I love combining timeless, elegant colours such as off-white and greys with pops of colour. – Pascale I
Pascale found this old window frame at a demolition yard – she simply replaced the glass with mirrors. It was a huge relief for the Houbart family to move from their cramped Sea Point apartment into a double-storey home in 2016. With their family growing rapidly, space was what they needed most!
Despite the fact that the move would extend the couple’s travel time to and from work – Pascale is a buying manager at Woolworths and Nicholas is a key account manager at MOOV Fuels – they decided on Hout Bay because of its relative affordability compared to Cape Town’s city centre. The beautiful sea and mountain views and the fact that they have family in the neighbourhood clinched the deal.
In August 2016, they started their new life in their new home with renovations in full swing, a toddler underfoot and a baby on the way!
“We were lucky,” Pascale says. “We didn’t have to bash down any walls as, overall, our new home had great structure and flow.” But the interior was tired: the house had water damage from leaking pipes, lots of dark wood, old burglar bars, broken light fittings and worn carpets. An overhaul was definitely in order!
“Nicholas managed the renovation project – and had many sleepless nights in the process,” Pascale says. “He spent weekends getting his hands dirty to ensure that we cut down on costs where we could, and to ensure that the upgrade was executed to the best of our ability. I’m very proud of him and his can-do attitude!”
Pascale focused on the finishing touches which resulted in a fresh, stylish interior. >>
• It’s hard to stick to a budget when building costs increase while you’re renovating! • Sometimes you have a great idea but when you execute it you realise that it doesn’t actually work and you have to start all over again! This is what happened with our balcony, which we covered with latte as we did on our patio – it doesn’t look good, so we have to redo it to better suit the look of the upstairs area. • Wasting time and money on people who don’t really know what they’re doing is a big issue. We had some labourers who were clueless or too busy with other jobs; they simply walked off site, never to return! These days, we insist on references. • We were lucky that we could stay with family during the renovation but even after we’d moved back in, there was still a lot to do. It’s not easy to live in the space you’re renovating! But we kept the big picture in mind, which helped. Was there any conflict and how did you handle it? There were time and budget constraints which definitely put a lot of pressure on us and we had lots of tough decisions to make about how we wanted things to be, but in the end it all worked out – we just had to cross one bridge at a time. Any cost-cutting tips? • Shop around for the best deals, visit suppliers and factory shops, and transport materials yourself or ask family and friends to help if you can. • Although it takes more time and effort, try to supervise the renovation yourself. • Plan well: we spent many evenings debating, drawing and measuring to avoid confusion and wasting money during the actual process. What’s next? I’m happy just enjoying the results of a long year spent renovating. My husband, on the other hand, is ready for the next challenge! Maybe a holiday house…
Dekro Paints (0800 222 423, dekro.co.za)
Moroccan Warehouse (021 461 8318)
Arora Lights (021 949 2520, aroralights.co.za) Bathroom materials On Tap (033 345 1647, ontap.co.za) Shower tiles CTM (0860 144 856, ctm.co.za) Garden items Garden Worx (021 438 1773, gardenworx.co.za) Fireplace Fireplace Studio (021 712 3713, fireplacestudio.co.za) Deck wood Timbacore (021 949 5555, timbacore.co.za) Plumbing Aqua Plumbing (021 790 4786, aquaplumbingsa.co.za) Electrical work Budget Electrical (021 434 0603) Accessories Coricraft (021 508 6200, coricraft.co.za), Loft Living (021 422 0088, loftliving.co.za), MRP Home (0800 212 535, mrphome.com)