The era after the 1950 is called the Contemporary Era or the post war era
Idea was that there should not be another world war, with the creation of UN
So with cures found for Malaria, and other diseases, and without a word war, the world population almost quadrupled from 2.5 bn to 7 plus bn now
SL population was 7 millions of so back then, which became 3 more times to what's now
This is why, I believe the present housing crisis happened, where you suppose to pay an unaffordable and unworthy price for that average 10 perch land
I believe back then, due to the relatively smaller population, everyone had access to a plot of land and the housing standards were very simple
I remember seeing, Kajan houses like this even near Nugegoda area, near the train tracks, in the 90s.
Img source -
“The dwellings of the ordinary folk were of mud and straw, humble, unpretentious, in which appearance is sacrificed for convenience and economy,” Dr. John Davy [1821]
Ironically, nowadays both local and foreign tourists decide to pay exorbitant prices and stay in those kind of environmentally friendly dwellings..
About large houses, I know someone, claims to be a qualified Engineer (with a very large ego as well..!) who bought a 3 storey house, put a big boundary wall around it, to hide his a## from the neighbours and also decided to construct a tiny little swimming pool, just big enough to dip himself that has its own unresolved construction problems and routine maintenance challenges, without himself ever realising how hard for it becomes for those already old occupants to climb those concrete staircases when they grow even older + the costly maintenance requirements associated with a large building due to the tropical monsoon climate in SL. The house feel ghostly, due to the large size and the darkness inside and notably he became very unhappy and abusive as the time went by and never got married - maybe because he heavily bargained and bought it from a sad divorcing couple...
In the 90s there was a popular teledrama called "Giraya", about dramas unfolding in a large house
Living by your means is the best thing to practice for the peace of mind..