Like any designer with creative nature, I too prefer to create always a new design for each house I take up for construction. For those houses for which I do only initial drawings like Plan and elevation, I do not get opportunity to try out new design and new features
New design has to be worked from start to finish of construction of a building. Also for this I really need a client who does not know much about house construction and hence will not start putting up his own ideas and mostly foolish suggestions thinking that he knows a lot about house design and construction. After designing many houses and directly building more than 200 houses, I am still studying a lot on house design and construction. Each new house I build and design are definitely better than the earlier ones as I keep on improving my design and building techniques based on my previous experiences
When I built Edappally house at Cochin I got enough freedom to slowly work out on improving appearance and utility of the spaces in the building mainly because my Marine Engineer client even though senior to me by experience left the scene for six months leaving me freedom to work out. His wife rarely visited the site. By the time he returned from his work in sea, I have made the structure with an impressive appearance much better than he could hope for
When I was working on the compound wall for that house which was again different with a new design he was present. As expected he was very much against my ideas. I have to threaten to leave the work at that stage to make him relent. Finally when it was finished he and all others praised me for the impressive compound wall design. Another client wanted me to simply copy that compound wall for him. Basically my clients do not have the vision to imagine the outcome of the work being planned by me step by step. Unfortunately I cannot teach them to visualize as I can. This Edappally house design was repeated again at Kalady and Nilambur though I hate repetitions. House design used for our office was repeated seven times in Cochin itself as it is an excellent design for three cents and less than four cents plot with four bed rooms attached along with all usual rooms and facilities
Now I am again working on a new design at Cherthala which when completed will have these specialties
1. . 1.Living room remaining central to the house in the front with no room above and no access from any other room other than common spaces connecting dining, stair and lounge or home theatre.(a lot of people used to tell me that family members should be able to move freely inside house without people sitting in living room noticing them. This facility is provided in this design)
2. Two car porch with access for cars from two sides
3. Poomukham and Charupady
4. Chuttu verandah
5. Side entry to house from Car porch to Poomukham other than front entry
6. Nadumuttom if required
7. Family living area at first floor with Home theatre facilities
8. Common toilet in common area
9. First floor rear space for party3. 10. Kitchen with utility space close by instead of old work area
11. 10. Kitchen with utility space close by instead of old work area
11. Four bed rooms attached-two in each floor
12. Appearance for four level roofs in two storey building
All All these surprisingly with a plinth area less than 3000sft!
At Irinjalakuda I could do a real good work with 4000 sft plinth area with lot of totally new concepts mainly because owner of the house did not know much on house design or construction and hence left me free to experiment
So it is not without any reason that Architects usually tell half jokingly that the house is done well in spite of the owner
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