Fleurbaix Homestead 1768

T he original T-plan of this historic homestead dates from1768, but by 1987 it had fallen into decay and our office was commissioned by the SA government to remove 19th-century windows and restore it on a shoe-string budget for use by the parastatal SAPO as an experimental farm headquarters.

In 2014 the farm narrowly escaped being redevelopment into yet another gated housing estate when it was bought by Werner van Rhyn, who commissioned us to undertake a comprehensive restoration of the entire building to the best of our ability as a private family residence.  This time we were able to revisit with a generous budget all areas that the earlier project had been unable to address.  During this process the attic was re-thatched converted for bedroom accommodation, pergolas added, interior fittings and finishes were upgraded, and a concealed moat created around the rear of the building to address three centuries of damp penetration from the sloping rear werf.

Restoration of the homestead has been a first phase in the restoration of the entire historic precinct, which continues to be an ongoing project.