A two-storey traditional Kerala house with twin terracotta gables and a columned poomukham, designed and built by Rzianz in Trivandrum
Kerala Traditional House Design · Trivandrum

The Kerala traditional house, designed for the way your family lives today.

Nalukettu, tharavadu and modern vernacular homes, drawn by architects and built by Rzianz in 270 days, on your own land.

★★★★★ 4.8 from 125+ Google reviews · architect-led · transparent BOQ
Built work

The Kerala traditional house, in fourteen elevations.

Two-storey traditional Kerala home in Trivandrum, pitched clay-tile roofs, columned poomukham verandah, brass lamps
Two-storey, tradition in the bonesPitched clay-tile roofs, columned poomukham
A two-storey traditional Kerala house with twin terracotta gables and a columned poomukham, built by Rzianz in Trivandrum
Terracotta roof, teak pillarsA poomukham the family still uses
Traditional Kerala home in Trivandrum, twin grey Mangalore-tile gables, carved teak poomukham porch with charupadi bench
Twin grey gables, carved porchCharupady bench at the entrance
Single-storey traditional Kerala bungalow, wide Mangalore-tile hipped roofs, wrap-around columned verandah at golden hour
Single-storey, garden in verandahWrap-around columned porch
Two-storey traditional Kerala home, columned poomukham under a tiled gable
Two floors under one poomukhamTradition, columned and calm
Single-storey traditional Kerala home, central tiled gable with carved finial, columned portico, lit compound at dusk
Pitched gable, lit for the eveningCarved finial, columned portico
Colonial-estate Kerala home, symmetrical facade, arched first-floor windows, deep teak door, hipped clay-tile roof
Grey-tile gables, carved teak entranceHeritage, in a modern voice
Symmetrical traditional Kerala house in Trivandrum, terracotta tiled roofs, carved double-leaf doors, timber jali window grilles
Symmetrical terracotta, carved woodTimber jali window grilles
Indo-Islamic heritage Kerala home in Trivandrum, ogee-arch entrance, fretwork jali, corner cupola, tiled roofs
Not every Kerala home is a nalukettuIndo-Islamic heritage detailing
Colonial-estate facade Kerala home with a clay-tile roof
Colonial-estate facadeWith Kerala in the roof
Contemporary Kerala home elevation with sloping tiled roof in Trivandrum
The Kerala language, modern voiceContemporary lines, traditional roof
Two-storey traditional-modern Kerala home in Kattakada, exposed brick and white render, sloping tile roof, tiled car porch
Exposed brick under a Kerala roofTraditional-modern, two storeys
Traditional Kerala home returning-family elevation, tiled roofs and verandah
A returning family should see it this wayTiled roofs, deep verandah
A tharavadu-style traditional Kerala home for a family rooted in Kerala
A tharavadu for the family rooted hereThe ancestral home, rebuilt
The vocabulary, at a glance

What makes a home a Kerala traditional house.

Six signatures explain almost every elevation above. Learn them in one look.

Nadumuttam
The open-to-sky central courtyard the whole home is built around.
Poomukham
The raised, columned entrance porch that welcomes you in.
Charupady
The built-in carved wooden bench along the verandah.
Terracotta roof
Sloping clay or Mangalore tiles that shed the monsoon.
Teak & jali
Carved pillars, doors and timber lattice screens.
Nalukettu
Four halls wrapped around one courtyard, the classic form.
Scale Nalukettu 1 courtyard Ettukettu 2 Pathinaarukettu 4 A tharavadu is the ancestral home of a joint family, usually a nalukettu, recreated today at a size that fits how your family actually lives now.
Inside the home

And inside, the Kerala home you remember.

A nadumuttam inner courtyard open to the sky with a central tree and double-height void in a Rzianz Kerala home
The nadumuttamThe courtyard the house breathes through
A prayer space behind a carved-wood jali screen in a Rzianz Kerala home, Jawahar Nagar
The prayer spaceCarved teak, lit from within
A traditional wooden oonjal swing on brass chains in a Rzianz Kerala living room, teak panelled wall
The oonjalThe swing the family still gathers on
A living and dining hall in warm teak tones in a Rzianz traditional Kerala home, Nanthancode
The living hallWarm teak and stone
A drawing room in warm wood and stone in a Rzianz traditional Kerala home, Sasthamangalam
The drawing roomWarm wood and stone
A traditional pooja room with carved teak jali, backlit Om and brass lamps in a Rzianz Kerala home
The shrineBeside the table where the family eats
A warm teak open kitchen and dining in a Rzianz Kerala home, Edapazhanji
Open kitchen and diningIn warm teak
A carved teak dining set, heritage tile mural and hanging wooden oonjal cot in a Rzianz Kerala home, Kuravankonam
Carved teak, heritage tileAn oonjal in the hall
A wood-panelled prayer corner with soft lighting in a Rzianz Kerala home, near Technopark
A quiet prayer cornerWood-panelled and warm
Why families choose Rzianz

Six promises. Each backed by a spec, not a sentiment.

01

A price that stops moving

The transparent BOQ is locked the moment we sign. No abroad surprises, no climbing number.

02

Built in 270 days

A handover date that lives in the contract, not in a verbal promise.

03

Engineered to outlast generations

OPC 53 cement, SAIL Fe-500 steel, red brick, teak doors. Built to stand for three generations.

04

The character you remember

Architect-led design in the Kerala archetype your family actually needs, nalukettu to modern vernacular.

05

One number to call

One person owns the entire build, design through handover. No hand-offs, no finger-pointing.

06

Fittings you trust

Specified to Jaquar, Grohe or Kohler standard, written into the BOQ before a brick is laid.

Building from abroad

A Kerala traditional home, built while you stay in the Gulf.

For Malayalee families abroad, we close the three gaps that quietly break a remote build, with a fixed price, weekly proof, and one accountable owner.

The spec stays honest

You ask for 9-inch walls, you get 9-inch walls. The signed BOQ is the spec, verified, not a starting suggestion.

The site never goes quiet

You watch your home being built every Sunday, on your phone. Advance taken from abroad never means silence.

The number never climbs

A brand-locked BOQ means the monthly figure is the figure. No open-ended bill arriving in your inbox.

From plot to keys

Five steps, start to keys in hand.

01

Share your plot

WhatsApp us your plot details and what you picture.

02

Design workshop

Architects shape the elevation and plan with you.

03

BOQ signed

A brand-locked, transparent BOQ, fixed before we start.

04

We build, you watch

Weekly video from site, wherever you are.

05

Handover

Keys, on your dated contract schedule.

Common questions

Kerala traditional homes, answered.

What is the difference between a nalukettu and a tharavadu?

A nalukettu describes the built form, a house of four halls around a central courtyard. A tharavadu describes the role, the ancestral home of a joint family. Many tharavadus are nalukettus, but a new home can be built in the nalukettu style without being an old ancestral house.

Can a Kerala traditional house be built in a modern, compact way?

Yes. We design modern vernacular homes that keep the signatures, the poomukham, the courtyard light, the tiled roof, the teak, in plans sized for a contemporary family and a normal plot. The fourteen elevations above range from full nalukettu to traditional-modern.

How long does Rzianz take to build a traditional Kerala home?

270 days, written into the contract, from a signed BOQ to handover. Architect-led design, transparent BOQ, and a single accountable owner for the whole build.

What materials go into a Rzianz traditional home?

OPC 53 cement, SAIL Fe-500 steel, red brick, teak doors and windows, and terracotta or Mangalore-tile roofing, with fittings specified to Jaquar, Grohe or Kohler standard. The full specification is locked in the BOQ before construction begins.

Do you build traditional Kerala homes for NRI families?

Yes, a large share of our homes are built for Malayalee families in the Gulf. You get a fixed BOQ, weekly site video, and one person accountable end to end, so a home can be built well while you stay abroad.

Start the design

Your Kerala traditional home is one message away.

Send us your plot and the home you picture. We will come back with how we would design and build it.

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