WE LOVED LIVING IN OUR backyard!

When the Hamanns decided to renovate their garden shed and make it their home temporarily, they enjoyed it so much that they almost didn’t want to move out!

For many homeowners, a ramshackle shed in the backyard simply serves as storage space for garden tools and half-used paint tins.

But not for the Hamann family of Constantia. Instead of a dark, spiderinfested space, their part-brick, part-wood structure is a lovely airy flatlet – one in which the family of four once stayed themselves, for much longer than they anticipated!

The Hamanns began letting their main residence on the property on Airbnb in 2014. These used to be short stints, during which the family would move out to stay with Patty’s mom.

But in September 2016, they received a booking for a full two months! And as they were saving for a family vacation abroad in 2017, their son Noah had an ingenious idea that they should renovate the shed and stay there themselves while renting out their house. This way, they could also be close to their beloved Labrador, Lola (7).

However, Noah’s bright idea had its challenges. “The shed was a small and dark space,” says Patty. “But it had a certain unrealised charm, thanks to its position under the dappled shade of two magnificent cork trees. We quickly saw the potential and decided to make Noah’s idea a reality.”

Shedding the old

Time was of the essence as the Hamanns had only two weeks in which to complete the transformation before their long-term Airbnb guests arrived.

The shed, made of pine timber, had been added to the front of a brick cottage (consisting of a bedroom and bathroom) at the back of the property in 2006 and rented out to university students.

The Hamanns began the renovation by removing the existing kitchen. “For some time, we lived with a very basic kitchen: a galvanised metal bucket served as a kitchen sink and we had a little freestanding stove for cooking,” Patty recalls. “There was no counter space, so I had to use the ironing board to prepare food and school lunches! Needless to say, the quirkiness of that arrangement wore off quite quickly…” Eventually, they fitted a brand-new kitchen. The bathroom was also refurbished; the old bath was removed in favour of a shower, the basin and toilet were replaced and the floor tiles were removed to make way for a screeded floor. For improved insulation, Rhinoboard was used to clad the inside of the shed. Once all of this was done, the entire internal space was painted white. In the end, the Hamanns came to love the newly renovated shed so much that they continued to stay in it even after their Airbnb guests had left – and they took on long-term tenants for their main home.

“It was comforting to be in the contained space of the cottage and we had some very special, intimate times together,” Patty says. “From watching squirrels scramble up the cork trees to looking at the moon through the cabin windows, creating our own games, eating meals outside, finding respite from the hot summer sun in the cool cottage and cosying up to read together in bed…”

And when they eventually moved back into their home, they listed their beautiful new small space on Airbnb and had their first booking within a day! >>

I would love to create more little spaces like this one and live with others on the property for a sense of community. We tend to live such insular lives in the suburbs. — Patty

[ FINE FINISHES]

Original shed structure and cutting of doors Timbacore (021 494 5555, timbacore.co.za) Shutters American Shutters (087 238 2123, americanshutters.co.za) Kitchen cupboards Ucan (086 022 2829, ucandoit.co.za)

Accessories Basis Furniture (021 200 0401, basisfurniture.co.za); Chair Crazy (021 465 9991, chaircrazy.co.za); Constantia Curtains (021 761 9648, constantiacurtains.co.za); Eagle Lighting (021 424 4071, eaglelighting.co.za); H&M Home (0860 690 707, hm.com/za); L’Orangerie (021 761 8355, lorangerieshop.com); MRP Home (0800 212 535, mrphome.com); Restorabilia (021 715 7743, restorabilia.co.za); Wauhaus (021 448 2884, wauhaus.co.za); Woolworths (0860 022 002, woolworths.co.za)

Assistance with interior design Lyall Wilcox of Bristle et Hues (021 683 1073, bristleandhues.com)

[ PATTY’S TIPS FOR DECORATING A SMALL SPACE]

• Choose multipurpose pieces, such as couches that can double up as beds and storage baskets that can be used as side tables. • Conceal your fridge inside a cupboard – this diffuses the sound of the fridge and creates less visual clutter. • Get a dustbin that fits inside a kitchen cupboard door. • Use the space underneath beds for storage; I had pine boxes made to store clothes. • It’s good to have one or two internal walls that create definition. If this isn’t possible, bookcases or room dividers work well. Also make use of rugs to define areas. • Paint the floor, walls and ceiling the same colour (preferably a light shade) to create a sense of space.

Photographs Francois Oberholster Patty had the existing wooden panel walls on the front of the shed cut in two and hung from hinges to serve as wide doors. A garapa deck was added to keep the sand in the yard at bay.

The DIY kitchen cupboards (chipboard with vinyl-wrapped doors) are from Ucan. The kitchen sink is an inexpensive bathroom basin. The kitchen, dining area and sitting room are all open plan in the wooden section of the home. “I love a Scandinavian aesthetic. For me, it has both clarity and warmth. Natural wood against white is one of my favourite combinations,” says Patty. Ralph installed open shelves all the way up to the ceiling. Simply Home shelves from yuppiechef.com; copper taps from Wauhaus; dining table from superbalist.com; chairs from Basis Furniture; rug from L’Orangerie

The family lived with camping furniture while the two pine single bed bases (below) were being made. They mounted large headboards on the walls behind the beds. Topped with futon mats, they serve as daytime seating as well as night-time mattresses. Patty is an enthusiastic foodie, so she made space for an oven; pots hang on hooks above it to save on space. The counters were made using leftover oak from a desk Patty’s mom had made. Scatters from Woolworths; futon mattresses from futondreams.co.za; backrest slipcovers from Constantia Curtains

The original façade of the wooden shed on the Hamanns’ property. The front of the shed was removed for the large, barn-style doors to be cut. Rhinoboard cladding was added to the inside of the wooden shed for insulation. WOODEN WALL FAÇADE INTERIOR WALL

TILINGThe brick wall of the kitchen being prepared for tiling (left). A cupboard damaged by damp was treated with Dampseal (below). CUPBOARD