We bought a tiny house in Kleinbaai outside Gansbaai. It was just a shell as the previous owner took EVERYTHING out to renovate but then decided to rather sell. There was literally nothing inside when we bought, and the property has been standing empty for a long time. We jumped on the opportunity to buy this little gem two blocks from the ocean with a potential sea view if we build a second storey once the next ship with money docks. 😅 This project was one heck of a challenge, seeing that we’ve not renovated a house in a long time and everything had to happen in a matter of less than two months so we could move in. I was mostly in charge as hubby works offshore as a captain on a longline fishing boat. He is only home once a week, which was difficult at times.

We started with the roof, which was leaking like a sieve. The house had been standing empty for quite a few years and had not been looked after in a long time. All the doors and windows had to be replaced as the wood was totally rotten. We opted for aluminium doors and windows. Every opening inside and out had to be strengthened with lintels as this 47-year-old lady served as a beach house years ago and was never properly strengthened. Once we realised we had to put the lintels in, we decided to do away with the arches as it was pointless to put in lintels and then arches again.

We turned the kitchen into our main bedroom, broke down the toilet wall to create an en suite and put a floor-to-ceiling frosted window where the old back door used to be. We closed the entrance to the second bathroom, broke a new entrance through the guest bedroom wall and had ourselves two en-suite bathrooms. We only tiled the bathroom floors and the kitchen. The lounge and main bedroom have cement floors for the moment.

We turned what used to be the second bedroom into our gorgeous sunny kitchen with French doors to the garden. Because we are planning to build a second house on the property at some point, the kitchen is more of a kitchenette than a full kitchen. We use a two-plate gas stove and an airfryer and the only big appliances are the fridge and washing machine. It’s a bit of a farmhouse look with all freestanding cupboards and chests of drawers and an Oregon pine table with benches.

Hubby and I did all the shelving inside ourselves with reclaimed wood and Gelmar brackets. We like to upcycle and repurpose furniture and wood. All the work by the contractors was 90% finished when we moved in on the 20th of May. They started renovations on the 15th of April. We moved in with some minor finishing work to be done. One thing I will admit: renovating in winter is definitely a bigger challenge, especially with this extreme rainy season we’ve been experiencing. Paint doesn’t dry, so we had the fans going – and constant muddy feet through the house. My shattered nerves. But all in all, it’s absolutely worth it to have our own tiny bit of paradise. Huisbou en renovasies is nie vir sissies nie.