Cape Dutch Heritage Home Complete Renovation

Where Heritage meets Contemporary – nestled only a few blocks away from Hermanus’s picturesque town centre and the famous ocean cliff path and situated in one of Hermanus’s most beautiful tree-lined streets.

The brief from the new owners was clear – retain her “old lady charm” but convert her into a modern contemporary home – sounds like an oxymoron – not to us – to us it sounded like a beautiful challenge that we embraced with open arms.

The Nova Construction Services team worked closely with the Architects to deliver a design that met the owners’ brief and the end result is a meticulously renovated home that exuberates character.

We were responsible for comprehensive Construction Project Management, including the Interior Hard Finishes Consulting and Sourcing as well as the Quality Management.

We were able to complete the project, astonishingly, in less than 6 months and we came in 2.5% under the approved budget. 

The project included the following:

• Heritage approval co-ordination
• Complete restructuring of the house (moved rooms to the back, created open plan spaces, etc)
• Build an extra long double garage
• Added an undercover entertainment area
• Replaced all the flooring
• Replaced all the BIC
• Installed new kitchen and scullery
• Replaced all the plumbing and electrical
• Replaced all the ceilings
• Damp proofing of the entire house
• Fixed the roof
• Replaced all the internal doors and locks
• Replaced all the paving
• Landscaping, including a Chelsea Flower Show adaptation
• Interior and exterior paint
• Fixed the swimming pool
• Built a French courtyard
• Installed value adding items like Solar Geyser, Load shedding Inverter Solution, large fire place, 2 built-in braais, WellPoint with a 2500L water storage tank and automated irrigation, reclaimed wooden-cladded wall in main bedroom, vertical wooden herb garden, etc
• Sourced and installed state of the art appliances and top of the range finishes, including imported Italian gas stove, hand-made wall tiles, walk-in shower and Victorian free standing bath in the main en-suite bathroom and much more.

Don’t let anybody ever tell you that a Heritage Renovation Construction Project is a walk in the park, because it is extremely challenging, but there are few things as rewarding as being able to give an “old lady” back her well-deserved dignity and to see the pride in her new owners’ eyes.