Front Elevation with Stone Facade and Jaali Screen

That is a jaali, a decorative cut-out screen set into one of the tall columns. It does more than decorate, since the pattern lets air move through and filters daylight while still reading as a solid part of the front. Screens like this are a traditional Rajasthani device for shade and ventilation, updated here in a clean modern frame. It breaks up what would be a plain column face. It also throws a shifting pattern of light and shadow as the sun moves.

The white columns carry the upper floor out over the entrance, creating a covered porch beneath. That deep overhang shades the ground floor and the front door through the day, which matters in a hot climate. It also gives the elevation a strong, formal rhythm and a clear place to arrive at. The cantilevered balcony above sits on the same structure. Lining the underside in wood softens all the stone and warms the space you walk under.

It is a separate circular pavilion set out in the garden, wrapped in rust and grey slate tiles that patch together into a warm, varied surface. A curved spiral staircase climbs one side to a terrace above, and a wood-panelled double door with glass sits under its own small porch. The rough slate is a deliberate contrast to the smooth beige of the main house. It gives the garden a focal building and a raised spot to sit and look back at the home.

A broad paved courtyard in beige tile sits in front of the house, with a decorative medallion inlay set into the paving where you arrive. Beyond it a green lawn wraps around, planted with palms, mature trees and potted greenery in terracotta. An outdoor dining set sits out on the grass. Keeping the hard paving at the front and the soft lawn around the sides gives room to park and gather while still feeling green. It frames the house on approach.

More than paint, and that is the honest cost of natural stone. Sandstone and slate both weather in sun and rain, so the cladding needs sealing every few years to hold its colour and resist staining. Left unsealed, stone can darken or grow patchy over time. The upside is that a sealed stone front lasts for decades and never needs repainting the way a rendered wall does. Budget for periodic sealing rather than frequent redecorating, and the elevation stays looking new.

It does. The deep column porch, the cantilevered upper floor, the wide courtyard and a separate garden pavilion all need generous ground, so this suits a large plot or farmhouse rather than a tight urban lot. On a smaller site you would keep the stone cladding and jaali detailing but drop the pavilion and shrink the setback. The design language scales down, but the sense of space and the standalone pavilion are what a big plot buys you here.

The stone and the structure lead it. Full sandstone cladding across two storeys, slate on the pavilion and the cantilevered floor with its columns are all significant work, well above a plain rendered and painted front. The jaali screen, wood soffit and landscaping add to it. Because the cladding covers so much area, the stone you choose and the total wall area decide most of the figure. A rendered facade with stone only on feature sections would cost far less.