One of Paarl’s most distinguished homes has come onto the market – at a price of R14 million. Before potential buyers reel in shock at so high a price tag, it has to be explained that this is one of the few central Paarl properties that still has substantial land attached to it – no less than 4 ha – most of which is on a steep slope and covered in pristine fynbos.
The home is being sold under a joint mandate held by the Rawson Property Group and another national agency group which also runs a local Paarl office.
Sited in Bosman Street, some 200 m above the main road, the home has panoramic views across the town to the Hottentots Holland and Du Toits Kloof mountains, the Berg River and the many vineyards of the area. A front stoep accessed by sliding doors from many of the living rooms opens out these views to the residents, as do small balconies attached to all the bedrooms.
The home, which has a Northern European country house look to it, is double storey with steep pitched roofs that reach down to the ground floor. This means that the upper floor rooms are all in the roof space, with straight line dormer windows protruding from the roof line and leading to the balconies which have wrought iron railings.
The home has no less than 400 m2 of floor area. This includes four double bedrooms, all four en-suit. As the home has been registered (but has never yet functioned) as a guest house, under the highly appropriate name Hemelzicht, each of the rooms has its own name. The kitchen is fitted out with natural wood cabinetry, some of the cupboards having leaded glass doors. Spacious living, dining and reception rooms make entertainment easy and enjoyable. The garden has a swimming pool and is irrigated by a self-regulating automatic system.
“The current owners,” comments Lizette Joubert, the Rawson Property Group’s franchisee for Paarl, “have lived here for over 40 years and they tell us that one of the big successes of the home’s design has been the network of precast concrete piles on which it is founded. This means that it has been totally unaffected by any ground movements in the soil despite the steep slope of the site.”
Security on the estate is bolstered by automatically triggered lights, perimeter beams at strategic points and burglar proofing. Ancillary facilities include a workshop, garaging for eight cars, servants’ quarters with their own bathroom and a loft storage/drying area.
Joubert says that however one gauges it, the home is very competitively priced.
“Subdivision is possible and, R14 million could easily be paid for the 4 ha of land alone because it is in a very central and convenient a position. The home is in a sense, therefore, an ‘extra’ to the deal.”
