Another Jacques Cronje Timber Design.

The site for House Carstens, built in Suiderstrand, 16km from Cape Agulhas, slopes up steeply to the South East corner, with a fairly level portion towards the road to the North. There are landscape views to the North, but the best views are over bay and sea to the South West and South.

The main bedroom boasts a bath with sea views to the south, with a more formal shower room and toilet in the en-suite.

A small pantry/scullery connects the kitchen to the outside via a small deck with a path down the dune for direct access to the kitchen.

An indoor brick braai opens onto the deck and decks either side of the living area provide living/entertainment options depending on the season and weather.

House Carstens fits snugly into the site topography, so as to minimise excavation, the number of retaining walls required, and to comply with height restrictions.

Getting materials to site proved challenging with an unforgiving dirt-road access to site, and because trucks were not permitted to enter the site, some of the materials had to be carried in by hand for the last 2km to site.

The weather impacted greatly on the project, and the area received the most rainfall in 25 years. The road to Suiderstrand also flooded no fewer than three times during the project.