Architect Quits Corporate Job, Builds Home From Mud and SUV Doors

When Shagun Singh quit her corporate marketing job in 2015, she traded boardroom presentations for something more permanent: walls made of mud, stone, and lime in Pangot village near Nainital, Uttarakhand.

She founded Geeli Mitti, a natural building learning center that teaches volunteers from around the world to construct homes using materials pulled straight from the earth. Her own house became the most striking proof that her philosophy works.

The entrance alone tells visitors this isn't ordinary construction. Visitors step through the doors of an abandoned Mahindra Bolero SUV to enter Gaadi Ghar, which translates to "car house." Those weathered doors lead down into an earthen dwelling that took 45 days to build.

The stone foundation follows the natural curves of flood-damaged land Singh deliberately left unflattened. Mud walls range from 10 inches to 4 feet thick, plastered with clay, cow dung and lime, then burnished smooth with crystals until they shine.

Inside, a cob sculpted bed sits beside a stream that flows through the property at night. A narrow north-facing window frames nothing but forest, while south-facing windows pull warmth into the space naturally.

The floor beneath is cordwood set in lime and sawdust, polished with linseed oil. Above, a living roof carries three inches of mud topped with growing grass, held up by eucalyptus rounds and hand-carved oak lintels salvaged from old doors.

A bay window workstation opens directly to the jungle, creating a reading nook where mountain air mixes with morning tea. The bathroom features a rock bench under a rain shower, with a window that doubles as a door to a private lawn under that same grassy roof.

Why This Inspires

Singh didn't just build a home. She built living proof that load-bearing cob walls can stand as sturdy as concrete and steel, even on damaged land that would challenge conventional construction.

Her learning center now shares these techniques with anyone willing to get their hands dirty, spreading skills that could reshape how communities build shelter. Every volunteer who passes through carries home the knowledge that beautiful, durable housing doesn't require industrial materials or massive carbon footprints.

One woman, one mud house, and thousands of future builders learning that older methods might be exactly what modern housing needs.