It was the inconveniences surrounding a lack of space that prompted Santhosh, a BFA graduate, to think about remodeling his house. It was the inconveniences surrounding a lack of space that prompted Santhosh, a BFA graduate, to think about remodeling his house.
According to Santhosh, he always wanted to incorporate a colonial style roofing for his house. Apparently, it was the ‘Veedu’ magazine that familiarized him with the colonial style architecture. But he knew he couldn’t afford much. It was then that his friend Sarath, an expert in welding tasks, came up with his support, and the duo set out on a mission to renovate the building on a shoestring budget.
Adding more length and breadth to the existing windows of the 1,100 sq ft house ensured more inflow of sunlight into the rooms. The outer frame was finalised fast with pipes fixed in a slanting position. And above the frame roofing, profile sheets that cost Rs 39 per sq ft were affixed. In a bid to add to the beauty of the structure, two tiny windows were thrown in. The result, in fact, was an astounding roof built without disrupting even a bit of the old home.
The outer frame was finalised fast with pipes fixed in a slanting position. And above the frame roofing, profile sheets that cost Rs 39 per sq ft were affixed. The old house had a tiled roof on one side. The new roof was placed hiding that portion too, so that the whole structure looked like one single unit. By doing this, the leaks on the tiled roof were also plugged. Santhosh also set aside a space on the covered terrace where his drawings and paintings could be kept.
A few tinkering tasks were also done inside the house so that the interiors and the exterior looked spruced up.A few tinkering tasks were also done inside the house so that the interiors and the exterior looked spruced up. With the new roof in place, the old pergola frame added more beauty to the show wall. The roof was also extended to the car porch.
Adding more length and breadth to the existing windows of the 1,100 sq ft house ensured more inflow of sunlight into the rooms. Santhosh’s vast collection of books also found comfortable space on shelves made of glass pieces attached to the walls. Flooring was also redone, with granite thrown in, in place of the old red oxide.
The new roof was placed hiding that portion too, so that the whole structure looked like one single unit.With the new structure up in place of the age old house, people from far and near have been flocking to see the new mode of construction that has gone into its making. Some of the neighbours have also started reconstructing their old homes on the lines of what Santhosh has done.
Santhosh, an art teacher from Pulipparambu near Poyya in Thrissur district, had been living here in his 43-year-old home, which was constructed by his father Louis Vaidyan. His dad had constructed the concrete house at a cost of just Rs 10,000 then. The cost details written in his father’s old dairy is still with Santhosh. As he glances through the pages of the diary, Santhosh is happy that he has not dismantled even one stone from his father’s old home.
