This cost-effective Kozhikode house is a marvel in space efficiency

Shafi, a business owner based in Kozhikode, Kerala, shares his experiences of building a cost effective yet beautiful home in a smaller plot. “I had earlier built a house close to the Kozhikode town. However, we soon felt an urge to move away from the hectic city life. So, we decided to build another house by contouring 6 cents, close to my ancestral home in Nenmanda. We wanted a house with all the modern amenities. However, we also wanted to build the house without burning a hole in the pocket,” says Shafi. The construction was entrusted to noted architect Roof who made sure to design a fabulous abode by meeting all the demands of the family.

The car porch isn’t part of the main structure to reduce as much area as possible. The family plans to move into their dream dwelling and then complete the pending industrial works.

Designed in 1900 sqft, this elegant house has a sit out, living and dining areas, four bedrooms, and bathroom, kitchen with a work area, upper hall and balcony as well.

The common areas are designed in the open style. Moreover, the walls don lighter shades which make the interiors look pleasant and vaster as well. Vitrified tiles have been paved on the floor. Furnishing using expensive timber has been avoided to reduce the cost of construction. The hand railings of the stairway feature the classic combination of wood and toughened glass. The wood of kari vaka or albizia lebbeck has been used here.

The living – dining – stair area is open and airy. Meanwhile, the stair area is in double height. This feature helps in maintaining amazing connection between both the floors. The family living area has been smartly arranged by separating a small space closer to where the stairway begins. Elegant wooden flooring is the highlight of this area. Meanwhile, a hanging cot grants an old world charm to the spacious family living area.

The dining table and the wash area are arranged beneath the stairway to save space.

The kitchen is furnished in marine plywood. Meanwhile, granite has been paved on the counter top. The quaint breakfast counter near the counter top makes the kitchen extremely functional. Interestingly, the work area too is beautifully furnished in aluminium fabrication.

The bedrooms are in 10 x 12 sizes. The bath attached bedrooms have in – built wardrobes for storage.

The construction of this space efficient house was completed on a moderate budget of Rs 33 lakh. This indeed is impressive as a house like this would have cost at least Rs 44 lakh considering the current rates of construction and the material costs.

Among the multiple factors that helped in keeping a check on the expenses, using locally sourced building materials played a pivotal role. The structure has been built by reducing as much area as possible in square feet. False ceiling isn’t installed everywhere; instead light points are directly fixed. The walls don lighter shades of colours. Moreover, the family has tried alternate furnishing materials to reduce the use of expensive timber.

Project Facts

Location – Nenmanda, Calicut

Plot - 6 cents

Area – 1900 SFT

Owner – Shafi

Design – Raoof Kalathingal

Tessera Architects, Feroke

Mob – 9961472061

Engineer – Shahabas

Year of construction – October 2020

Budget – Rs 33 lakhs

Pictures – Akhil Komachy

Mob - 9746852557