What is very noticeable in the construction of the houses in the village is the care taken to detail and the good finishing and workmanship. As the house have been built with a very limited budget (about Rs. 1.2 lakh), the architects and engineers of A&D strived hard to give the beneficiaries a home as near to their dream houses as possible. They have not compromised on the aesthetics and also made sure that the beneficiaries will enjoy an improved quality life.
Some notable features that have been adopted are:
Windows have been designed and built with swivel shutters on a central axle, making it possible to save on material as well as adding an original/unique design feauture.
Cupboards are made in bricks and shelves are in cudappa stone for a smooth, polished and easy to maintain surface.
The kitchen walls have Jalis for better ventilation and a counter slab has been introduced on one wall in black smooth cement.
The cement floor has a pattern ingrained in red and a green colour along the edge of the rooms to replicate the image of a carpet on the floor. In addition by way of kolam (2)a small flower design was introduced in front of the maindoor steps, and this was cast in green cement on the red floor with the help of a stencil.
The base as well as the corners of the walls and the frames of the windows and doors are plastered to match with the concrete lintel to give a rhythm for aesthetics purpose.
Ceilings use the filler slab technique and the tiles are cleaned and left visible, and this adds an interesting element while economizing on the concrete used in the roof.
One particularly functional element used in the veranda, is a bench in cuddappa stone encircling the internal walls of the entire veranda and this is supported on brick walls, with storage space below.
All external plastered surfaces of the house will be limed leaving the brick walls exposed and on the inside the entire surface will be limed in white optimizing the brightness in the rooms.
The finishing stage is monitored closely by the site engineers so that all the houses will have a standard look once completed.
Most of the almost completed houses already have lived in feeling as the owners have already invested in additional feautures in their new homes. In one instance a beneficiary has already installed his music system on a shelf, while in another one the electricity connection has been taken from the neighbouring home to install neon lights...
(1) cuddappa: the cuddappa is a black stone which resembles the granite although its of a lesser quality and more economical. It is often used for counters and shelves.
(2) kolam: Kolam is a kind of motif painted on the floor in front of the doors of houses in a very symmetrical pattern.