Part of our guide to traditional village house construction across India.
Maharashtra’s village home is the wada on the Deccan — a two- or three-storey brick-and-timber mansion around one or more chowks (courtyards), with a diwankhana reception hall — and the Konkan house on the coast, built of laterite under a Mangalore-tile roof, with a padvi verandah facing the coconut grove.
It belongs to Pune, Nashik, Satara for the wada; Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg for the Konkan house, and it was shaped by a climate of semi-arid Deccan inland; monsoon-drenched Konkan coast. Below is everything a family needs before commissioning one today: what makes it what it is, the specifications we build to, the materials, how long it takes, what it costs, and how we modernise it without losing it.
What defines the wada and konkan house
- Chowk (courtyard) — one or more open courts stacked in sequence in a wada.
- Diwankhana — the formal first-floor hall with carved timber columns and ceiling.
- Padvi verandah (Konkan) — the deep front verandah on a laterite plinth.
- Timber-framed upper floors — brick infill in a teak frame.
- Sloping tiled roof — Mangalore tiles on the coast; flat lime roofs inland.
Specifications we build to
| Typical built-up area | 2,000–5,000 sq ft (wada); 1,500–3,000 (Konkan) |
| Courtyard | 10–20 ft, often with a tulsi vrindavan |
| Wall | brick 14–18 in inland; laterite 9–14 in on the coast |
| Roof | teak truss with Mangalore tiles / lime-concrete flat roof |
| Floor | Shahabad stone, Kota stone, red oxide |
| Storeys | 2–3 in a wada; 1–2 on the coast |
Materials
The materials are not decoration; they are why the house works in Maharashtra’s climate. We source locally wherever the original did.
- Burnt brick or basalt (inland) — walls.
- Laterite (coast) — walls and plinth.
- Teak — frames, columns, carved brackets.
- Mangalore tiles — roof.
- Lime plaster — finish; breathable.
Time to build
A wada and konkan house built by Zaga Urban typically takes 14–18 months from first meeting to handover, including design and approvals. The phases:
| Brief and plot study | 1 month |
| Design, 3D, structural | 2 months |
| Approvals | 1 month |
| Foundation and ground-floor walls | 2–3 months |
| Timber frame and upper floors | 2–3 months |
| Roof | 2 months |
| Finishes and services | 3 months |
| Handover | 1 month |
What it costs
Indicative 2026 range: ₹2,600–5,500 per sq ft of built-up area, driven by the grade of timber and stone, the amount of carving or art, and the level of modern finishes inside. For an instant estimate try our construction cost calculator; for an exact, itemised quote, request a site visit.
Modern comfort, traditional house
Seismic ties in the timber frame, a membrane under the tiles, modern kitchens off the chowk, en-suite bathrooms, and solar on the rear slope.
Why Zaga Urban
Traditional houses fail in modern hands for one reason: the architect who understands the style and the contractor who can build it are two different people, and the details fall between them. Zaga Urban is a design-and-build firm — our architects, structural engineers and site teams work under one roof, so the roof pitch, the drainage, the timber seasoning and the lime mix are decided once and built as drawn.
We are an award-winning construction, architecture and interior design company (Best Emerging Construction & Architecture Company, Global Brands Magazine 2024), founded by IIT and IIM alumni, and one design-and-build team that can deliver any of these 28 traditional village house styles, anywhere in India — from the wada and konkan house to the thotti mane of coastal Karnataka — with the same team, the same engineering standards and a single accountable contract from first sketch to handover. Our thotti mane in Mangalore shows how we work: heritage plan, modern waterproofing, 16 months, on budget.
Want a number before you call? Use our free construction cost calculator, or book a free consultation and we will walk your plot with you.
Frequently asked questions
Can a wada be built on a 40 × 60 plot?
Yes — a single-chowk wada with a diwankhana over the entrance fits comfortably.
Does laterite work inland?
It does; it just needs lime-wash to protect it from the drier air.
Also known as: wada (Deccan courtyard mansion), Konkan kaularu ghar (laterite and tile house).