It began as a house we decided to build because the landlord doubled the rent. We couldn’t afford one in the city so we went to the suburbs. Strictly speaking, we went to the boon dogs. Beyond a village on the outskirts, where an adventurous realtor decided to set up a gated community. He’d set up the tarred roads. Divided the plots. Put up the street lights and parks. Except there was no gate and no community. By the time I finished building the house 5 years later, the gated community was acres of empty green space and for someone like me, the best of all things--- a neighbor-free haven. It was also a whole bunch of other things I hadn’t thought it would end up being. The house began as an idea for a small space - 800 square feet no more. Two rooms – one for me and my husband and one for my daughter; a library where my son would sleep behind the partition; and a long living-cum dining where we would spend most of our time. By the time I finished building, the 340