Goa’s monsoon is beautiful from a verandah and brutal on a badly designed house. Rain can fall for days, driven sideways by the wind off the sea. Salt, humidity and long empty weeks between visits add to the challenge. The good news is that traditional Goan houses solved most of this centuries ago. Here’s how we approach a monsoon-ready holiday home.
1. the roof is the most important decision
- Pitched roofs shed water faster and more reliably than flat ones. If you want a flat terrace, keep it small and detail it obsessively.
- Deep overhangs, often a metre or more, keep driving rain off the walls and windows and shade them in summer.
- Gutters and downpipes sized for real Goan downpours, with easy access for cleaning before each monsoon.
- Clay tiles (like the traditional Mangalore tile) breathe, weather well and look right in the landscape.
2. verandahs are not optional
The balcão and verandah of the Goan house is a climate device as much as a social one. It’s a covered outdoor room where you can sit through the rain, a buffer that keeps water and heat off the main walls, and a place for shoes, umbrellas and wet towels.
3. raise the house and manage the water
- Lift the plinth above the highest water you can expect on the site.
- Grade the land away from the house, with open drains or soakaways.
- Plan rainwater harvesting into tanks or recharge pits. Goa’s rain is a resource, too.
4. choose materials that like rain and salt
- Laterite, Goa’s red stone, is local, breathable and ages beautifully. Protect exposed tops and edges.
- Lime plaster and lime-wash let walls dry out between storms. Paint films trap moisture and peel. See our guide to lime plaster.
- Hardware in brass, bronze or good stainless steel. Ordinary steel rusts quickly in salt air.
- Solid, well-seasoned timber suited to humidity, rather than veneered boards that can swell.
- Stone and terracotta floors rather than materials that mind damp.
5. ventilate everything
Mould needs still, damp air. Design for cross-ventilation in every room: openings on opposite walls, ventilators high up, louvred shutters that let air through when the house is closed. Wardrobes and storage need ventilation too, or linen will smell damp after one season.
6. design for the weeks you’re not there
- A simple lock-up routine: shutters, a closable verandah, nothing that needs constant supervision.
- Robust services that a local electrician or plumber can maintain.
- Planting that survives on monsoon rain and a caretaker’s occasional attention.
- A pre-monsoon checklist for whoever looks after the house: clear gutters, check roof tiles, test pumps.
7. respect the setting
Goa has strict rules in many areas, including coastal zones, hill slopes, paddy fields and heritage settlements. Check what applies to your land early, and verify it with the local authorities and a lawyer before you buy. A house that sits low, uses local materials and keeps the existing trees almost always looks better, too.
8. working with a mumbai studio in goa
Goa is a short flight from Mumbai with plenty of daily connections. We visit at every key stage, work with trusted local builders and craftspeople, and keep you updated between visits. See designing a home in another city.
See architecture: homes and holiday homes, sustainable design and where we work.