CUTTACK: Building a home just got easier. For the first time in Odisha, a Cuttack girl has introduced Fibre-Reinforced Plastic (FRP) moveable homes which are not only suitable for residential purposes at coastal pockets of the State but also earthquake-proof. All one needs is a patch of land.
Swasti Patnaik, 22-year-old resident of Kalyani Nagar is manufacturing the houses in her factory SS Kajal Kraft Pvt Ltd at Telengapentha. Although a fashion technology graduate of KIIT-Bhubaneswar, Swasti learnt the technology behind FRP homes from her father Kajal Patnaik who is a civil engineer by profession and is credited to have designed some parks in Cuttack. These houses come in various sizes and designs.
Having opened the factory in July this year, Swasti has already built three FRP houses in different sizes which are complete with a bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, verandah and a yard. "We construct the floors, walls, roof, doors and windows with aluminium pipes and fiber reinforced plastic plates," she says, adding that the cost of such houses depend on their size and designs like brick, stone and digital crystal.
While the cost of her largest 240 sq ft fibre-reinforced home is Rs 3 lakh, the medium one with 180 sq ft size costs Rs 2.2 lakh and the cost of a small house of 100 sq ft is Rs 1.2 lakh.
"The price per one sq ft of FRP moveable home ranges from Rs 1,200 to Rs 1,600 depending on the design while builders charge Rs 5,000 to Rs 5,200 per sq ft towards providing concrete building," says Swasti. The houses can be easily transported in trucks.
"I have received orders for two more FRP moveable homes for which the work has already been started. These houses have been a hit in Kerala. They are safe from earthquakes and suitable for residential purposes at sea sides," says the designer who will begin commercial sale of the houses from next month.
Swasti says she has submitted an application to the Director of Industries with a request to include her FRP moveable homes industry in the Startup India scheme for its wider use and acceptability.