Reserved for guests

An innovative couple has turned a disused reservoir into a charming cottage for visitors – and now they can entertain every weekend!

When Axel Ryder and Richard Wood moved to

Riebeek West 13 years ago, their property boasted two reservoirs – but only one bedroom.

“After we installed a more modern irrigation system, the reservoirs became obsolete,” Axel says. But the scorching Riebeek Valley summers soon convinced the pair that they should convert one of them into a swimming pool. “We were given a pool pump and filter for free and just had to get a few lengths of pipe and some fittings.”

Their love of spending quality time with loved ones and the absence of a guest room inspired Axel and Richard to also convert the second reservoir. “There was nowhere for our friends and family to stay,” Richard says. Over the past 18 years, the couple has undertaken many renovations as well as DIY and garden projects – and Axel’s background as a builder makes things that bit easier.

“First, we transplanted and cut back the plants around the reservoir,” says Richard. “We then looked at where the repaired cracks were and this determined where the window and door openings ended up.”

Axel explains that, structurally, it made more sense to use existing weak spots for the openings but that creating them wasn’t easy: “The walls were very hard and they’d been reinforced. A lot of care was taken in the process to maintain the structural integrity of the reservoir.”

A ‘floating’ roof

The next project was the roof structure. “We wanted it to look as if the roof is floating above the reservoir,” Axel says. “So we made it as lightweight as possible with custom-made windows underneath that run right around the building between the top of the wall and the roof.

“It took us approximately two hours to make each window frame, using painted pressure-treated wood. The roof consists of corrugatediron sheets screwed down onto shutterply boards which were glued and screwed to custom-made roof joists.”

On the one end they trimmed the roof sheets to follow the curve of the reservoir. On the other end the roof was extended to cover the newly built bathroom and kitchenette. The exterior walls of the latter were clad with roof sheets on one side and Nutec board on the other. >>

Recycled and re-used

In both the bathroom and kitchen Axel and Richard only used recycled fittings.

“The kitchen counter is an old headboard and the sink is an upcycled stainless steel prep bowl. The wall-mounted cupboard was once part of an old school desk,” Axel explains. “It is attached to the wall and the door is actually the lid of the desk that opens upwards.”

A big surprise was the floor. “We’d always wanted to keep the original floor of the reservoir, so we simply applied a thick coat of resin,” says Richard. By doing this the floor came to life and revealed its wonderful character.

While the two bedroom windows and front door frame were newly bought, the door itself is the original back door to the main house – complete with a homemade doggy flap. This, of course, comes in handy when friends and family with pooches come to visit.

“We have people to stay most weekends. It’s a much-loved space, hence all the different hearts that adorn the exterior; these have been collected over the years or received as gifts,” says Richard. >>

Thanks to the shade of an enormous bougainvillea, the cottage remains cool in the hot summer months.

The carpet in front of the bed is from Richard’s late brother, while the crocheted blanket was commissioned from local Riebeek West pensioners after the couple saw something similar in an issue of Home. The outdoor table (opposite), inherited from Axel’s mother, features decorative cement plaster with a 10mm glass top. WHO LIVES HERE? Axel Ryder and Richard Wood with their three dogs and three cats WHERE Riebeek West, Western Cape SIZE ± 21m²

This kitchen cupboard was once a school desk! The exposed joists supporting the roof enhance the impression that the roof is floating on top of the old reservoir. The bathroom is accessed through the kitchen.

The oak carver chairs were passed down from Richard’s mother; the seats have been reupholstered. Axel and Richard love to support local artists; the collection in the “reservoir room” represents a small portion of the artworks they have acquired over the years.

The headboard was made from old pallet planks. Grey linen cushion from La Perle

A wooden fruit bowl was repurposed as a basin in the bathroom.

This cupboard behind the front door was a yard sale find; before painting it blue, the pair installed new knobs and castors to make it easier to move when cleaning.