Opening up

Once the property had been transferred to their name, the Cupidos called in the help of an architect to draw up plans for the alterations. The original house was 189m² but the family needed more space, so a new garage and outbuilding were added. Inside, internal walls were removed to open up the space and increase the size of the kitchen. The outside area was also made bigger.

Other major changes included new plumbing, rewiring the house and stripping all the ceilings. In fact, the Cupidos found two impressive snake skins in two of the rooms while taking down the ceilings!

In the end, they doubled the size of the house – all without the help of professional builders. “I have renovated four homes extensively so I have first-hand experience in project-managing a construction site,” says Iris. With the help of a bricklayer and assistant, they managed to do all the building themselves. “It was very costeffective and the walls were all constructed in just over two weeks,” she adds.

But when it came to fitting the windows, roofing, plumbing and electrics, Iris wasn’t willing to compromise. “For this I used professionals, as you simply cannot cut corners!” >>