Country Escape

This multifunctional house in a Cape heritage village ticks all the boxes for sustainable living.

- Diana Wemyss

It is not often that homeowners consider their neighbours. However, in this case, Chris Wolf and his wife Su built an attractive wooden feature bench on the street adjoining their boundary wall so that locals in Stanford could rest awhile on their ambles around the village.

It’s also indicative of the detailed thought that went into the house that architect Minette Bell, with the assistance of Chris’ architect son, Lewis, designed for this creative couple.

The site is in a B heritage zone of the village where double-storey houses are not allowed and pitched roofs of specific, restricted angles are a requirement. “The site is around 900m2 ,” says Minette, “and we set the buildings far back along the boundaries to create a space in the centre that would be wind-free, secluded and the perfect place for a natural swimming pool.”