Cottage Rock

For those with a love of the vintage aesthetic when it comes to architecture, Castle Rock in South Africa is sure to appeal. Designed by Nadine Engelbrecht Architect, this breathtaking piece of architecture was completed in 2020 and has 120m² of living space and boasts a highly striking design aesthetic which expertly mingles old and new.

The journey to build Cottage Rock started when the client faced serious health problems with their little boy and made the decision to move out of the city to a place where they can breathe fresh air, enjoy clean water and make their life more restful and relaxing. And we can think of few better places for this than the Nadine Engelbrecht designed Cottage Rock.

Small But Mighty

The clients wanted a small, functional house that needed to be versatile enough to meet all their needs, be 100% off the grid with very low running costs and take into consideration solar, gas, sewage, water collection and storage, roof water runoff, grey and black water treatment. This was a big challenge for the architect but she pulled it off with aplomb with Cottage Rock in South Africa.

When the build process for Cottage Rock first began, the only access to the site was a scenic hike through entirely inaccessible rocky hills. The site was a left-over strip of land situated between farmlands, unsuitable for production and long since forgotten. Before construction, the client spent many months on site with a TLB and excavator building an access road so the build could begin.

As keen climbers, the clients wanted stone side walls, which were designed to be used as rock-climbing walls. The natural stones collected on site was incorporated into the very fabric of the home. The property is completely off grid and self-sustaining which is an impressive eco-feat. A 15kl water storage tank is positioned beneath the patio to collect rainwater for a verdant, permaculture garden. As a result of the aforementioned health issues, the client wants to live free of chemicals, pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides and Cottage Rock allows them to do just that. Brilliant architecture built with purpose.