About 30 kilometres out of Hyderabad is an open ground with three houses that look as if they don’t belong there. They are made of wood and glass, with angled walls and sloping roofs, and range in size from 550 sq. ft to 1,338 sq. ft. These model houses are the playground for Okno Modhomes, a Hyderabad start-up looking to revolutionise the prefab housing market in the country.
Traditional wisdom says a good house must last for generations, with walls strong enough to not just keep the heat and cold at bay, but also to drive some nails through or punch some holes. But cousins Harshit Puram and Parikshit Linga, founders of Okno Modhomes, want to upend this set of beliefs with an alternate solution — luxury homes that come in different sizes, are moveable, and ready to occupy in 90 days. “We chose the name Okno which means ‘window’ in Polish. It is a window into the future of construction,” says Puram.
“In a traditional house, 550 sq. ft. may not look like much. But here, we have a 14-feet ceiling glass elevation, natural light, ventilation and a smart design to make the house appear bigger and comfortable,” says Puram, who hails from a business family and has done a course in entrepreneurship. The house costs ₹22 lakh.
Growing demand for small homes
The homes being developed by these cousins fit right into the Tiny House Movement, which has caught the fancy of prospective homeowners worldwide — more so after the 2019 Netflix show Tiny House Nation.
The prefab segment — specialist dwelling places manufactured off-site and easily shipped and assembled — is gaining momentum in India too, growing at higher that 8% CAGR, according to an industry body. The growth is driven by higher disposable incomes and global travel experiences. One industry major that has recently stepped into the business promises that its homes are built using the same raw materials as conventional houses — steel, concrete, wood.
Harshit Puram and Parikshit Linga, founders of Okno Modhomes. | Photo Credit: Serish Nanisetti
Containers assembled into homes are also gaining popularity post-pandemic, but their size and the logistical challenges in transporting them often pose a problem. It is here that Okno Modhomes wants to make a difference with their sustainable homes. “Our focus is on sustainable materials. The pinewood is sourced from Finland and comes from sustainably managed forests. We ensure a low carbon footprint by getting the material in bulk,” says Puram.
To execute a house with planning right down to the last millimetre of plumbing, wiring and light fixtures is not easy. “We are offering off-the-shelf designs deliverable in 90 days. But if a customer wants a special design, we work at our design studio and prepare the plan,” he says.
A model house by Okno Modhomes. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Not surprisingly, the company has a tie-up with Ikea for supplying furniture. The assemble-it-yourself concept seems like a perfect idea for a generation that wants to do things differently. “We started in April and are getting a lot of enquiries. We are in the process of delivering four homes now,” says Linga, an engineer by qualification.
Interiors of a model house by Okno Modhomes. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Factoring in the weather
“This house can be assembled near a lake, a forest, on a hill, and even on the coast. We factor in the long-term weather by getting the latitude and longitude of the place and design and position the house accordingly.”
The company has an even smaller version of a house — a 420 sq. ft. studio with a kitchen, bedroom and other creature comforts. They can be easily assembled in a row for a forest resort or a beach resort as long as a flat surface is available.
But the owner of a homestay in hilly Chikkamagaluru realised even stilts would do. The start-up built them a triangular glass house perched on stilts overlooking coffee estates. “This is a hilly area with steep slopes. But it was easy to set up the home in a week’s time. The material came in a lorry. I just changed the position of the bed, made the ladder sleeker and created space for a mezzanine bed,” says Pranitha, who runs Birds Eye Estate in Chikkamagaluru.
serish.n@thehindu.co.in
