The Beginning (2010–2012)
I was around 15 when my father, house plan designer, showed me his manual Vastu Shastra floor area calculations. Each time he designed a house, he had to calculate 11 parameters , a time-consuming task done entirely by hand. Then he used Excel to create formulas to do the simple calculations and get the results. It also had its drawbacks as checking the values and mapping them was a manual task.
That’s when I thought, “Why not make a small program to do this automatically?”
I didn’t know much about programming then, but curiosity took over.
The Problem
In traditional Vastu Shastra, certain proportions of the floor area are believed to influence prosperity, health, and harmony. These are calculated through 11 “Porondum” (parameters) such as Income, Expenses, Nature, Nakshatra, Day, Degree, Zodiac, Lunar Day, Caste, Deity, and Longevity.
Architects often calculate these manually, a tedious and error-prone process.
The Solution (Version 1.0 – Visual Basic)
Using Visual Basic, I built my very first working software: a Vastu Floor Area Calculator.
It allowed users to enter the floor area, and within seconds, it calculated all 11 Porondum values.
Over time, I created three improved versions, refining both the formulas and the interface all without formal training.
My father started using it for his projects, and eventually, some of his friends began using it too. That was my first taste of building something useful.
13 Years of Real Use
The tool continued to be used in professional architectural planning for over 13 years.
It’s humbling to think that a small piece of code written by a 15-year-old helped real architects make design decisions for so long.
The Modernization (Version 2.0 – Web)
In 2025, I decided to rebuild it as a modern web app accessible to anyone, anywhere.
No installation, no dependencies just pure HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
This version is faster, cleaner, and mobile-friendly.
Technical Overview
The calculator still relies on pure math. For example:
- Income = (area × 8) mod 12
- Expenses = (area × 9) mod 10
It’s simple but rooted in the traditional formulas used in Vastu Shastra.
What I Learned
- Building at 15 taught me curiosity matters more than experience.
- Seeing it used for over a decade reminded me that utility beats complexity.
- Rebuilding it today made me appreciate how far tools and I have come.
Try It Yourself
You can try the new version here:
👉 Vastu Floor Area Calculator