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When The Brink Eco Estate was developed in Herolds Bay, Western Cape, Louw and Sarah Hartzenberg bought a stand immediately. “We’ve spent numerous holidays here, and because Louw has a passion for plants and landscaping, a stand which flows into a green belt was an obvious choice for a second home,” Sarah explains.

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lock-up-and-go house plan

Their brief to Kobus and Elsie Nieuwoudt of Nieuwoudt Architects specified a home with lock-up-and-go characteristics that could also accommodate family and friends. They had in mind a space designed around entertaining that wouldn’t feel empty when they were there on their own.

lock-up-and-go house pan 2

For an intimate atmosphere, the architects split the house into two self-contained levels. “This way, the Hartzenbergs can open the lower ground suite for guests when necessary, and still have privacy,” Kobus explains.

A firepit and separate viewing deck halfway down the sloping stand link the upper-level entertaining area with the garden.

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To make the most of the location, the team focused on key viewpoints. “The main bedroom has a 180 degree vista, but the bedroom area is placed far back and raised,” Kobus explains. In the bathroom, the view can be enjoyed through a cut-out window facing a direction without neighbouring houses and the bathtub was placed on an elevated platform to maximise the view.

house plan

Loffelstein retaining walls, now covered by indigenous vegetation, were placed behind the house giving it a distinctly natural feel. “Combined with the gazebo and timber deck, which were left to weather naturally, the overall appearance is sensitive to the surrounding area and not visually intrusive,” Kobus says.

AT A GLANCE

THE ARCHITECTS Kobus and Elsie Nieuwoudt of Nieuwoudt Architects with Linda Motha as project architect.

THE CLIENTS Louw and Sarah Hartzenberg, a couple with grown-up children and who travel frequently.

THE BRIEF A second house that would function as a lock-up-and-go home, with ample entertaining space.

THE HOUSE A double-storey home in Herolds Bay, with a firepit, viewing platform, and four bedrooms facing either the sea or the green belt.