Snakes and ladders
Unwelcome resident reptiles prompted the new owners of this home to start their renovation from the garden inwards...
Cape Dutch thatched homes don’t have gutters, so the rain tends to run down the walls; aluminium is therefore a good choice for doors and windows. – Wynand
WHO LIVES HERE? Wynand du Plessis and Thinus Wilken WHERE Ceres, Western Cape SIZE 680m²
IIf you’re lucky enough to own both an art gallery and an aluminium-and-glass business, you’re already two steps ahead of the game: you have an eye for beautiful things and you can get some of your materials at cost price!
When Wynand du Plessis and Thinus Wilken bought their old Cape Dutch home in August 2017, the garden was sorely neglected and completely overgrown because the previous owners had not lived there permanently. And to compound matters, the estate agent informed them that a couple of snakes had taken up residence in the bushes!
“I have an inherent fear of snakes,” confesses Wynand. “So there was no way I was going to live on the same property as those creatures!”
It was non-negotiable: the garden had to be cleared first. The couple seized the opportunity to create an outdoor entertainment area at the same time.
Their first task was to fell a magnolia tree to the left of the house to provide more space for an enlarged patio, and the slasto floor of the old stoep was in such a state of disrepair, it had to be lifted.
The river pebble cladding also had to go. “It gathered so much dust! Likewise the stucco on the exterior walls,” says Wynand. All the walls were then given a smooth finish and painted white.
Sandstone tiles were chosen as the new surface for the enlarged stoep. “The smaller tiles create a cobblestone effect, which complements the style of the house perfectly,” says Wynand.