Two homes are both “2,500 sq. ft.”, and one feels noticeably smaller when you walk in. That usually isn’t your imagination. It’s the difference between carpet area and super area, and it’s the most common way buyers end up comparing the wrong numbers.
The three measurements
- Carpet area is the usable floor inside your home. RERA defines it as the net usable floor area, excluding external walls, service shafts, your exclusive balcony or verandah, and exclusive open terraces. Internal partition walls are included.
- Built-up area adds the walls and, in most usage, the balcony or deck.
- Super (super built-up) area adds your share of the common areas: lobbies, lift shafts, staircases, and often part of the club. It’s the biggest number, which is why ads like it.
The loading factor
The gap between super area and carpet area is called loading. In today’s market it commonly runs 25–40%, and there’s no legal cap on it. You work it out like this:
Loading = (super area − carpet area) ÷ carpet area
Here’s what that means for a 2,500 sq. ft. super-area home:
| Loading | Carpet area | Price per carpet sq. ft. at ₹4.75 Cr |
|---|---|---|
| 25% | 2,000 sq. ft. | ≈ ₹23,750 |
| 30% | ≈ 1,923 sq. ft. | ≈ ₹24,700 |
| 35% | ≈ 1,852 sq. ft. | ≈ ₹25,650 |
An illustration only. These are not Aravista’s carpet areas, which will be stated in the RERA registration and the agreement for sale.
The same headline price works out very differently once you know the carpet area. That’s why a project that looks cheaper per sq. ft. can be the more expensive one.
What RERA changed
RERA doesn’t ban developers from quoting super area. But the price in your agreement must be tied to carpet area, and the developer has to disclose the carpet area of every home in the registration. The balcony or deck is disclosed separately. The standard agreement also lets the final carpet area vary only slightly from what was promised, commonly within 3%, with the price adjusted if it changes by more.
Why this matters at Aravista
Every Aravista home opens onto a wide deck. Under RERA, that deck isn’t part of the carpet area, even though you’ll use it every day. So when you compare Aravista with another project, compare three numbers: carpet area, deck area and price. Comparing carpet area alone undersells a home with a big deck, and comparing super area alone tells you very little.
A simple comparison checklist
- Get the RERA carpet area for each plan you’re considering.
- Get the deck or balcony area separately.
- Work out the price per carpet sq. ft. using the all-in price, not the base price.
- Ask whether maintenance will be billed on carpet or super area. It makes a big difference over the years.
For the Aravista layouts themselves, see our floor plans guide, and for the extras that go into the all-in price, our all-in cost guide.
Want the carpet and deck area for each Aravista plan?
