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The ultimate
holiday
house
The idea of being able to escape the rigours of city
life over weekends and holidays for a more simple,
paired down lifestyle makes owning your own
holiday home very appealing.
In a holiday home sleeping arrangements can be less formal and shared bathrooms are often the norm
S
ince this is the ultimate luxury,
careful planning of this home
away from home will ensure that
it becomes an asset and not a time
consuming and financial liability.
Let’s look at a few design aspects
that could help achieve the ideal
no-nonsense, lock up and go holiday
home.
1. LOCATION, LOCATION…
Where to buy is always the big
question. Ideally you don’t want
to travel more than two and a half
hours, if you are going to use your
home for frequent weekend getaways
as well as for holidays.
Living in Cape Town makes this very
easy, with many wonderful holiday
destinations on the coast or inland
within an easy two to three hundred
kilometre radius.
Once you’ve decided on the
destination, the next equally
important decision is which property
to buy and whether to renovate
an existing property or build from
scratch.
A good estate agent who has
intimate knowledge of the area,
will be worth their weight in gold,
but don’t forget to chat to the locals
as well. It is also very important to
spend time in the area to make sure
it is a good fit for your family and
your lifestyle. This is not the time to
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be spontaneous or impulsive, but
do listen to your intuition. It will
immediately tell you if you if this is a
place that feels right.
2. LAYOUT AND DESIGN
Money spent on a good design
will be a worthwhile investment
on many levels, so enlist the help
of an experienced architectural
professional, to help you get it right
the first time.
When building on the coast, you
often end up with your views on the
south side of the property, which also
means that the prevailing summer
wind is the mighty South Easter. You
therefore have to arrange your layout
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