The young and the old

Why reuse old doors The question stares at us on Goabased Devika Martinss Instagram feed somewhere between the charming photographs of homes that boast of lofty wooden roofs and mosaic flooring The 27yearold has a roster for a responsemdashit is environmentfriendly denser resistant stronger and durablemdashalong with a word of caution of course Think twice before you get rid of themFor the last four years Martins a restorer of old Goan homes and heritage advocate has been spreading the love around preserving the architectural glory of the region which has seen multiple interventions and is therefore a melting point of styles including Portuguese Indian and Islamic This amalgamation is what gives it a distinct identity the balcatildeos pillared porches the saquatildeos central courtyards ornamental windows and doors and the grand wooden staircasesA student of the University of Florence Italy where she got a Masters degree in restoration conversation and Renaissance interiors Martins who briefly worked in Dubai returned home with the intention of working under Goan architect Gerard da Cunha a family friend whose sustainability practices gelled with her own But Gerard didnt give me a job she says over a telephonic interview He knew of my interest in conservation and motivated me to start out on my own insteadThat was in 2016 Since then the young restorer who runs Martins Group in Panjim has breathed new life into four heritage homes in Goa And a fifth is underway Its really hard to convince people especially in Goa about restoration As we speak several ancient temples are in the process of being torn down to make way for new ones We are erasing a part of our history But then it also means that we are not educating the locals enoughMost Goans she says resist the idea of lime plastering their walls I was restoring a chapel at a private residence recently and I convinced the client to use lime plaster He seemed okay with the idea until he consulted the family who thought cement would increase the life of the structure says Martins adding People dont realise that all the churches temples and forts in India are standing today because of lime plasterDevika Martins at a home that she is restoring in Panjim Pic Jane DsouzaTo counter the popular narrative which she says was based on misinformation Martins started using social media where she wrote among other things about the benefits of lime plastering She even shared her own lime plaster recipemdasha paste of chuna water sand jaggery eggs and sundried paddy grass Her social media feed also has tips on how heritage home owners can save on renovation work or the paint that needs to be used before monsoon to make the structure less vulnerable People are amused that I am letting out trade secrets But this is not a job its my passion If I can prevent people from knocking off a wooden stairway or using lime plaster and Mangalore tiles I would have saved a few homes and done my partHaving said that she admits that owning an old building in Indian weather is a big commitment and a lot of maintenance Even your furniture has so many crevices that need to be cleaned constantly of dustMartins usually follows a threepronged approach when handling her restoration projects plastering flooring and roofing And we promise to complete the work in a hundred days flat unless the client delays payments she smilesUsually the homes she takes up are run down because the owners are either not around to maintain them or the cost to keep the structure together is high We begin with redoing the entire plastering When it comes to the flooring we switch between redoxide mosaic or terrazzo Mosaic which has glass and tiles chipped into it is slightly difficult to find But restoration is about retaining the original elements and so we ensure that we dont deviate from that unless the client prefers otherwise she says She has had some clients who have wanted to get rid of wooden roofing because it is highmaintenance Thats when I need to reinvent But my favourite clients are those who ask for roofs with wooden beams and Mangalore tilesRestoring a home doesnt come cheap and while Martins admits her budgets are competitive its still a cost Her cheapest project cost the client R40 lakh She hasnt yet shot above a crore And thats because I dont involve a middleman she says In this case the contractor I wake up at 5 am and personally make a trip to buy sandbagsWhen in Italy Martins had enrolled for separate courses on woodworking carving polishing wood and metal She uses these skills when working on her projects The biggest challenge though is lack of documentation Rarely do owners have old pictures of the building which always makes it easier to replicate design I have to imagine it all on 3D she says but thats the fun bit40LThe budget of the cheapest project Martins has undertakenCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to 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