All you need to know before building a home in Goa

“Most of us come here because we love nature, the trees and the relaxed culture,” says product designer and citizen activist Reboni Saha, who arrived in the 1990s, bought a slim plot of land in the mid-2000s and began building a home around 2014. She co-founded the design studio Mozaic, along with one of Goa’s best known architects Dean D’Cruz. A deft hand at creating spaces that work within the local context, he is a well-regarded name in the eco-conscious building milieu and helped Saha design her home. D’Cruz knew just how much to build and how much to leave untouched on her 600-square-metre plot. They even managed to retain all the pre-existing seven trees that inhabited the space. 

Staying natural and reusing as far as possible was the principle that Rabia Tewari and her husband Indranil Sengupta undertook for the refurbishment of their store Ethico. The couple moved to Goa in 2020 from Mumbai and were looking for a physical space for their online eco-conscious homeware brand. Their store design was an extension of the sustainable philosophy that guides their lifestyle. “Those of us who make a life here must put thought, time and effort to try to leave a smaller carbon footprint.”

The space they found, two unused dilapidated garages with a 2BHK, involved minimal refurbishment that was all about retaining, recycling and reusing. They broke the common wall, added a window for more light and retained and extended the original kota flooring. (Such materials—natural stone and wood—Pereira says, make the space feel very grounded.) “The essentials are in the front, and the 2BHK converted into a showroom has the home decor products. It’s designed to allow for seamless movement between spaces,” says Sengupta. There is also an onsite recycling station for neighbours to dump their waste.

Rustagi, too, finds the fluid flow of spaces an imperative. “Gradation of spaces has always been part of traditional building practices in India. There is the completely outdoors space, the transition space and the indoor space. In Goa, there are a few different kinds of in-between spaces: a completely open balcao for outdoor seating. Or cover your space in mesh; that still allows for air circulation. These in-between spaces give the home character and work well in Goa’s weather because they help the house breathe.” Even traditional building materials used in the state, like porous lime for the walls, she says, are necessary to minimise chances of mould forming and to balance the air within and without when it comes to temperature and humidity. They also lessen the load on the AC.

Tips to Build Smart

• Do your due diligence when buying land. To build, the land should be marked as ‘Settlement’ in the Regional Plan 2021. Visit the Town and Country Planning (TCP) department for details.
  
  
• A well-versed local architect will have the necessary knowledge of the bylaws, rules and regulations for building.
  
  
• Get your area surveyed properly; it is often not correctly done.
  
  
• Appoint a good local lawyer to sort out the paperwork. Goa has ‘communidade’ (community) land that cannot be sold, and a Common Civil Code that grants equal rights to parents and children, with shares diminishing downstream. Any sibling or relative that is hidden can later claim rights.
  
  
• Don’t keep your house unused and locked up for long durations. If you are not here year-round, consider renting out the space through Airbnb or other rental services.
  
  
• Plan enough parking space. Goa has narrow roads and weak parking ratios for houses (a one-car bay per 75 square metres is too small as people have at least two cars).
  
  
• Try and build around the trees on your plot. If you are on a hill slope, avoid cutting down the surrounding ‘junglee’ trees; their root system holds the soil and helps with water security. Use wood from matti, the local widely available tree, for structural elements. Remember that tree cutting beyond a certain girth needs permission.
  
  
• If you have to cut trees, you need permission from the tree officer and share the following details: attested copies of the required documents, information about number and type of trees, their girth, which is to be measured 1.85 metres above ground level, the reasons for cutting them, and a sketch of the plot. The tree officer will also direct you to plant some of the same style and the same number.
  
  
• The exception to this is if there is immediate risk to life or limb from the tree. Even then, remember to inform the tree officer within 24 hours of felling.
  
  
• Private pools are not necessary, high maintenance and rarely used except in the summers; many villages are passing resolutions against pools because of water shortages.
  
  
• To capture excess rainwater run-off from roofs, use pavers with pockets of grass to slow it down and allow absorption into the ground. It is essential for recharging groundwater. It’s also important because while constructing, you can channel water into forceful routes that undermine your neighbours’ property.
  
  
• Appropriate waterproofing is essential for low-lying areas at the base of the hills or on retaining walls of homes on hill slopes.