Trading places

Once the De Wets had outgrown their cottage, they swapped houses with granny and grandpa, who live on the same property, and created a home with rich heritage.

- Maryke Roberts

About five years ago, Hennie and Jacomien de Wet of Onrus River outside Hermanus made a deal with Jacomien’s parents: they would, at their own expense, build a small house in a secluded corner of her parents’ property, provided they could swap houses when the young family grew too big for their own place.

These days, Hennie, Jacomien and their three kids live in Jacomien’s childhood holiday home, which they’ve given a brand-new look.

Jacomien’s parents, Hans and Irma Herbst, bought the property 16 years ago. They knew Onrus River well as this Overberg coastal town had been their holiday destination for 28 years. Back then, a much smaller house next to the beach suited their needs but when the family moved there permanently, more space became a priority, so they chose this house on a 3 000m² plot.

Jacomien, who as a 24-year-old was working in Cape Town at the time, wasn’t very impressed. “I thought it was an ugly house too far from the beach.” But the home suited Hans and Irma down to the ground.

Old and new plans

After Hennie and Jacomien were married in 2008, they lived on the De Wet family farm in the Overberg. The property was sold in 2011 and the young family – Christiaan was then nine months old – also moved to Onrus, where they initially rented a house.

Then in 2014, Jacomien’s dad came up with the bright idea that she and Hennie should build a home on his spacious property.