What does carpet area really mean?

The real meaning of Carpet Area and more

In your home, the carpet area is how much of the floor space can be covered in carpet. It is the wall-to-wall distance in our home which makes up the net usable space of the floor. So when you are looking to buy a home, remember to look at the carpet area before making your final decision. This number will give you a real idea about the size of your space and how much of usable space you will have in your bedroom, bathroom, etc.

Carpet area generally comprises 70% of your home’s built-up area including the living room, bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen and inner staircases where applicable. This means if your home’s built-up area is 1000 sqft, then the carpet area is 70% of the built-up area which is 700 sq.ft.

According to the newly introduced RERA Act, it is compulsory for developers to divulge the carpet area of each apartment/villa/property to be purchased to their customers. The sale price can be calculated on the basis of the carpet area. Your home’s carpet area won’t include the outer walls, balconies or terraces. However, since the carpet area will become your personal space it will include the internal wall thickness of your home.

What is Built-up area ?

Your home’s built-up area is the total of the carpet area and the wall thickness. It also includes the area that includes your home’s terrace or balcony. It usually constitutes around 70-80% of the super built-up area of your home, however, take note that this percentage will vary based on the developer or the project. Conversely, by including an additional 10-15% of space to your home’s carpet area will make it the built-up area. If you want to calculate the built-up area, first let us consider your home’s super built-up area is 1500 sqft. If the built-up area is 70-80% of the built-up area. This means the built-up area is 1050 to 1200 sqft, while your carpet area will be around 1050 sqft. To make things easier use this equation: carpet area + area of the walls + area of the terrace/balcony = built-up area.

What is Super built-up area ?

The super built-up area is the sum total of your home’s built-up area as well as common areas like staircases, elevators, lobbies, clubhouses, etc. These common areas include all the amenities and facilities that the builder provides. Very often, developers will price properties based on the super built-up area thus it is often referred to as ‘saleable area’.

Another term that comes up often in relation to the super built-up area is the loading factor. It refers to the proportionate share of the common areas in your home which is calculated by using a multiplier of 1.25 to the carpet. This amounts to nearly 25-30% of the total saleable area. You can obtain this value by calculating the difference between your home’s carpet and the super built-up area. Depending on the developer, sometimes, the price of the property depends on the loading factor. Here’s an easy way to look at it: carpet area x 1 + loading factor = super built-up area

To calculate your home’s super built-up area, assume that your developer applied a loading of 25% for your home with a carpet area of 800 sq.ft. Then, your super built-up area will be 1000 sqft.