The conversion of a mouldy single outdoor room with a toilet was transformed into a beautiful studio with a slider door and double-glazed windows, a mini kitchen, and a compact bathroom. The purpose of the transformation was to have a snug, comfortable, well-insulated and fully equipped studio for local and international friends and visitors.

New cupboards were installed in the bedroom area and kitchen area, and beautiful custom-made blackwood shelves were installed throughout the studio and bathroom area. The finished project was better than expected and truly a fun endeavour. I thoroughly enjoyed the project and learned tons through the transformation process, including (1) how to make my own beautiful blackwood shelves at 20% of the cost of a contractor; (2) how to make my own headboard at around 30% of the cost of a large chain furniture store; (3) how to create a bathroom through innovative space planning; (4) how to use user-friendly Tjhoko Paint to create beautiful olive green cupboard effects throughout the bedroom and kitchen area and have around 80% of the cost of a quoted contractor who wanted the job; (5) how to put in proper lighting to give the room a ‘wow’ feeling; (6) how to rip out the old mouldy black carpet and bring the old clay tiled floors back to life at almost zero cost.

The project cost approximately R190 000 but has increased the value of the property by approximately R1 million and given us the added pleasurable bonus of being able to host friends, family, and possibly even generate income through letting year-round or during the prime holiday season, as we wish.