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Our new home – Utopia estate – built on Ongos farm, Brakwater... totally off grid and completely home built!
It all started on 20 June 2018... when a bulldozer came to make the access road from the riverbed to the top of the hill where Lisa and I decided to build a big workshop, a cottage for granny and our own house. The first big job was to fence a small part of our 5 ha on a pretty rocky terrain. Amazingly, the workers managed to dig all the holes by hand but only one out of the 300 m fence!
Then the workshop building started on 2 August, followed by the gabion room on 11 October, room whole walls are made with rocks collected on the farm (23 trailers and bakkie loads) in wired cages. Two weeks after the slab over the gabion room was completed on 12 November, started the building of the cottage for Granny on 27 November. The main work of the cottage was done just before Xmas holiday. On our return from South Africa with a fully loaded trailer (the second one) on 13 January 2019, we were still living in the chinese lodge. Before the end of January, even before the interior of the cottage was completed, we decided to establish our very basic quarters in the gabion room. The main reason was to be closer to our dogs, Sheba & Zara! We finally moved into the cottage in early February... which was much more luxurious!
It was time to think about the main house... and the thinking did not take very long. On 12 March, a digger-loader arrived to dig the foundations. All foundations and slabs were done by hand as it was totally impossible for a cement truck to drive up the hill. It was the same for all thge deliveries by truck that had to be unloaded in the riverbed and brought up the hill by the bakkie-trailer. All the cement bags, sand, stone, sand, wood, steel, roof sheets...
On 19 August, we came back from South Africa with Granny. We helped Granny to move into her new cottage and we took our new quarters into our new home... which was not totally finished but good enough for camping with a roof above our head! The house was almost completed mid November. So it took about 8 months to build... quite a record!
workers pooring concrete slab in gabion room
cutting glass bottle
Licius workers building workshop foundation walls
Bernard workers paving bricks in front of workshop
bricklaying studio walls
Licius workers plastering studio walls & Donald installing roof sheets
aerial view of 4x4 Unimog with crane installing house roof wooden beams
wooden perlines for roof standing on house wall
galvinized pipes for house scullery sheves
house pool with stone wall & prosopis wooden deck
workers erecting 300 m fence around plot
Donald & Sedney braking rocks for foundations of workshop & studio
Donald making steel frame for workshop foundations
Donald & Sedney filling gabion basket with stones
workers tiding steel bars on studio suspended slab over gabion room
feature with glass bottles and tyre in workshop wall
glass bottles waiting to be cut
Donald compacting workshop slab
Licius workers bricklaying workshop walls
Licius workers bricklaying workshop walls
Donald & Sedney installing solar panel on workshop roof from 4x4 truck
Licius workers bricklaying studio walls
styroblocks for house office ceiling slab
aerial view of 4x4 Unimog with crane installing house roof wooden beams
workers fixing wooden perlines over osd boards on house roof
workers cutting prosopis at Manu sawmill
house kitchen countertops
house master bathroom smurf blue bathtub
galvinized pipes & prosopis wooden planks for house scullery sheves
house entrance light feature
Sheba & Zara dogs in front of house
Sedney leveling concrete base of steel frame for workshop foundations
trailer with 10000 l water tank driving up hill
second hand armchairs in gabion room
tyres at dump site
first attempt of heavy canvas framed with electrical conduits over Hugel garden
building material in river bed : stones, sand & bricks
Bernard workers paving bricks in front of workshop
Donald & Sedney installing solar panel on workshop roof from 4x4 truck
Licius workers building septic tank
Human truck & workers drilling borehole in riverbed
Human truck & workers drilling borehole in riverbed at sunset
Bernard workers levelling house office slab concrete
Donald tiding steel bars over styroblocks for house office ceiling slab
Bernard workers plastering house brick walls
antique indian wooden frame for house entance door
bassins over prosopis counters & tree on wall in house master bathroom
palette wood & tins sheves under world map in house entrance
Donald & Sedney laying fiberglass mesh on house pool walls
bulldozer making access road to plot
Donald loading stones for gabions in trailer
homemade glass bottle cutter
glass bottle feature in studio bathroom wall
Licius workers pooring concrete for workshop slab
Licius workers preparing workshop counters for concrete
building roof wooden trusses on studio plastered walls
Human truck & workers drilling borehole in riverbed
Donald watching digger loader excavating trenches for house foundation
Donald & Sedney offloading bricks from trailer
Bernard workers levelling house concrete floor
house kitchen island brick walls
aerial view of 4x4 Unimog with crane installing house roof wooden beams
prosopis plancks at Manu sawmill
house kitchen countertops
house plant boxes with led lighting
house dining room sealed floors
installing internet 12 m tower on top of hill with 4x4 truck & farm workers
patterns on plastic sheet
best beer and hills turning green
african red-eye bulbul bird sitting on Paul's hand
digger loader excavating foundations for workshop & studio
glass bottle feature in guest 2 bedroom wall
team with grader rescuing 4x4 truck broken down on plot access road
Licius workers pooring concrete for workshop slab
Licius workers pooring concrete for workshop slab
Donald installing solar panel on workshop roof from 4x4 truck
wiring house electrical distribution board
Sedney sealing house roof wooden beams
Sedney & Rodney fixing IBR roof sheets over house roof insulation
house kitchen countertops with prosopis wooden shelves
wooden log for light fitting over house dining room
bassins over prosopis counters & tree on wall in house master bathroom
restauring wooden long chairs
wooden stairs down to house lounge & office
Donald & Sedney pooring concrete on house pool slab
aerial view of utopia estate
Donald & Sedney showing freshly painted sliding gate with Utopia board
workers erecting columns of workshop steel portal
ranger with trailer full of tyres at dump site
workers filling cement around glass bottles in tyre while building workshop wall
glass bottle feature in guest 2 mezzanine wall
team with grader rescuing 4x4 truck broken down on plot access road
painting steel frame for workshop doors
10 KW b-box lithium battery, 8 KW Vario Track charger & XTH-8000-48 Xtender inverter in solar room
Human truck & workers drilling borehole in riverbed
Bernard workers building house brick walls
Bernard workers building house kitchen island brick walls
worker sealing house roof wooden beams
wooden log for light fitting over house dining room
prosopis headboard & counter in house master bedroom
house entrance sealed floors
wooden stairs down to house lounge
workers erecting 300 m fence around plot
Rodney & Sedney moving 10000 l over fence
workers pooring concrete on studio suspended slab over gabion room
Donald & Sedney loading bricks into trailer
Licius workers building workshop foundation walls
Licius workers pooring concrete for workshop slab
Sedney rivetting roof sheet on workshop door steel frame
Donald installing solar panel on workshop roof from 4x4 truck
house office ceiling with hessian over styroblocks
Bernard workers levelling house concrete floor
4x4 Unimog truck bringing house roof wooden beams
Rodney & Sedney sealing house roof wooden beams
glass bottle feature in wall between house master bathroom & shower
mini rock waterfall over house master bathroom deep ocean blue bathtub
house lounge sealed floors
restauring wooden long chairs
technician connecting antenae on 12 m internet tower
Donald & Sedney building house pool brick walls
Donald & Sedney laying fiberglass mesh on house pool walls
deck with Sheba dog | green hills under stormy clouds
workers erecting workshop steel portal & bricklaying
glass bottles in tyre
feature with glass bottles and tyre in workshop wall
glass bottle feature in master bedroom wall
Licius workers pooring concrete for workshop slab
workshop sliding doors
painting workshop, gabion & studio doors
studio bedroom
Donald & Sedney watching digger loader excavating trenches for house foundation
Bernard workers building house foundation walls
house office stairs & plastered walls
sanded prosopis boards for house kitchen & bedroom
workers braking house kitchen countertops
MDF shelves & cupboards in house master bedroom
house office sealed floors
africa maps over wired landy in house entrance
technician connecting antenae on 12 m internet tower
green hills from deck
xxx lizard
Donald & Sedney replacing teeth on digger loader
Donald & Sedney levelling concrete for base for water tanks
workers & crane truck erecting workshop steel portal
Donald & Sedney filling gabion basket with stones
cutting glass bottle
Donald cleaning stones on studio pathways
Donald watching digger loader excavating trenches for house foundation
Bernard workers levelling house floors
Sedney fixing house office ceiling with hessian over styroblocks
Bernard workers building house brick walls
house office stairs & plastered walls
house kitchen countertops with prosopis wooden shelves, tiles, stove & oven
house master bathroom bricks & plastered bathtub
house lounge prosopis base for corner sofa
mosquito sheet for house master bedroom
prosopis house pool deck & stairs
Sheba & Zara dogs laying on long chairs near splash pool
workers loading 10000 l water tank on trailer
worker filling top gabion baskets with stones before suspended slab
Licius inspecting workers tiding steel bars on studio suspended slab over gabion room
Licius workers bricklaying workshop walls
Donald & Sedney compacting area in fron of workshop
Human truck & workers cleaning borehole in riverbed and adding casing
Bernard workers plastering house brick walls
Donald laying electrical wires in conduits under house floor
workers installing osd boards over house roof wooden beams
house kitchen countertops
MDF shelves & cupboards in house master bedroom
jacuzzi pipes in house master bathroom bathtub
house master bedroom prosopis hanging sliding door
house dining room sealed floors
mokoro with succulant plants on house deck
installing internet 12 m tower on top of hill with 4x4 truck & farm workers
house pool pump & filter
