Building a weekend home near Pune: what to decide before you build

By Red Brick Studio · Updated 24 October 2026 · 4 min read

Cove House, Panshet, designed by Red Brick Studio

Decide about the land before the house. Walk the site in different weather, note the slope, the flat ground, the views and where water runs. Then write a short brief: who will use the house, how many people it must host, and what you want to leave alone. Everything else follows from that.

Walk the land before you fall for the view

Weekend plots around Pune, such as the valleys above Panshet, the slopes around Uksan Lake and the hills at Lavasa, almost always sell on their views. The view matters, but the shape of the ground matters more, because it decides where a house can sit without fighting the land.

Visit more than once and note where the flat ground is, where the slope starts, which way water runs after rain, and what you can see from the entrance as well as from the terrace.

On Oblique House at Uksan Lake, the site began with a flat patch, then sloped steadily towards the water. The usual move is to build on the flat part. We did the opposite: the flat land was kept for the orchard the clients wanted, and the house was set on the slope, so most of it is tucked out of sight from the entrance.

Cove House at Panshet followed the same instinct. The buildable area was tight, so we pushed the house beyond the flat part and let the contours hide most of it from anyone arriving.

Say who the house is for, and how many

A weekend home for two people and a dog is a different building from a weekend home that hosts a dozen friends and family on a long weekend. Decide this early, because it sets the size, the number of bedrooms and how much of the house needs to open to the outdoors.

Oblique House: a couple and their dog, and a brief for something simple, sophisticated and non-indulgent that put function over form.
Cove House: a client who wanted an escape from city life and also wanted open spaces that could flow into the house, to host friends and family in larger numbers.

For a sense of scale, our two vacation homes at Lavasa, Machan and Frangipani, are 369 and 490 square metres. Your own number will depend on how you plan to use the house, not on what the neighbours built.

Let the landscape do some of the work

A good weekend home borrows from its site. At Cove House, much of the building is sunk into the ground, covered by a single curved roof that runs its full length, with a continuous clerestory window between the roof and the walls so you can look straight through the house to the valley beyond. The courtyard at the entrance is planted with vegetation and boulders found on the site itself.

At Oblique House, the plan is a simple cruciform. The central arm along the slope is embedded in the ground, and the other arm is stilted and sits lightly on it. The aim was minimal ground impact and a lower energy load, using materials and technologies suited to the place.

Check the practical things nobody photographs

These are general checks, not specific to any one plot, and the rules differ from site to site, so confirm each one locally before you buy.

Land use and permissions: confirm the plot's permitted use and what can be built on it, with the local authority and a lawyer.
Access in the monsoon: drive the approach road in heavy rain if you can, not just on a clear day.
Water and power: where will water come from, and how reliable is the electricity supply?
Proximity to water bodies and dams: there can be restrictions near lakes, backwaters and reservoirs. Ask before you assume.
Distance: how long is the drive on a Friday evening? A house you can't reach easily tends to go unused.

Keep the brief simple

A short brief and a firm idea of what not to build usually serve a weekend home better than a long wish list. Fewer rooms, honest materials and good views are also easier to keep up when the house stands empty for weeks. If you want to talk through a plot you are considering, get in touch before you buy.

Common questions

Should I hire an architect before or after buying the land?: Before, if you can. A walk around the plot with an architect can show you where the house would sit, what the slope allows and what the access will cost you in effort, which helps you judge whether the plot is right.
How big should a weekend home be?: It depends on how many people it must host. As a reference, our Lavasa vacation homes Machan and Frangipani are 369 and 490 square metres, and Oblique House was designed for a couple. Start from how you will use it.
Can I build right next to a lake or dam?: Sometimes there are restrictions near water bodies, backwaters and reservoirs. Check the rules for your specific plot with the local authority before you commit.
Does a house on a slope cost more to build?: It can, and it can also save money on levelling the land. We cannot give a figure without a specific site and brief, but a sloping plot is worth discussing with an architect before you decide against it.