Like towns and cities the villagers also preferred to have their houses double and triple storied. The ground was usually occupied by cattle while other two successive floors by the inmates.
The upper floor called Kani was usually used to house the firewood related materials for the harsh winters, but in the summer it was kept neat and clean and used to spend the hot summers.
The upper storey called kani was open from all sides and it served just today’s air conditioned balcony while the first storey was useful for winters. There were various rooms of this floor like: Tanab (Common room), Dankuth (Kitchen), Bankuth (Store room), Gaan (Cattle shed), Mandow (A big room), Paechh Kuth (Guest room) and Moar (Pen) for pet birds (kokar).
In fact the normal village house had all these facilities, but there was no arrangement for any kind of washrooms. Usually the banks of village kuls, streams and springs, offered these facilities. In fact the urban houses also lacked this facility.
Several of the European travelers while hailing the architectural styles of Kashmir, have also mentioned about poor sanitation in their respective travelogues.