Approval route first
We confirm whether your plot qualifies for self-certification, local-body approval, third-party certification or CMDA and DTCP scrutiny, then size the design to that route.
Chennai · since 2009
Designed, approved and built under one architect’s signature.
EDJ Associates takes homes and small commercial buildings across Chennai and Tamil Nadu from the first plot check to the completion certificate. Ar. Jayan Durairathinam signs your approval drawings and supervises your site.
Or WhatsApp the architect on +91 91762 84004.
ArchitectAr. Jayan Durairathinam · M.Arch, The Glasgow School of Art
Council of ArchitectureCA/2007/40367
CMDA · Registered Architect Gr. IRA/Gr.I/19/05/256
Greater Chennai Corporation · Gr. IRA100572019
OfficeValasaravakkam, Chennai 600 087
You can check any architect’s registration on the Council of Architecture register at coa.gov.in.
How we work
One practice from plot to keys
Every project starts from your plot: what the rules allow, what the ground needs, and what the whole job costs. The same architect carries it through design, approval and construction.
One signature, one contact
The architect who signs your approval drawings also supervises construction, so design decisions and site decisions come from the same person.
An itemised BOQ
Every quote lists each item with its quantity and rate. Any upgrade you choose is priced and agreed in writing before it is built.
Payment against measured work
Each stage payment comes with a measured payment certificate that you can check line by line.
Foundations from soil data
Soft clay and high groundwater change what a building stands on. On a Stilt+3 scheme at Kovur, the soil investigation called for a raft foundation, and the estimate followed it.
Our own site team
EDJ’s own supervisors, masons, electricians, plumbers, carpenters and painters work to a written contract with agreed timelines.
Final value
What it costs to build out your plot
Three details, one figure: the all-in cost of the largest building the rules allow on your plot and road, from the foundation to the approval charges.
Final value
Rs. —
Enter your plot size, road width and location. You get one figure: what it costs to build out your plot, all in.
Worked out on our server from current Chennai rates and TNCDBR 2019. No personal details are collected.
Approvals
Approvals by a registered architect
Tamil Nadu’s approval rules have moved fast since 2024: self-certification for small homes, third-party certification under G.O. 179 and new local-body limits under G.O. 180. We track each order and file under the route your building qualifies for.
Building permits
Planning permission and building permit drawings for GCC, CMDA, DTCP and local bodies, filed and followed through.
Self-certification
Eligibility check, drawings and filing on the Tamil Nadu portal for homes on plots up to 2,500 sq ft.
Completion certificates
Structural certificates, forms and site records for the completion certificate, as on our Stilt+5 apartments at Saligramam.
Plot due diligence
FMB sketches, revenue records and site checks before you buy, design or build.
Feasibility and area statements
Buildable area, FSI and floor-wise area statements under TNCDBR 2019, for owners, joint ventures and redevelopment.
Sub-division and advisories
Plot sub-division and layouts, and written advisories on wetlands, burial-ground distances and EV charging.
Have your own contractor? We take on approval drawings, design or site supervision on their own.
Projects
Selected work
Projects from 2023 to 2026, and an earlier Stilt+9 block for the Tamil Nadu Housing Board. The homes and apartments we have built over the years are listed below the table.
ProjectPlaceOur workStatus
Architect. CMDA planning permission CMDA/PP/NHRB/C/0009/2023 and the completion-certificate submission.
Completed 2026Project management, cost control and payment certification to handover, with a 22-sheet as-built drawing set.
Handed over 2026Amalgamation of three plots (452 sq m), feasibility and an 8-apartment CMDA non-high-rise scheme.
In progressSite due diligence with FMB and Tamil and English reports, BOQ, cost analysis and DTCP planning-permission guidance.
2026Design development, area statements, MEP coordination and detailed estimates.
2026Scheme and structural proposal, with a raft foundation recommended on the geotechnical findings.
2026Development feasibility and floor-wise area statements under TNCDBR 2019 as amended.
FeasibilityJoint-venture feasibility report and residential scheme.
FeasibilityArchitect consultant and project management for the Tamil Nadu Housing Board, 108 flats.
Earlier workHomes and apartments we have built in Chennai
- Arumbakkam
- Chinmaya Nagar
- Chitlapakkam
- Madanandapuram
- Mandaveli
- Maduravoyal
- Medavakkam · EDJ Flats
- Navalur
- Ram Nagar · Guhaas Apartments
- Thiruvanmiyur · Guhaas Apartments
- Thoraipakkam
- Valasaravakkam
Elsewhere in Tamil Nadu
- Cuddalore
- Kuthalam
- Thiruthani
Process
How a project runs
- 01
Plot check
Documents, a site visit, the approval route and the buildable area, set out in a written feasibility note.
- 02
Design
Plans, elevations and 3D views, developed with you until the layout works for your family and your budget.
- 03
Approval
Approval drawings and structural design, submitted and followed through to the permit.
- 04
BOQ and agreement
An itemised BOQ, a specification sheet, stage payments and timelines, all in a written agreement.
- 05
Construction
Supervised by the architect, with stage inspections and a measured payment certificate at each stage.
- 06
Handover
The completion certificate where the rules need one, as-built drawings and a handover file.
The practice
EDJ Associates
EDJ Associates was founded in 2009 by Er. E. Durairathinam, structural engineer. The initials stand for Elappan, Durairathinam and Jayan.
Ar. Jayan Durairathinam leads the practice today. He takes projects from site due diligence and feasibility through approvals, design, cost control and construction, and builds the practice’s own tools, including the Approval Route Explorer and EDJ SelfCert, now in development.
- EducationM.Arch, Urban Design and Creative Practice, Mackintosh School of Architecture, The Glasgow School of Art · B.Arch, first class
- PracticeTwo decades in architecture, with earlier roles at Spacescape Architects and MOAD in Chennai
- TeachingVisiting faculty at Meenakshi College and the School of Architecture and Planning, Anna University
- RegistrationsCOA CA/2007/40367 · CMDA RA/Gr.I/19/05/256 · GCC RA100572019
Fees
Desk services, then payment
Your final value is free, and so is a message to the architect. The itemised estimate, a written route note, a call or a plot check is a fixed fee, paid to the UPI ID below. Fees current as of 10 Oct 2026.
Itemised estimate
Rs. 2,500
Your final value on this page is free. This fee is for the architect to work out the itemised estimate behind it, for the building you actually plan, and send it to you in writing.
WhatsApp reply within one working day.
Adjusted against the design fee if you appoint EDJ Associates for that plot within 90 days.
Approval route note
Rs. 3,500
We check the building you have in mind against TNCDBR 2019 and the current G.O.s in our 3D route model, and send a written note of the route it falls under, and what fails if it does not fit.
WhatsApp reply within one working day.
Adjusted against the professional fee if you appoint us for the approval drawings within 90 days.
30-minute call with the architect
Rs. 2,000
A direct call with Ar. Jayan Durairathinam about the plot, the approval route or the estimate.
A time is confirmed on WhatsApp after the payment is matched.
Plot check retainer
Rs. 10,000
Starts the feasibility file: which papers to send, which approval route to design for, and whether the plot is worth a full appointment.
The document list goes out the day the payment is matched.
Adjusted in full against the professional fee if you appoint us for that plot.
These fees are for work done from this page. Government charges, soil tests and the construction cost are separate. A design or approval fee is quoted in writing after the plot check.
- 1Pay the amount on your EDJ invoice or quotation.
- 2Before you confirm, check that your app shows the UPI ID edjassociates@okicici.
- 3Send the UPI reference number on WhatsApp to +91 91762 84004 with your name and project, and we acknowledge it against your invoice.
Larger payments. Most banks cap UPI transfers at Rs. 1,00,000 a day. For larger amounts, use NEFT, RTGS or IMPS to the account below.
Stay safe. Our UPI ID and bank account never change. If an invoice, email, message or call gives you different details, call +91 91762 84004 before you pay.
Bank transfer by NEFT, RTGS or IMPS
- Account name
- JAYAN DURAIRATHINAM D
- Account number
- 1264 1350 0000 2654
- IFSC
- KVBL0001264
- Bank
- The Karur Vysya Bank, Valasaravakkam branch, Arcot Road, Chennai 600 087
The account is in the name of our principal architect. When you add it as a payee, your bank should show the name JAYAN DURAIRATHINAM D. Send the transaction reference on WhatsApp so we can match it to your invoice.
Questions
Before you build
Can I self-certify my house instead of waiting for an approval?
If the plot is up to 2,500 sq ft and the building is G+1 up to 7 m or Stilt+2 up to 10 m, with no more than two homes and 3,500 sq ft of floor area, Tamil Nadu’s self-certification scheme gives you approval on the portal once the file is complete. We check eligibility, prepare the drawings and file it. A route note or a plot check confirms the route your building takes.
What do I pay for on this page?
Your final value is free, and so is sending it to us on WhatsApp. The itemised estimate behind it is Rs. 2,500, a written approval route note is Rs. 3,500, a 30-minute call is Rs. 2,000, and a plot check retainer is Rs. 10,000. Pay the UPI ID on this page and send the reference on WhatsApp. The itemised estimate, the route note and the plot check are adjusted against the later professional fee if you appoint us. Design, approval and construction fees are quoted separately.
What does the final value cover?
The whole build of the largest building the rules allow on your plot and road, at our standard specification: the building, its foundation, the site works, the service connections and the approval charges. It leaves out land, registration, interiors such as a modular kitchen, wardrobes and false ceilings, loose furniture, and professional fees. If you plan something smaller or a higher specification, the itemised estimate prices exactly that.
Why do you show one figure and not the breakdown?
Because the breakdown depends on choices only you can make: how many floors, how many homes, the specification, the soil. The figure on this page is honest about the whole cost; the itemised estimate works those choices through with you and is credited against our fee if you go ahead.
Do you only take on full construction?
No. We take on approval drawings alone, design and approvals, supervision of your own contractor, or the complete build.
How do payments work during construction?
Against the stages agreed in the contract. Each payment comes with a measured payment certificate showing what has been built. Smaller amounts can go by UPI and larger ones by bank transfer against our invoice.
Do you work outside Chennai?
Yes. Recent work includes Tiruvannamalai, Jayankondam in Ariyalur district and Gingee, and we handle DTCP and local-body approvals across Tamil Nadu.
How long does an approval take?
Self-certification is immediate once the file is complete. Local-body, CMDA and DTCP timelines depend on the authority and the file, so we give you a realistic date after the plot check.
Contact
Talk to the architect
Messages are free, with or without your final value. The itemised estimate, a route note, a call and a plot check are desk fees; the estimate, the route note and the plot check are credited if you appoint us.
Phone and WhatsApp
Email[email protected]
Office
Plot No. 12, Ground Floor, 1st Main Road, Kamakodi Nagar, Valasaravakkam, Chennai 600 087
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