviewed foundations and complete bar lengths. Load it only for the matching house revision and frame. The estimate replaces related allowances where supported, so inspect the breakdown instead of adding the same work twice.

33:38 Set a realistic construction starting point

The schedule starts from the BS day, month and year you choose, with the matching AD date beside it. Teams of each trade controls how many crews are available. Tiling and painting teams controls finishing crews separately. Site productivity changes the assumed daily output between a typical private site and the government norm. Extra crews can shorten some work, but they cannot remove curing time, inspections or tasks that must finish first. Use the contractor's realistic crew availability rather than the fastest-looking setting.

34:13 Tell the calendar when crews are away

Calendar settings decide which days count as working days. Saturdays off removes Saturdays. You can include national holidays, local holidays and holidays for particular groups separately. If crews go home for Dashain and Tihar, enable that break and set the extra days before Phulpati and after Tihar. These choices move work around the calendar; they do not change the amount of construction. Check the calendar with your actual crew and location, because a listed holiday and your site's working arrangement can differ.

34:45 Allow for weather and construction waits

Cement chooses the model's OPC or PPC curing assumption. Rain and monsoon can slow outdoor work, and the cold-month option keeps props longer. Separate settings control the wait after a slab pour before upper columns, upper formwork and prop removal. Another setting allows time for the plinth inspection and permanent permit. These are planning assumptions for coordination, not instructions to remove supports or build sooner. Ask the responsible engineer and contractor to confirm the waits for your design, concrete and site conditions.

35:18 Understand what delays the finish

Select an activity in the schedule to see its dates, measured quantity, crew and assumed daily output. Waits for shows what must happen before it can start. Spare time shows how far it can move within this programme. Work on the critical path can push the final completion date when it slips. Read the milestones and shaded weather or festival periods as well. This helps you discuss the sequence with a contractor, rather than treating every bar as an independent promise.

35:46 Choose when payments leave your account

Cash needed by month spreads the same selected estimate over the construction schedule. Wages are paid lets you compare month-end wages with every Friday. Days ahead materials are bought brings purchases forward before the work; ready-mix follows its pour day. If a labour contractor takes an advance or retains money, enable that arrangement and enter the advance and retention percentages. These settings mainly move payment timing. They do not add new building area or make an unaffordable house cheaper.

36:20 Check whether money is ready in time

In hand at the start is the money already available when construction begins. Each month is the amount you expect to add regularly. The chart compares incoming money with the planned payments and carries the balance forward. Most cash marks the busiest spending month. Short warns where the entered funding falls behind the modelled spending. It is a useful budgeting conversation, but it is not a bank approval, loan repayment plan or promise that actual costs will stay within the forecast.

36:55 Know what the estimate still cannot prove

Before using the figures, read Not included anywhere in this estimate and the items beside the total. A boundary, gate or fee can be shown separately; driveway paving and landscaping are not automatically priced. Some measured design work can still be awaiting prices. Net quantities and verification provides the quantity ledger and evidence downloads. The software currently states that accuracy has not been checked against independent project BOQs. So do not describe these quantities or costs as verified within five percent.

37:31 Get soil information from the right source

Soil type and safe bearing capacity answer different questions. Soil type helps describe how the ground affects earthquake shaking. Safe bearing capacity describes the pressure the foundation may use under the reviewed ground conditions. Get both from a project geotechnical investigation and the responsible engineer. Rock-looking ground, a neighbour's house or a place name cannot reliably supply these values. If you do not have the information yet, ask the engineer what investigation is needed instead of guessing to unlock a download.

38:07 Do not turn a soil assumption into a test

The optional test-pit list offers hard, medium, soft and weak ground descriptions when a bearing value is missing. Those choices trigger built-in preliminary assumptions; they are not a replacement for a professional soil investigation. Brick-drop impression is another optional input for a properly performed and interpreted test. Do not invent a number or try to choose the strongest result. Ask the engineer whether either method is appropriate for the site and current requirements. Weak ground can require a different foundation investigation and design.

38:47 Set engineer-reviewed material and trial sizes

Concrete grade describes a specified concrete strength, not how luxurious the finish looks. The structure panel offers its code-minimum setting and explicit M20, M25 or M30 choices. The responsible engineer must confirm the suitable grade for this building and exposure. Trial column size is an optional starting dimension for the analysis. A larger number can affect room space, weight and cost, and it still needs checks. Neither selecting a stronger grade nor entering a wide column proves the whole building is safe.

39:25 Choose what carries the house

Structure type changes the load-carrying system, not just its colour. RC frame uses reinforced-concrete framing. RC with a steel top storey changes the uppermost storey to steel. RC with a steel portal roof uses a steel roof frame above the concrete house. Steel frame uses the steel system offered for this building. Availability is checked against the current house, and an unavailable choice shows a reason. Different systems can change weight, member checks, quantities and price assumptions. Choose with your engineer.

40:01 Keep braces in suitable bays

Braced bays are parts of a steel frame where diagonal members help resist sideways movement. The plan and tick boxes show the available bays along the two directions. Their placement affects twisting as well as strength. A brace may conflict with a door, window or circulation, so use the displayed solid-wall information and the engineer's intended frame system. Selecting a few boxes is not a substitute for design. If the panel asks for a braced bay, resolve that requirement before trusting the resulting checks.

40:34 Understand the effect of concrete walls

RC walls are load-resisting concrete walls, not ordinary brick partitions. The interface offers eligible party-wall lines at the plot boundary and a stair core where supported. Bays with openings can remain masonry instead of becoming concrete walls. Adding a stiff wall on only one side can increase twisting, so review the warnings. With a stair core, the stair is carried as weight on that core. The current software does not combine these above-ground party-wall or stair-core choices with a basement.

41:08 Reserve real space for lifts and basements

Add a lift with an RC core offers supported shaft positions under Where. Read which rooms lose floor area and the assumed shaft, load and pit data. The architect still needs to revise the layout, and the engineer must use the lift maker's information. Basement storeys offers none or up to three where available. Its current analysis starts with stated ground assumptions, including no groundwater. It does not automatically draw a usable basement stair or ramp. A basement needs a site-specific investigation and coordinated access design.

41:46 Tell the calculation what each floor carries

Room uses tells the structural calculation how a supported floor will be used: Residential, Shop, Office, Storage or Car parking on a slab. This changes load assumptions; it does not turn a bedroom into a designed shop or move its walls. An ordinary household store remains residential. Roof garden adds the software's stated soil and garden allowance, while Roof water tanks records litres of water on the roof. Neither replaces the engineer's actual garden build-up, tank location, support details and drainage design.

42:23 Match the stair model to the real detail

Built with the frame means the stair flights and landings form part of the frame and affect its stiffness and earthquake forces. On sliding bearings represents a different support detail, so the stair carries its weight without bracing the frame in the same way. These are physical engineering choices, not camera or appearance settings. The engineer must choose and detail the support arrangement that will actually be built. If a stair core is active, the software uses its core-supported treatment instead.

42:54 Check, redraw, then review the rooms again

When the layout is ready, Structural analysis, then redraw can check and update supported concrete designs. Checked member sizes can affect the plan, model and related quantities, so read What changed and the clear room sizes. Checks pass means the software's preliminary checks passed. Needs engineer review and Fails the preliminary checks require action; Not redrawn means no accepted redraw happened. Review every warning. If you need to return to layout editing, use Undo the structural analysis where offered. Steel follows its supported checking workflow rather than this concrete redraw.

43:35 Use structural files as a review starting point

Open the structural calculation to inspect the checks and how the house was analysed. The Word report and structural package collect supported outputs. ETABS and STAAD.Pro files help an engineer continue in their own analysis tools; the serviceability model serves its stated separate check. The bar bending schedule is a steel schedule that still needs review. These files use the accepted house revision and shared structural inputs. Some exports can be blocked or account-limited. None is a stamped construction or permit package simply because it downloads.

44:12 Choose the right drawing file

Open Downloads for the selected option. Architectural DXF is for CAD work. DWG is offered only where the required converter is available; otherwise open the DXF in a suitable CAD program. The drawing sets and large plan image serve different purposes. Pick the floor you want before saving an image. Read any review or missing-information message on a drawing set. A municipal sheet layout or a large image does not mean the design has received municipal approval.

44:43 Take the model to SketchUp

For a textured model, the COLLADA download contains the model and its texture files in a zip. Extract them together, import the DAE in SketchUp, then save it as an SKP. OBJ is another exchange format; keep its material and texture files and import in metres. Direct SKP depends on a supported Windows computer with SketchUp. Changes made later in SketchUp do not automatically update Aakar's plans, quantities or structural checks. Keep the exported revision clearly named.

45:16 Use IFC for building information

IFC carries building elements such as walls, openings, floors and named spaces for BIM programs. Select the offered IFC schema and follow the import notes for your Revit version. Check the imported categories, dimensions and openings. Colours transfer, but rendering materials and textures have limits. This is not a direct RVT download. GLB is better suited to viewing the furnished 3D model in compatible programs. Choose the file for your next task rather than expecting every format to behave the same way.

45:52 Keep a project you can reopen

Save project file keeps the options and accepted edits in a file that Aakar Studio can reopen. This is different from saving a picture or an exported CAD model. Keep a dated copy before major changes. Your files lists files made during the session; download the ones you need to keep. When you reopen a project, read the validation messages. An older project can require rebuilding against the current engine. Keep the original copy until you have checked the reopened house.

46:24 Turn a proposal into a clear conversation

You now have a way to describe the land, the family, the appearance and the assumptions behind the cost and structure. Return to any chapter when an answer is unclear. Keep unknown information marked as unknown and ask the right professional for it. Share the selected option, project file, drawings and review findings with your architect and engineer. They still need to confirm the site, local requirements, construction details and final design before building. The aim is a clearer starting point for your own home.

Recorded 30 October 2026. Some controls may move as the studio improves.

Use the guide to prepare your brief. Have site information, drawings and structural assumptions checked with your architect and engineer.