‘Geetham’ house in Kerala is a perfect blend of the Red and Green
Designed by a teacher Ragesh T and local architect Shantilal from Costford, the sustainable family house – ‘Geetham’ in Thrissur is a snip at 20 lakhs.
The traditional house stands in a placid village located in the border area of Thrissur district draws the attention of weary eyes due to its magnetic model and vivid color.
After opening the front door of the house, the guests are welcomed to the inner courtyard that resembles Kerala’s traditional Nalukettu house. Red Oxide Floor and Reused Roof Tiles are used in Kerala Home Saves Electricity and to keep the house cool.
Geetham has a sitting space, living room, dining area, courtyard, kitchen, work area, two bedrooms with attached bathrooms on the ground floor, and a multi-utility space and open terrace on the first floor.
Ragesh T, a teacher by profession, wanted to have a dedicated space lit up with natural air and light to encourage his felicity in reading as well as music.
His friends introduced him to experienced architect Shanitilal, who runs an architectural company called Costford in Thriprayar, which focuses on constructing eco-friendly buildings. He came up with a plan of action to build an alluring house that would stand out from the standard cement buildings we see everywhere.
The walls of the house ‘Geetham’ were built using red stone, giving it a traditional look. The outer walls were left unplastered following the exposed style of construction. Whereas, the interiors were plastered using a quirky eco-friendly mix of mud, jaggery, lime and myrobalan (haritaki).
The open courtyard with a swing in the middle is a perfect setting to bask in the glory of sunshine.
He used old roof tiles above a waterproofed bamboo sheet to avoid possible leakage issues in future. All the doors, windows and furniture were to be made using recycled wood.
As per Shantilal, they completed the house in one year at a very reasonable cost. By leaving out cement, the cost of the house is reduced tremendously.The total cost of building this house was Rs 21 lakh, that too because of the rise in the price of construction materials during the pandemic-induced lockdown period.
Images by The Better India
