Retired engineer Narendra Pitale had always dreamt of building a mud house nestled in the lap of nature.

The charms of a metropolitan city never attracted him and he was always eager to move closer to nature.

Working in Pune and Mumbai for most of his career, the 59-year-old decided to move to Shilimb, a small village in Mawal taluka of Pune district after retirement.

Here he built an agro-tourism centre and a sustainable home to work from on a 20-acre land.

The home is made with locally sourced recyclable items and mud.

He also used upcycled materials to make the doors and windows, and sourced used roof tiles for the home.

Narendra used local curvy wood to construct the walls in which mud mortar was used.

Only one sack of cement was used in the construction of the house!

Only one sack of cement was used in the construction of the house! Due to the mud mortar used in the house, it remains cool even during the summer.

He has also installed 100-watt solar panels for the home’s daily electricity consumption.

The 500-square-foot house consists of a bedroom, kitchen, bathroom and verandah, was completed in only 3 months, and cost him Rs 2 lakh.

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