Rescuing Beauty 1 – The Property

In 1991, after years of searching for a Cape vernacular building to restore, the property in Bonnievale found us. We fitted the profile of owners that the property was looking for, love of vernacular buildings, keen restorers, look good in overalls, some restoration experience, lots of patience, no money and willing to learn.

We arrived in Bonnievale from Cape Town in a 1973 chocolate brown VW beetle. The first impression of the building was not great. It was neglected, had a sixties facelift and needed rescuing urgently. There were some indications that we were looking at something more special than what we saw at first glance. 

The pitch of the gables and the orientation of the buildings was a clear indication that the buildings predated the town’s street grid.

We walked past the neglected quince hedge and apricot orchard down the dusty road leading to the ‘new’ front of the house. Tilly de Swart, the estate agent who was also seeing the house for the first time that morning, was there to meet us.

Looking towards the Main House from where the vegetable garden is today

Getting a clearer picture with most of the trees removed

The bank  bulldozed back

Tons of stone brought in to rebuild the original wall

The stonewall that Keith built

The house after the initial renovation

The “stoep room” was a ‘new’ addition but when we stepped into the dining room a shiver of excitement ran down our backs. We stepped into a room with cow dung floors heavily ‘carpeted’ with layers of linoleum. 

The ceilings in the kitchen and dining room were of oregon pine board on rough beams.  The voorkamer and bedrooms had reed ceilings on rough poplar beams.

I saw a lot of work and Keith saw what the buildings would be like after restoration. I don’t think Keith ever saw the buildings as derelict. He saw the final product right from the start and never lost focus in achieving it.

The house from the street with the neglected orchard and quince hedge

Cutting back the overgrown garden at the original front of the house

After clearing the overgrowth

The original front of the main house with the steps where the door used to be

We bought the property a half an hour later setting our life on a path that would be filled with highs and lows but never short of the constant source of enchantment that the property holds for us.

The property dictated the restoration process right from the start. There were no fences to indicate the boundaries of the portions that had been sold off in previous years. The apricot orchard was still intact but now stretching onto property that was the last to be deducted and sold off.

Fences in progress and the new orchard planted

The fences complete and the beginning of the garden on the outside

Neighbours had started dumping on the property and however much we tried at first we could not change the habit that had developed. We had planned to start restoring the main house and then the cottage but realised that we needed to start with putting up a fence first to prevent people from dumping  on the property and using it as a unofficial thoroughfare to the neighbouring property that actually had its entrance in the next street.

The first couple of months were spent cleaning away the rubble and taming the overgrown garden.

More:
Restoring Cape Vernacular Architecture – The Main house
Restoring Cape Vernacular Architecture – The Cottage