Builders in Sholinganallur: Building Over a High Water Table

The part of the house you never see

In Sholinganallur, the part of the house you will never look at is the part that needs the most thought.

The locality sits on low, flat ground between water. The southern fringe of the Pallikaranai marsh is close by, and the Okkiyam Madu channel carries the marsh's water east towards the Buckingham Canal. On ground like this, water is often only a few feet down, and in the monsoon it can be closer still.

That shapes three decisions more than anything else: how we dig the foundation, how we build the sump and how we handle waste water. Get those right and the rest is an ordinary build. Our team plans them before anyone talks about elevations. It is also where builders in Sholinganallur differ most from one another, because none of it shows once the house is finished.

Find out about the water before you design

• How deep did the neighbours dig? Ask anyone who built recently how far down they went before water came in, and in which month. A pit dug in May tells a very different story from one dug in November.
• What happened in heavy rain? OMR localities including Sholinganallur saw flooding in 2015 and again after Cyclone Michaung in December 2023. Ask which streets held water and for how long. Long-time residents remember.
• Is the borewell water usable? Near backwaters, groundwater can be hard or brackish. Have a sample from a neighbouring borewell tested before you rely on it for drinking or plan your pipes and fittings around it.
• What does the soil report say? A proper soil investigation, with the water level in the borehole recorded, comes before foundation design. Not after excavation.

Digging when the pit keeps filling

When groundwater sits close to the surface, foundation pits fill as you dig. Concrete poured into standing water does not reach its full strength, and the sides of a wet pit can slump in.

This is how we handle it on a wet plot:

• Plan excavation and foundation concrete for the drier months where the schedule allows, and keep below-ground work out of the October to December monsoon.
• Keep a dewatering pump on site and pump the pit dry before every pour, not just the first one.
• Lay a bed of plain concrete first, so the steel sits on a clean, firm base rather than on mud.
• Let the soil report choose the foundation. On weaker ground a raft or a deeper footing may be the right answer, and our engineer explains the reason before it is priced.

None of this is exotic. It just has to be done every time, by a site team that expects water.

The sump, the septic tank and the floor

Sump

An underground sump in high groundwater is pushed from outside, not only from the water you store in it. If it cracks, groundwater gets in and mixes with your supply. We build the sump in reinforced concrete, waterproof the outer face before backfilling, and finish the inside with waterproof plaster. The lid sits above finished ground level so surface water cannot run in. On some plots a larger overhead tank and a smaller sump is the better balance, and we'll say so if it is.

Septic tank

Where your street does not have a sewer line, the septic tank sits in wet ground too. It needs to be sealed properly and placed well away from the sump and any borewell. A soak pit struggles when the soil is already saturated, so we discuss the outlet arrangement with you at the design stage rather than leaving it to the plumber.

Floor level

We set the finished floor above the highest water your street has seen, with a margin. In Sholinganallur that often puts a new house higher than older neighbours. A damp-proof course at plinth level and anti-termite treatment before the floor is laid finish the job. Damp ground makes both more important, not less.

What it costs

We price by built-up area: Basic ₹2,199, Standard ₹2,399, Premium ₹2,699 and Ultra Luxury ₹3,199 per sq ft.

A 1,600 sq ft house in the Standard package comes to about ₹38.4 lakh (1,600 × ₹2,399). Approvals, the soil test, compound wall, sump and interiors are extra. On a wet plot, read the extras carefully. If the soil report calls for a heavier foundation than usual, we show it as its own line in the estimate, so you see it before signing rather than at excavation.

How land value on the corridor should shape your choice of specification is covered in our OMR construction cost guide. For what goes into a frame that lasts, see structural work that stands the test of time.

How Hunter Property builds in Sholinganallur

Our team visits the plot first and talks to the neighbours about water. Then we check the sale deed, patta and layout documents, and arrange the soil test.

House plans here are approved by the Greater Chennai Corporation, with CMDA involved only for larger buildings. We prepare the drawings and the application for that route, and design the foundation from the soil report rather than from habit.

Construction then runs stage by stage: foundation, plinth, frame, walls, roof and finishes. You get a daily progress report, and you pay as each stage is completed. On wet plots the foundation stage is the one we watch hardest, because it is the one you cannot fix later.

Ask the builders in Sholinganallur you are comparing how they plan to keep the foundation pit dry. A clear answer is a good sign.

Talk to us before you dig

If you own a plot in Sholinganallur or are about to buy one, send us the location. We'll tell you what to ask the neighbours, arrange the soil test and give you an estimate that allows for the ground. For other parts of the city, see our builders in Chennai page.