HOUSE NEALE-MAY : SEPTEMBER 2009

A remote controlled steel sliding gate completes the security to the courtyard and front door.

The entrance courtyard with front door canopy being installed. The canopy will bring down the scale of the surrounding walls as well as provide shelter over the main entrance.

Thie image was taken from the lounge deck looking back at the house. Once the steel pergola is in place, the structure walls will be painted a grey colour to complete the external finishes.

This view shows the deck to the lounge with pergola steel structure over from beam to beam. The construction workers provide a sense of scale to the viewer.

The eaves overhang was finished in a local reed with downlighters in place.

The near completed bedroom wing deck and pergola structure. The hardwood timber on the pergola and deck will discolour to a silver grey within a few months. Once the pergola installation is complete the wall above the concrete beam will be painted the same grey colour as the rest of the wall structure.

A lighting detail on the stone clad entrance wall in the courtyard

The kitchen courtyard screened by timber and hardwood screens. A third screen that will be installed to the left is in production.

A large oval bath with ample space for two people in the second bathroom.

The second bathroom with sanitaryware in place and the frameless glass shower enclosure behind.

The entrance hall with the installed seamless "CEMCRETE" floor. Once the floor is sealed it will be slightly darker with the different colours in the composition accentuated. The idea was to create a contemporary floor with a historical reference to the typical cement floor finish one would find in old farm houses.

A partial view of the near completed kitchen.

The near completed kitchen with lighting installed and the grey 'CEMCRETE" floor in the foreground. As soon as the floor is sealed, the appliances can be installed and the kitchen will be ready for use.

The view from the kitchen with the gleaming timber floors completed.

This image shows the installed and sealed solid timber floor in the lounge and dining room with a concrete columns as a backdrop. The timber is "Panga Panga, and African hardwood that will grow darker in colour over time.

The finished fireplace with a "CEMCRETE" surround. Cemcrete is cementitious South African developed product that provides a high quality durable surface.

The wood storage facility in the lounge finished and sealed and provides ample space. The finish is durable cementitious product called "CEMCRETE" .

HOUSE NEALE-MAY - MAY 2009

The driveway towards the house with concrete strips in construction. The area around the road will be returned to a natural habitat with drainage chips surrounding the driveway.

The bedroom deck in progress.

The view from the middle courtyard to the dam.

The middle courtyard with the deck framework in place.

A full view of the north elevation with all the beams in place with the framework of the decks in between.

Landscaping will lift the natural ground line closer to deck level and from there the ground will gradually slope to meet the natural fall of the land.

Walking around to the north elevation the deck structure becomes visible.

The main feature beam forming a unifying element as seen from the west elevation.

All internal doors are 2500 mm high and painted with the door furniture to be fitted soon.

Looking back from the lounge towards the dining and kitchen area. Notice the screed in place ready to receive the timber and concrete floor.

The view from the kitchen with all the windows & doors in place and most of the painting inside done.

The "Altherma" radient heating system with hot water cylinder and control system.

HOUSE NEALE-MAY - MARCH 2009

Another beautiful day in the Kwa-Zulu Natal Midlands with the dams filled to the brim from the recent rains. Imagine casting a line in the hope of hooking a simmering rainbow trout..... and then retiring to an afternoon picnic next to the dam...

The structure from the top of the driveway.

The approach to the driveway courtyard with a dry-packed stone wall to the left and the bedroom wing to the right.

Entering the driveway courtyard with a dry-packed stone wall to the left leading to the front door entrance. On the left is the window and door to the kitchen with a double garage in the middle.

The entrance court to the front door.

The entrance hall with wall and ceiling finishes complete and the folding sliding doors in place to the central deck area.

... the view from the lounge overlooking the dam....

The fireplace from the diningroom, positioned so that one can sit in front of the fire on a cold misty KZN afternoon and sip a cognac, whilst enjoying the view over the dam!

..... and storage place for the fireplace wood. (harvested alien species of course!)

The radient underfloor heating system with reinforcing for the floor screed in place, as well as the substructure to carry the solid timber floor in the lounge and diningroom. The underfloor heating system runs off an energy efficient heatpump system backed up by solar panels on the roof, for much needed warmth in the Kwa-Zulu Natal Midlands!

Looking back to the kitchen with the kitchen ceiling in place and painted.

The bedroom wing with the substructure for the timber deck in place.

The view from the house looking at the lounge on the right and the bedroom wing on the left, with the main feature column and beam structure under shuttering in the middle.

HOUSE NEALE-MAY : FEBRUARY 2009

Looking back from the entrance hall to the front door.

The view from the kitchen table to the entrance hall and bedroom wing.

The bulkhead over the central island in the kitchen in place with the kitchen court visible through the window.

The internal plasterwork almost done and the skimmed plasterboard ceilings in place in the lounge and dining room.

HOUSE-NEALE-MAY : NOVEMBER 2008

This view was taken from the area of the first site around the dams. The development concept will be to apply the same principle of low lying, non-intrusive architecture on all the structures on the estate.

The approach to the building, sitting low into the landscape.

.... and the roof in place behind all of that, tucked out of view!

This view shows the column and beam structure over the bedroom almost complete with most of the plastering done.

Most of the shuttering in place on the same column and beam as border to the lounge/dining room.

.... with the shuttering going up!

The reinforcing of the column and beam structure bordering the lounge and dining room in place, waiting for the concrete to be cast.

This view shows the entrance court wall with a plasterband that will devide the plaster above from dry stone cladding below.

The building viewed from the north with pine forrest behind.

A view towards the bedroom wing from the dam below.

This view shows the superstructure over the bedroom wing under construction, with the earthworks around the deck being levelled out.

The roof over the garage being put in place.

A view of the masterbedroom, guest loo and main-en suite bathroom from the top.

..the bedroom wing from the top with scaffolding for plastering the east elevation of the entrance wall.

HOUSE NEALE-MAY - OCTOBER 2008

The house viewed from the access road. Quite a neat building site by SA standards. The contractor, guided by the project manager being quite careful not to disturb the sensitive environment more than necessary.

This image shows the entrance courtyard wall heights completed with the walls awating the roof structure.

.... and VOiLA! The bedroom wing elevation almost complete. The columns are awaiting the shuttering of the horizontal beam over.

Some of the columns in front of the masterbedroom with the shuttering of the last column going up.

Another view of the walls in the lounge/dining room , this time viewed from the outside.

The shuttering for the beam bordering the bedroom wing and the entrance deck being put in place.

....and the walls in the lounge going up...

HOUSE NEALE-MAY-OCTOBER 2008

The building from the access road. The architecture sitting low on the land and starting to blend in.

.... the view from the main bedroom....

Progress on the entrance court. The wall on the left will be cut back to the angle the brickwork on the front of the wall is showing.

The main entrance with garage on the left and the entrance wall with slit windows on the right. These walls are more or less full height and waiting for the roof structure.

... through the front door and into the entrance passage. On the right the opening for the sliding-folding door onto a sunny future deck. In the back ground the shuttering for the columns bordering the kitchen/dining area.

.... the view from the lounge....

A view of the same columns from the entrance passage. The reinforcing will be cut back to receive the overhead beam. Just look at that view!

The shuttering for the columns bordering the dining room going up, with Donovan ,the Site Foreman keeping a watchful eye.

The kitchen wall with window openings to the kitchen court reaching full height. On the left is a completed column waiting for the overhead beam to be cast

The finish after the shuttering on a column has been removed.... beautiful! This will be left as is without any plastering and the only finish will just be a sealant against the elements to expose the raw beauty of the material.

HOUSE NEALE-MAY-SEPTEMBER 2008

.... another week later...Hard at work with the scaffolding of the corner column between the entrance passage and the kitchen.

This image shows the bedroom floor slab with services cast into position.

The entrance wall with slit windows leading to the front door at full height. Once the columns are cast the downpipes will be cut back to the required height.

A view from the dining room showing the shuttering for the column in the kitchen being erected. Doesn't look sofisticated but produced an acceptable finish with a lovely earthy texcture in keeping with the architectural guidelines. The walls on the left form the scullery area.

Further into the driveway courtyard showing the kitchen and garage wall progressing

....the same view from the driveway one week later...

HOUSE NEALE-MAY-SEPTEMBER 2008

...and away we go! A view of the building site from the driveway

This image was taken from the lounge towards the dining room & kitchen.

The entrance wall with slit windows from the bedroom wing. Notice the down pipe encased in the wall to provide drainage from the garage roof. In keeping with the architectural guidelines downpipes are hidden as far as possible to complement the visual esthetic of the house.

This image shows the vertical slit windows in the entrance wall to the front door. This was done in order to create a visual connection from the passage to the driveway courtyard as well as providing a view from inside the house. It will also provide natural lighting in the bedroom passage.

The west wall bordering tthe kitchen before reduction in height. In the foreground the scullery/garage wall is going up.

The west wall of the courtyard showing the line of the final height just above the scaffolding.

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