LOCATION, ESTATE AGENTS LIKE TO SAY, IS EVERYTHING. And this newly built home's position in Vermont - a holiday hamlet on the pristine shores of Walker Bay - is exceptional.
Tucked into the fynbos just steps from the ocean, the plot of land on which it stands has been in the family of one of the two homeowners, Alida Kannemeyer, for 60 years.
Throughout her childhood, Alida spent her holidays in the house next door (the rest of her family still does so); in 2014, she was given this adjacent plot by her parents.
In 2017, Alida and Piers Buckle her partner in both life and work (they run a graphic-design agency together) - decided to build their own holiday home on the property.
At the time, the couple were living in Observatory, Cape Town, and the new build was envisioned as a weekend escape from the city at which they could also spend longer holidays.
The initial plan, done with the help of an architect friend in Cape Town, was a simple single-storey cottage; it was later amended slightly by Onrus-based architecture firm Engelbrecht & Scorgie, who also assisted with the build.
"We always wanted to build something of our own rather than renovate. It's good to know exactly what's under the skin of your house," says Piers, citing both the regularity of unpleasant surprises during renovations as seen on today's ubiquitous reno TV shows, and the couple's own experience of living in their Observatory home, with its heritage layout and sometimes temperamental fixtures.
They were on a fairly strict budget, and knew they wanted a contemporary cottage without unnecessary frills. They explored prefabricated options, but after careful research realised that a bricks-and-mortar structure would work far better, both budget-wise and to conform to Piers's strict rule of seaside construction: "If it rusts, it's not going in the house."
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