Ground Rent Property For Sale Sedgefield

To the best of our knowledge this is the largest log home of its kind, in South Africa. (Stave construction,vertical log, short log horzontal , French Canadian piece-en piece)

The property is on 3 hectares and is about 20km's from Knysna in a quiet cul-de-sac, surrounded by agricultural land, smallholdings, with sheep, cows, horses, etc. The slope from the top is gentle with good water catchment and there are 3 dams with a large one at the bottom of the property. The large dam appears to be fed by a spring, since it did not dry out like others in the area, during the recent drought.



With plus minus 350 m2 of roofing on the main house and approximately 500m2 over the stores and sheds, our 60,000 litres of water storage takes only a day's rain to fill, with our well maintained gutter and pipe system. The swimming pool carries 55,000 litres with piping and pumps to and from the water supply.



The house is on timber stilts with parking for at least 3 cars underneath. This may provide plenty of storage space, and with the log stilts, a cinch to close in/off with the quantity of timber currently available. (Please note, depending on the time of the sale, some of this stock may be sold, but with the existing workshop, would always be replaceable in the future, even from existing pine and blackwood on the land)



From the top of the land and moving down :



First there is a short distance from the servitude road at the top, with substantial growth providing a screen of sorts, from parts of the servitude road. The log yard is fenced off with our log fencing (pics will do better) There is a kit log home shell at the top entrance, about 25 m2 with wraparound covered decking. The stores and sheds are substantial, fully equipped for log crafting, timber work and dipping timber. There are ample storage facilities including a 100m2 secure closed store, no windows, and a 16m2 store, side by side. The workshop has three phase power. A band saw that cuts boards up to 5 metre lengths (can be extended) and a dowel making machine are amongst the many other tools that are part of the workshop.



Between the store and the main house is a dam, picturesque, especially in summer with the violet lilies. When the tanks are full, water is automatically re-routed to the dam. This house is built on log stilts on top of concrete footings in the traditional and effective Canadian style, with no poles rotting in the ground. A sophisticated, engineer designed bracing system, steels the house against the strongest winds. The roof does not creak.

The logs are hand peeled and hand crafted, every join carefully measured and chiselled with a chainsaw and thereafter bolted together with posidrive, hex nut, roofing style screws (up to 150mm lengths) and 16 mm galvanised steel rods, with an �overkill for strength� strategy



The house is supported by 200mm beams. The ground floor sports 40 mm thick pioneer style flooring, while the upper level floor comprises 2 overlapping 40mm boards making the upper floor 80 mm thick, and very solid ,of course, like the whole house itself.

The logs are mostly 180 to 250 mm diameter. Some larger logs have been used, in some places just for aesthetics, and in others, to meet structural strength specific requirements.

The lower floor is open plan kitchen, lounge and dining room with concertina doors opening on to the large deck overlooking the pool. There are two additional rooms, one an office and the other a bedroom. The bedroom has a basin, a toilet right next door and a glorious outside shower on the deck, with a door directly from the room to the deck and to the shower.



Upstairs there is a large mezzanine, currently used as an open sleeping area, amongst other things, and a large bedroom with en suite bath, shower and toilet. An extra toilet is planned for downstairs in order to afford the bedroom there, an en-suite set up with the shower outside. It is thought best to leave the upstairs mezzanine with choices for the buyer to retain an open sleeping area or partition it off for one or more bedrooms, with the ready supply of timber available for that purpose. (We are able to do the work, separate from the sale, if required) A toilet is currently being installed in the upstairs bedroom, which has a flat bottomed corner bath that comfortably doubles as a shower.



From the upstairs bedroom there are magnificent views from the deck that overlook the pool. From here one can see as far as Simola on the one side and the sea on the other. There is a trap door on the top deck which takes you to a small landing on the roof, offering 360 degree views including the sea and the Outeniqua mountains. The house is almost exactly between the two. With a telescope here, view the stars.



Mornings and evenings are blissfully quiet with most neighbours respecting that quiet time. Noisy machinery is usually shut down after 5 pm, and on weekends and public holidays. For the most part, it is even blissfully quiet and tranquil during the working week as well.

The main house has a steel fireplace, which literally hangs form the solid log ceiling and provides warmth and a cosy ambience despite the huge space in the main, double volume area of the house. A painstakingly sculpted staircase invites you upstairs. Here, in the main bedroom, there is a Lesley Hoets Hot Art ceramic fireplace that says no to cold bedrooms. It is highly energy efficient and low on maintenance in that it does not require to be cleaned out very often.



The roof is made of concrete tile, with the appropriate sisalation for insulation in the ceiling. The ceiling is made with 20 mm boards that have been secured with the same posidrive roofing screws used in the whole structure.(no nails, hence the strength and sturdiness) The deck facing the large fenced off (our own boma style fencing) pool area, is 18 metres long and 5 metres wide. The deck is covered and is part of the main house.



From the house, the waste water is incorporated into furrows to provide water to the lower land trees of which there are many. The land has also been, and will continue to be cleared of alien trees, while the sale is in process. This will allow for the indigenous growth to continue to flourish, as it has over the last ten years, since all the weed and etc. was removed



There are paths criss-crossing the land, suitable for daily walks, cycling etc. where you feel you may be anywhere in the world, surrounded only by trees and bush. There are concrete footings for a second dwelling with a small concrete slab adjacent to it. Next to this is a flat area where clay was laid in preparation for a mini tennis court with a practice wall, all in process, and soon to be completed. ( There is space for this to be turned into a full sized tennis court) The clay was dug out of the ground creating a small dam behind the house to be, and court area.(Could easily become a second swimming pool) Good clay lies under the full expanse of the property, while the soil and growth potential is superb.



There are still ample blackwood, pine and black wattle trees on the land and depending on the time of the sale, these may or may not be there. The pine trees have a value in that they can be processed in the well equipped workshop, as with blackwood and even the black wattle from which we have successfully made furniture. The black wattle is excellent for firewood as well, and there is an ample supply at present.



It is thought that there is a spring near the bottom dam, with possible borehole potential. Although this has been assumed by people in the know, it has has not been scientifically substantiated.



The workshop is part of a business and all knowledge of the methods of hand crafting and dipping logs or boards in an eco friendly boron method can be included in the arrangement if the buyer is interested in continuing to develop this property with the ample supply of existing timber. The buyer may wish to process further timber and continue the activities of the business, and as such, buy the business as well.



Both the business and the land are in cc's, buyers choice to retain or not