House Types in India
Variations in house types or dwellings are mainly based on the building materials available. It is also based on topography and prevailing climatic conditions. In the rainy areas most of the roofs are slanting to both sides from the centre.
This is also the case in areas where snowfall occurs. But the places where rainfall is scanty, roofs are flat.
As far as building materials are concerned, these can be grouped under two categories:
- Building material used for walls
- Building material used for roofs
However, with the advancement of building technology and financial assistance available to the people living below poverty line has changed the structure of house types in rural areas.
1. Building materials used for walls
In India, building materials used for walls can broadly be grouped under five categories. These are (i) mud, (ii) stone, (iii) brick, (iv) timber, and (v) wattle.
(i) Mud is the most common material, available from all types of soils, varying in texture and colour. It is also the wide spread oldest material used in houses of old civilization. These vernacular buildings, involving family labour and neighbour’s co-operation and are available almost all parts of the country.
(ii) Stone or basalt boulders or rock cut pieces are widely used in such areas where proximity, availability in greater amount and portability are favourable factors. Sandstone providing hilly zones, volcanic plateau zones exhibit examples of such houses in abundance.
(iii) Brick walls are now covering the country side with the increased use of coal as baking material. Today brick klines are commonly found in rural areas and bake bricks are freely available. It’s role in construction cost, durability, space saving and manner-variability is obvious. The oldest evidences of houses are available from the excavation of various sites of Indus valley civilization.
Mud mortar as cementing material, is widely used in country side. Various other cementing material as mortar are used since ancient times. Now cement is covering the market in countryside too. Unbaked kachcha brick is also used for low height walls but, popular in poor class owners.
(iv) Timber or wooden wall houses have been common in forest areas because woods are available in abundance there. Just near the dwellings are the major factors for using these timbers as building materials. Examples are abound in Bhil areas of Central India.
(v) Wattle wall is mainly the product of terrain and forest cover. This is due to availability of material almost without cost and skill among the owners. These houses are mostly occupied by aboriginals of Vindhyas and Satpura. Mostly Gonds and Bhils reside in such houses. Their small dwellings occupy even the slopes and summits of the hills.
2. Building materials used for roofs
These materials can broadly be grouped under seven categories. These are (i) tiles, (ii) thatch, (iii) mud and other material, (iv) tin, (v) stone slab, (vi) wood, (viii) brick and others.
(i) Tiled roofs are common throughout India. Two types of tiles-semi-cylindrical and flat are used for covering houses with varied sizes and forms. By and large, the size is larger in northern Indian plain and shorter in plateau and hilly areas.
(ii) Thatching is original shelter making skill, still prevalent in most of the poor class people. All sorts of walls are covered by thatch. Whether it is stone, timber or mud walled houses.
(iii) Mud thatching often mixed with cow dung, is common in western part of India. In western part of Uttar Pradesh such houses mark the horizon in each settlement. Its occasional plastering is enough to provide safety from rains.
(iv) Stone slabs or Flakes are being used since ancient times in mountain, hilly and plateau areas. Sandstone, and slate-slabs make durable roofs after being cut and designed according to need.
(v) Wood as roof material is common in northern mountainous region of India. Within this category, there are two types. First, in the north-eastern states wooden slabs are carefully superimposed and joined with rounded corners protect house from snow and rainwater. In lower altitude particularly Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir the houses are covered with tin or water proof material.
(vi) Bricks make flat and smooth roof in the form lintel mixed with iron rods and cement, a practice in vogue, in modern type rural house particularly in rural market centres and commonly found in the houses of rural rich.
The use of traditional building material is decreasing and it is being replaced by building material like, iron, tin sheets, cement, etc.