A project involving extensions and alterations to an existing simple and modest Rondebosch villa dating from the 1890’s began with the measuring and analyzing the existing built form and the layering of recorded change between the 1940’s and the 1980’s.
The villa consisted of two bedrooms, a living area, a dining room, a stoep kamer leading off a south facing stoep running the length of the original 4 roomed house.
The added kitchen was both small and impractically laid out. Bathrooms were located on the west where bedrooms were located on the east, requiring one to transfer between bedroom and bathroom across the living spaces.
Additions included a new double pitched three bedroomed west wing with two bathrooms and low key linking kitchen and scullery/laundry area attaching lightly to the existing double pitched villa with lean-to stoep. The 1970’s additions were demolished and a new guest bathroom was added on the east side of the house where it is more accessible to the guest bedroom. The addition of a new double garage with vehicular access off Woodroyd Road provided direct access into the existing main house. A new open terrace with braai leading off the kitchen link area between the existing cottage and the new bedroom wing provides stepped access to the garden. In addition, a new central curved external stair also provides access to the garden from the existing stoep. A new internal stair open structure metal and timber stair was built to allow easier access to the existing loft room on the upper level.
The additions were considerately similarly scaled to the existing built form and hence do not dominate the site or the neighboring properties. The garden remained unchanged – all existing trees were retained and additional planting complimented the existing.