PLANS BY THE DOZEN

And such clever – and beautiful – plans! Once again, we were blown away by the entries in last year’s Fix it with Flair competition, presented in partnership with JoJo – for water, for life! We’ve already featured some of the houses and spaces in Home, as we simply couldn’t wait to show them to you. But here are the winners of the 2022 competition, as well as a few pics of those spaces that haven’t yet been featured in the magazine (something to look forward to in the new year).

All these homeowners can be justifiably proud of what they achieved, and the winners and runners-up will be fêted at a gala event at the lavish Mount Nelson Hotel in Cape Town in February.

MOST BEAUTIFUL

WINNER

WHO Pieter Hoffman WHERE Carnarvon, Northern Cape

WHAT Entire home

Home readers know all too well: resourceful Pieter Hoffman of Carnarvon has a soft spot for the ugly ducklings of his Karoo town. In 2019 he was also a finalist in our Fix it with Flair competition with his weekend home close to Vanwyksvlei. Since then he has acquired five run-down cottages, and his latest renovation project – the first of these five – earned him the top spot in the Most Beautiful category for 2022. 

“Back in 2017, I decided that I was done with renovations in Carnarvon,” he says. Because, after all, he already has 26 guest rooms in the town, all of which were in derelict houses that he’s meticulously restored. But he simply couldn’t resist, and this project is now part of his Lord Carnarvon guesthouse group. We’re almost willing to bet it won’t be the last one either…

RUNNER-UP

WHO Rudi and Marilé Pieterse

WHERE Hermanus

WHAT Entire home Although the Pieterses were on the lookout for a cosy home with a typical farm feel, it was a drab, rectangular facebrick house that stole their hearts. They stayed in the house while construction was underway and although it was a dusty mess, they persevered. 

Their first undertaking was to build a brand-new stoep. “After that we had the facebrick walls plastered and also built a gable,” says Marilé. “Rudi and I both love the Cape Dutch style. When I saw that finished gable, I was really excited. What a transformation! It immediately made me think of farm, family and culture, and that feeling warms my heart.

DIY

WINNER

WHO Marc and Kim Lange

WHERE Umtentweni, KwaZulu-Natal South Coast

WHAT Entire home 

Marc and Kim’s renovation is all about a dream come true: swapping life in a security complex for the freedom and beauty of living in a house on a long white beach.

“As we pulled into the driveway, I knew it was fate; Marc was in love,” recalls Kim. However, when they saw the asbestos roof, poky rooms and neglected interior dating back to 1954, Kim, a ceramic artist with a keen eye for aesthetics, was utterly daunted. 

But Marc wasn’t fazed. A commercial dive technician and the son of a builder, he is a practical man who couldn’t wait to roll up his sleeves and start creating their dream home. We were amazed at what he accomplished with his hard work and determination!

RUNNER-UP

WHO Willem Dapper de Wet 

WHERE Philadelphia, Western Cape

WHAT Entire home 

“It was more a case of a renaissance than a renovation,” said Willem in his original entry. “As someone who has never before undertaken anything like this, my first thought was to respect the 160-year-old house, keep it authentic and allow myself to be guided by the building. 

“I felt it was my responsibility to preserve and celebrate its character, so I started with the dilapidated kitchen. From there, the rest evolved organically over the past two years into a place where my spirit soars, without being restricted by the latest trends or what others expect of me.” Willem tried to create an earthy farm feel in the house and kept the original stable doors, exposed brick walls, clay bricks and corrugated-iron roof. With regular small garden concerts and other intimate events being hosted here, the house has come alive again. 

• Look out for Willem’s project in the April 2023 issue, on sale from 10 March.

INNOVATION

WINNER

WHO Bianca Antunes and Rob de Barros

WHERE Tesselaarsdal, Overberg

WHAT Entire home

In 2020, they were two regular city kids from Sea Point, with words like “Uber Eats” and “promenade” part of their everyday vocabulary. But since living in Tesselaarsdal, new phrases such as “gravity-fed toilet” and “future-proof vineyard” now roll off their tongues just as easily. Their self-built one-bedroom house is everything they had hoped for: natural building methods were used to ensure a low carbon footprint and the house is located right next to the plot of land where Bianca intends to produce natural wine from her new vineyard. The house’s foundation consists of about 300 used tyres rammed with clay earth. For the exterior walls, adobe bricks made of sand and clay were cast in a wooden mould and then left to dry naturally. For the interior walls, clay from the building site was compressed in a brick-making machine. These days, Rob offers others advice on natural building methods!

RUNNER-UP

WHO Christine and Johan Sonnekus

WHERE Mossel Bay

WHAT Apartment

Christine and Johan have created the cutest apartment in a hidden corner of their lush garden. You’d never guess that this space is barely 20m² in size with a separate bedroom, kitchen and bathroom – and each room can be shut off for privacy. 

READERS’ FAVOURITE

Leani Brasington of Alberton, Gauteng garnered the most online votes with her new bathroom and won R1 000 cash. Since the bathroom is located next to the entertainment area, she got rid of the redundant bath.

“We kept the shower so that people can quickly rinse off after they’ve had a swim,” says Leani. The room has been completely redone and the striking black wallpaper with its larger-than-life floral motif is a definite showstopper.

Wallpaper from Canvas and Wall; rug from Mr Price Home; Mexican handmade basin from Hadeda Tiles