Feb
21

Surf View Renovation Project Lounge

by Yves Van den Meerssche

The main goal for the lounge was to clear the view that was blocked by bush, extend the living area by replacing the window with a sliding door leading onto the wooden deck overlooking worldclass surf.

The idea was to make it all look fresh again, we stripped the floor and carpets, gave away the old furniture, renewed all electricity and plastered the brick walls. We also fitted a new door and after the painting was done it was time to puzzle the sandstone (20 euro/sqm) floor and seal it a few times …

This online construction cost calculator for new homes and renovations reminded me of the year 2008. The year I was totally focussed on this surf view renovation project. It was such a learning curve that I decided to dedidate a series of posts about the year I experienced the renovation life.

At that time I was considering making a living out of it but as a showcase I accepted to work for free and manage the project as if it was my own home.

And so the goal was to renovate the garden flat @ the surf view villa at Jeffreys Bay, South Africa.

The owner considered it to be an investment so I kept track of all costs to evaluate ROI . In terms of recovering the money spent on a renovation, I found the following numbers : ROI for your building/renovation project and the average costs in dollars !

In South Africa renovation costs are estimated between 2500 and 7500 rand per square meter. Let’s say on average 500 euro / square meter, 1/3 of the average cost in Europe, where renovation costs run up to 1500 euro and much more for luxury.

When all the dust had settled we calculated to have spend about with 2500 Rand per square meter, which works out to be half of the average cost of renovating in South Africa. Not too bad.

Anyway enjoy some of the pictures “before and after”, let’s start with the lounge area. We’ll cover the bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen, deck and garden in the next few posts …