Anand & Sija had straightforward dreams about their new home. Like any other family, their requirements were pretty basic like bedrooms, kitchen, hall and puja room. They had already purchased 60 cents of land for the purpose of building this house a while ago. The couple had skimmed through many plans but were not happy with any. The main reason behind rejecting those plans was the way in which the space was used in the interiors. It was, finally, the plan laid out by Santhosh that won their hearts. The house was built in the center of the plot. Even with all the required facilities, they were able to contain the total cost below the set budget and it amounted to ₹19.5 lakhs.
Plot
As the plot was sturdy enough, they didn’t have to bring in additional loads of mud. The foundation was built with minimal expenses. The current foundation is one that could allow the construction of another storey in the future.
Exterior
If this house was built in the city, there would not be anything striking about the exterior design. But in a small town like Alumpidika, Kollam district, this house is definitely a star. The architect used minimalist style exteriors for the construction of the house. The color schemes followed in modern-day houses are unique. Some of the commonly used color schemes are white, yellow and grey etc.
Pavement tiles have been laid in some parts of the frontyard. There is a small pebble court at the entrance. When the works were all completed, there was a shortage of 86 sq.ft. as per Vaasthu calculations. The extra pebble court was added to rectify this. A separate door in the sit-out leads to the puja room. White vitrified tiles are used for the sit-out flooring.
Living Room
Two walls in the living room have been given texture paint. One of the walls has got niche spaces for placing decorative curios. The main door and windows are of Wild Jack wood whereas all the other doors in the house are ready-made ones. The frame of these were done using Timber wood. Below the TV unit there is another small pebble court.
Dining Room
Both the dining room and the kitchen were not separated by doors to save expenses. The stairs start from the dining area. The washarea is in the space below the staircase. Vitrified tiles make up the flooring. Instead of adding pricey windows, few vertical openings are given on the wall near the stairs. A glass slab has been placed on the openings. The Pergola on top ensures that there is ample light inside the house. A common toilet is added near to the wash area. On the wall beside the stairs and near the wash basin, the magic of texture paint is evident.
Bedroom
There are 3 bedrooms in the house. While the master bedroom leads to the living room, the other 2 are adjacent open to the dining space. The layout of all bedrooms is in such a way that the privacy is maintained and cannot be viewed from the common areas. Like the rest of the house, the interior of the bedrooms are simple and elegant.
Kitchen
You can enter the kitchen from the dining room. There is a separate work area adjacent to the L-shaped kitchen. Aluminium fabricated shutters and frames have been used in both the areas. The total cost of this came to about Rs.30,000. The wall tiles with imagery related to food is an attractive element in the kitchen. The countertops are of granite. Ceramic tile were used for the floors of the kitchen, all bathrooms and for the puja room.
Project Facts
Area: 1500 sqft
Place: Oachira, Kollam
Designer: M. D. Santhosh
Santhosh Associates
Oachira, Kollam
blowupsanthosh@gmail.com
Owner: Anand & Sija, Anand Bhavan
Cost: 19.5 Lakhs
