Our 2012 winners!
Oostewald Bekker and Yolanda Cilliers
Hard work, recycling whatever and whenever possible, and absolute teamwork saw Oostewald Bekker and Yolanda Cilliers walk off as our 2012 Fix it with Flair winners. Many would surely have turned their backs on the neglected Boston home this Cape Town couple found while househunting. But they were drawn to the old Oregon pinewood floors and doors. Typical of older houses, the living room and kitchen were separate rooms, and the couple were keen on integrating the two into an open plan space. They weren’t willing to sacrifice the original fireplace between the two rooms. So, after some thought, they settled on breaking through to the kitchen from the lounge with arched openings alongside the fireplace, which not only allowed for an easier flow between the two rooms, but also effectively gave the space an even stronger focal point. Enlarged the tiny bathroom by extending it out and fitting doors leading to the garden. The old bathroom has now made way for a compact laundry room. Scaffolding planks as shelves and reusing the old bricks to build new walls, extensive use of concrete, from renewing old floors where needed to casting a cement countertop in the kitchen.
Ossie rigged up an Oregon pinewood beam breakfast counter, teamed with bar stool. They spent little more than R22 000. This enterprising couple also showed just how effectively a tin of paint can transform a space, striking black and white stripes in the passage and bedroom are also repeated in the bathroom ceiling – and blackboard paint patches in the kitchen add a playful element. With their R25 000 prize money from Pennypinchers and Timbercity, the young couple is intent on completing their front stoep. ‘And definitely building an ensuite bathroom in the main bedroom!’
Budget breakdown
Gas stove R5 500
Sink and taps R1 250
Chairs and wooden top R1 500
Building R3 000
Plumbing R2 000
Lights and electrical R300
Paint and wallpaper R1 300
Bath R1 000
Toilet R900
Basin and taps R1 050
Plumbing R1 000
Lights and electrical R1 300
Building R2 000
Subtotal R7 250
TOTAL R22 100
When we entered, we had no hopes of winning! – Yolanda Cilliers