MANY CAPE RENOVATIONS WHOLLY INAPPROPRIATE, SAYS GREEFF
12 March 2010, 08:17:16 AM
In the Cape Peninsula there is, says Mike Greeff, CEO of Greeff Properties, a
growing tendency among property investors to buy either to demolish and replace
the existing home or renovate and upgrade it.
All too often, he adds, a “chic” refurbishment is a disaster.
“What characterises the Cape Peninsula’s homes is their historic
integrity. Without making pretentious claims to any great architectural excellence,
they reflect attractive styles that were “in” in the Cape Dutch, Victorian,
Edwardian or post-war fifties and sixties periods.
“Introducing a chi-chi interior decorator to such homes can carry a great
risk. After scouring the retail outlets for supposedly with-it lamps, artefacts,
down-lighting, tiling, kitchen and bathroom hardware, laminated or veneered
wooden components, they will cram these into the home, producing an interior
that is halfway between a Broadway apartment and a sixties industrial minimalist
office. It will represent no style or period, it will be wholly inappropriate
to its shell and it will reflect only one thing – the owner’s desire
to impress.”
Greeff said that most older Cape homes do need upgrades – their electrics,
plumbing and sewerage are frequently unreliable but all renovations should be
done in consultation with a Heritage specialist.
Even in relatively new homes, he said, it is only too easy to “wreck”
an interior.
Particularly regrettable, he said, is the use of cheap materials, often now
imported from the east, in place of the solid wood, cast iron, brass and ceramic
products which have stood the test of time and have an innate honesty that gives
character to any room.
Façades, said Greeff, should be treated with huge respect.
“We had a case where a home with white walls and Alphen green shutters
was given a pink and grey makeover. It took two years of complaints from the
neighbours to restore a semblance of dignity to the building.”
Badly upgraded houses, said Greeff, have been known to lose 15% of their value
on resale.
“That in itself should serve as a warning to those who rush in here.”