Residential retrofitting demands more than updated floor plans and new fixtures. The VS House on the outskirts of Ahmedabad demonstrates how stripping a structure to its shell and rebuilding with deliberate material choices can transform an existing home. The project took a 4-bedroom house built 7 years ago and reconfigured it into a 3-bedroom residence on a 6,700 sq.ft corner plot with 5,000 sq.ft of built-up area. Following principles similar to those found in the modern barnhouse vision for the 2021 This Old House Idea House, this project proves that restraint in material selection creates richer spatial experiences than ornamental excess. The design team at Saransh, led by Malay Doshi, stripped every existing finish from the original structure and rebuilt the interior language from the floor up.
The Retrofit-First Approach to Residential Renovation
Retrofitting a lived-in house presents constraints that ground-up construction avoids. Existing load-bearing walls, plumbing lines, and circulation paths limit what can move. The VS House team worked within these limits by focusing on what they could change: every surface, finish, and spatial partition. The original 4-bedroom layout carried unnecessary rooms and underused service zones. The team converted one bedroom into a private lounge, absorbed a service terrace to create a work-study, and used the corner plot’s extra side space to add an independent gym and a jacuzzi spa. The entry was rebuilt with higher boundary walls and a larger covered parking area. Careful window selection for the farmhouse in Fairfield County follows a similar philosophy: openings are positioned and finished to control light and heat without relying on heavy window treatments. The VS House applies the same logic at full scale. Walls and ceilings were finished in uniform grey to create a neutral backdrop. Wooden furniture elements pop against this monochrome surface, and the entire interior reads as a cohesive volume rather than a collection of decorated rooms.
Kota Stone as a Universal Flooring Solution
Grey Kota stone from Rajasthan anchors the entire material strategy. Rather than using different stones for different rooms, the design team employed one stone in multiple surface treatments and laying patterns. This approach creates visual variety within a unified palette. The same principle drives effective enclosure design: as discussed on the Passive House Podcast episode about the Passive House Network and Bronwyn Barry, a well-designed building envelope works best when every material plays a defined role in the system. Kota stone in the VS House plays that role by providing thermal mass, visual continuity, and tactile interest simultaneously.
Three Surface Treatments on One Stone
Each space in the house receives a different combination of finish and pattern. The leather-finished variant has a matte, textured surface that absorbs light and reads softly under foot. The mirror-polished variant reflects light and creates a smooth, almost liquid appearance. These two treatments allow the same geological material to feel entirely different depending on context.
- Linear strips in movement spaces guide foot traffic and define corridors without walls.
- Herringbone patterns in the formal living room add rhythm and formality to the largest gathering space.
- Large-format chunks in informal areas reduce grout lines and reinforce a relaxed, open feel.
- Seamless polished surfaces in the kitchen create a hygienic, easy-to-clean work zone.
- Wood-inlaid patterns in the bedrooms introduce warmth at the floor level without breaking the monochrome scheme.
Leather-Finished Black Kadappa in the Dining Room
The dining room breaks from the Kota stone language with diagonal leather-finished black Kadappa stone. The dark tone and angled layout distinguish the dining zone from the surrounding circulation without a single wall or partition. The private lounge uses large pieces of the same black Kadappa stone to maintain visual connection between these two spaces despite their different functions.
Reconfiguring Interior Space without Structural Change
The VS House proves that space can be redefined through surface treatment alone. The original structure did not expand its footprint, yet the house feels larger and more purposeful after the retrofit. Half the rooms changed function. The service terrace that once held laundry and storage became the work-study. The extra corner plot area, which most neighbouring houses leave as dead lawn, became the gym and spa annex. The entire approach echoes the philosophy behind showcase homes that inspire real-world design: a house does not need to be new to feel new. The design team achieved this by making every material decision serve both visual and functional goals at once.
The study deserves special attention. Originally a large passage connecting to a terrace, half its roof is new metal construction. The space received a complete wooden floor, which contrasts sharply with the stone used elsewhere. This single material shift signals that the study is a different kind of room. The courtyard uses herringbone fire bricks, a material chosen for its thermal performance and its warmer colour spectrum. Both spaces rely on material contrast rather than constructed walls to define their boundaries. The approach saves cost, reduces material use, and keeps the floor plan flexible for future reconfiguration.
A Material Palette Rooted in Local and Reclaimed Sources
The material choices at the VS House follow a deliberate local-first ethic. Grey Kota stone is quarried in Rajasthan. Black Kadappa comes from the Kadappa district in Andhra Pradesh. Fire bricks are common in Indian construction. The majority of the wood used in the project is reclaimed. Walls are finished with lime wash, a traditional Indian wall finish that allows the substrate to breathe and regulates indoor humidity. Lime wash requires skill to apply evenly but costs less than paint and lasts longer when maintained properly. These choices align with the documented benefits of passive house design and construction lessons from the R House project, where material specification and envelope performance go hand in hand.
| Material | Source | Finish | Location in House |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grey Kota stone | Rajasthan, India | Leather-finished | Corridors, informal living |
| Grey Kota stone | Rajasthan, India | Mirror-polished | Kitchen, formal living |
| Black Kadappa stone | Kadappa, Andhra Pradesh | Leather-finished | Dining room, private lounge |
| Reclaimed wood | Local salvage | Planed and sealed | Bedrooms, study floor, furniture |
| Fire bricks | Local kilns | Natural, herringbone laid | Courtyard |
| Lime wash | Local suppliers | Hand-applied, grey tint | All walls and ceilings |
Every bathroom in the house follows the same logic. Varied patterns made from other coloured Indian stones complement the main flooring. The patterns are smaller in scale than the living areas, matching the tighter bathroom dimensions. The monochrome grey walls and ceilings keep bathrooms visually connected to the rest of the house. Wooden vanity elements and reclaimed timber accents prevent the stone-heavy palette from feeling cold. Each bathroom uses a different local stone for its floor pattern, creating distinct identities for each wet space without introducing new colour families. The result is a cohesive scheme where each room belongs to the same house but rewards close inspection. The entire scheme stays within a narrow tonal range, which allows the occasional dark Kadappa or warm brick surface to act as a deliberate accent rather than a competing element. Lessons from passive house remodeling at the Everhart Passive House project show that this kind of material discipline is not about austerity. It is about making every finish carry weight in the thermal and visual performance of the home.
Why Material Minimalism Matters for Retrofit Projects
Retrofit projects operate on tighter budgets than new builds because structural work, demolition, and disposal consume a larger share of funds. A minimalist material strategy directly addresses this constraint. By choosing one primary stone and applying it in varied finishes, the VS House avoided the cost of sourcing, stocking, and installing five different floor materials. The design team invested that saved budget into precise laying patterns and skilled finishing work instead. The result is a house that appears custom in every detail while using a surprisingly short material list. The project was completed between June 2019 and March 2020, a nine-month timeline that is aggressive for a full retrofit of this scope. Fast-track schedules reward design decisions that reduce procurement complexity and installation variation. The same discipline that creates visual cohesion also shortens construction time. Ultra-low-carbon housing lessons from Vancouver’s Vienna House reinforce this connection: material reduction, local sourcing, and multi-functional surfaces drive both environmental performance and cost control in residential projects.
The VS House offers a replicable model for homeowners and architects approaching a retrofit. Strip the finishes. Commit to one dominant material. Use surface treatment and pattern to create variety instead of introducing new materials. Source locally. Reclaim where possible. Let the floor define the room. These tactics work at any scale, from a single apartment to a full family home, because they trade material complexity for craft intensity. The house reads as minimal, but the work behind its quiet surfaces is anything but simple.