Having been raised on Second Beach Clifton, where both her mother and uncle owned bungalows, Alison Smith, one of Rawson Properties franchisees for the Atlantic Seaboard, considers herself an authority on property there '“ and in her 'unbiased' view the latest bungalow to come on the market here, for which she and her partner have the sole mandate, is without question the best of the 102 that occupy Cliftons sought-after plots, the values of which have soared in the last few years.
'Almost every recent sale at Clifton has set a new benchmark: we have seen homes going for well above R30 million and redesigns have resulted in certain bungalows now having international status, but this home is the market leader and epitomises absolutely everything that Clifton represents'
The home, now priced at R40 million, was built by Rustic Homes for the current owners in 2003 after Alison and her husband Graeme had sold them the original, far less sophisticated bungalow on the site '“ which was then demolished.
The new home, which has three storeys, has a timber frame structure and Cape Cod style wood panel fa§ades. All the flooring is of reclaimed yellowwood sourced by Pieter Silberbauer, the builder, from Country Ways in Knysna. All rooms look across the four Clifton beaches to the Atlantic Ocean and have large louvre shutters to hold out the afternoon sun. As building regulations at Clifton are stringent, the beautiful views can never be interfered with.
The homes top loft level houses the spacious 50m² main suite with open plan bathroom, gas fireplace and private balcony. The middle floor has an open-plan kitchen and dining area linked to a sophisticated living room, TV room, study; all of which look onto the sea and lead out on to the wraparound timber deck which has a rim-flow heated saltwater pool overlooking the beaches. The kitchen countertops are pale granite and the equipment and fittings are state of the art.
The lower floor has two en suite bedrooms, a small ancillary kitchen, a laundry and a sophisticated storage area.
Throughout the home all the attractive woodwork has been painted white to enhance the beach house feel and the dcor is in soothing neutral tones with luxurious touches, such as the front door, custom made by Pierre Cronje and the oriental daybed tucked in a quiet corner of the deck.
Parking, which is at a premium in the area, is no problem for the owners of this bungalow as there are two garages in a nearby complex which are included in the marketing price.
Alison Smith believes that two factors set this bungalow apart from most at Clifton '“ the immediately obvious good taste of the design and the spaciousness of the interior.
'With Clifton bungalows more in demand now than at any stage in their 80 year history, this must represent one of the best buys ever on the Atlantic Seaboard,' she said.
For more information contact Alison Smith 084 438 1998 or Graeme Smith 084 438 1997. Office 021 439 1060. E-mail alison.sp@rawson.co.za
