For the structure’s restoration, the family turned to conservation architect Sanjog Shetty, an old friend of Guru Dev’s.
“He had told me that whenever he would decide to renovate his property in Mysore, he would like me to be a part of the collaboration,” Shetty says.
His team dismantled the roof systems where they had to: an original Madras terrace roof, a Malnad plank roof and a pitched tile roof.
"Every aspect was important to maintain the character of the building," Shetty says.
"Without the authenticity of the construction technique, the restoration would have lacked the soul of what we were preserving."
For the structure’s restoration, the family turned to conservation architect Sanjog Shetty, an old friend of Guru Dev’s. “He had told me that whenever he would decide to renovate his property in Mysore, he would like me to be a part of the collaboration,” Shetty says. By the time he got the call, the building was structurally sound but showing its age everywhere else: rotted rafters under the tiled roof, tired window frames, lime cornices crumbling at the edges. The building was stripped of later finishes and re-plastered in lime mortar. His team dismantled the roof systems where they had to: an original Madras terrace roof, a Malnad plank roof and a pitched tile roof. They replaced the timber that was too far gone, treated and reused what wasn’t, and rebuilt the pitched roof with the same wooden members and Mangalore tiles it had always had. Early twentieth-century Basel Mission terracotta tiles were retained in select areas throughout the house. "Every aspect was important to maintain the character of the building," Shetty says. "Without the authenticity of the construction technique, the restoration would have lacked the soul of what we were preserving."
And A Timeless Interior
