Built your own house in Chennai? Who did you actually hire and would recommend?

Vanakkam makkale!!!

We're planning to build our own house in OMR and honestly don't know where to start when it comes to finding the right people. This is our first home so thought I'd ask here.

One big request — please only share someone you've personally hired and worked with. Not a friend's recommendation, not a cousin's contact. If you've actually paid them and seen their work firsthand, then only please share.

If you've built your own independent house recently, we would love to know:

1. Architect recommendation. Someone good and trustworthy, who actually listens to your ideas, gives practical suggestions, doesn't just push their own style and most importantly stays involved during construction (not someone who disappears after handing over the drawings).

2. Builder / Contractor recommendations. Someone genuine to work with. Transparent about costs and delivers quality work.

3. Material suppliers : Any trusted contacts for River Sand, Cement, Red Bricks, Steel, Granite etc. Quality and honest pricing both matter.

4. Any tips from your experience like CMDA approvals, timeline realities, material quality checks, contractor red flags, payment terms or things you wish someone had told you before you started.

We're trying to do this right from the beginning so any genuine inputs would really help. Nandri makkale 🙏🏼