Upendra Gaunekar from Ponda recently got his ancient houserestored. The 170 year old structure was restored along with its antiquefurniture and chandeliers which are originally from Cabo Palace. Skilledcarpenters from Margao and chandelier experts from Mumbai have made sure theylook as good as new. The wooden structure and ceilings have been treated withwood preservatives. After 15 months, 15 days and spending Rs 15 lakhs, Gaunekar’sworries for the next 25 years have been taken care of.
According to conservation architect Ketak Nachinolkar, whohas successfully restored houses in Guirim, Nerul, etc., the time required orcost involved in a particular restoration project cannot be assessed as ittotally depends on the things that the owner wishes to be changed. He alsofeels that there is a dire need to change people’s mindset towards the subject.Out of ignorance, many approach a labour contractor for the job and it resultsonly in harming the structure. He says, “The skilled labour required for thejob is unavailable. Instead, the contractor has to be sensitized and the labourneeds to be trained. The materials required, like Lime, laterite, etc. are alsogetting exhausted. The old-styled tiles cost as much as ten times of the newones and the repair work of wooden structures costs equivalent to the repairwork of RCC structure.”
Owners of heritage houses have business opportunitiesavailable in the market. Few professional boutique hotel groups, like NeemranaHotels from Delhi who have numerous forts, palaces and heritage houses to theirrecord, are interested in these heritage homes to take up the restoration workand use them. Francis Wacziarg, founding member of INTACH (Indian NationalTrust for Art and Cultural Heritage) and Co-Chairman of Neemrana Hotels says, “Weadvise the owners on how to go about the restoration of their property. The ideais not to buy all these homes as they are best held by their owners who have along-term stake in their ancestral properties, but to guide people to notoverdo the restoration with jacuzzis in bathrooms and other things alien toGoa.”
Restoration of these ancestral heritage houses may bean expensive affair, but in restoring these structures, one not only conserveshistoric families and their homes, but also retains memories, which bythemselves are priceless!
