This home is located in the beautiful suburb of Natures Valley, a stones throw from the Helderberg Nature Reserve. The existing home was substantially renovated and a second floor added. It was decided to adopt a french farmhouse feel to the design so that the existing terracota roof tiles could be reused and the new double storey section of the home could tie into the existing single storey sections that were roofed in this manner.
The home makes good use of recycled materials. The roof tiles, most the brickwork and windows and the teak parquet flooring are all reclaimed.
The home is entirely off the grid for water. Stormwater is collected in tanks and purified for use in the home. The indiginous garden is planted with low-water-consuming plants. The home is also energy efficient because of the careful attention paid to window orientation and shading, insulation, natural ventilation and energy-efficient lighting and appliances.
