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10 Lapa Ideas That Will Make Your Outdoor Living Space Stand Out

Posted on Sep 3, 2021Sep 3, 2021 by ABosazza

Outdoor living is a big deal in South Africa! We love to spend time in the garden, invite friends over to braai, and enjoy sundowners as we watch the sunset. We have collected together ten lapa ideas that will help to inspire your outdoor living area so that you can make the most of your space.

Why choose a lapa for your outdoor space?

A lapa comes with lots of benefits and can be a great addition to any outdoor space. Your new lapa will:

Make sure that you stay cool by the pool by providing shade on hot summer days
Give shelter when in rains so that you can enjoy being outside whatever the weather
You can build a braai into the lapa with spacious side tables and even a sink, making outdoor cooking easy-peasy
Lapas come in all shapes and sizes! You can decide how big you want it to be, what shape it is, and what roofing to use to cover it. It can make your outdoor living area really stand out from the neighbors.

10 Lapa Ideas that Will Make Your Outdoor Space Stand Out

1. Extend your indoor living space to the outside

Big lapa added on to a house, with a aluzinc roof — *This big lapa has plenty of space for outdoor living*

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Feature Project: Reroof the Hogsback Hotel

Reroof the Hogsback Hotel in Metal Roof Sheeting: Featured Project

Posted on Jun 22, 2021Aug 5, 2021 by ABosazza

A hail storm damaged the roof of the historic Hogsback Inn and Bosazza Roofing & Timber homes was contracted to reroof the hotel. The new roof had to match the aesthetics of the location.

The Hogsback Inn is steeped in history, dating back to it’s construction in 1880. It is the oldest hotel in Hogsback. The hotel offers accommodation, a restaurant and pub, conferencing and weddings. All in the idyllic setting of the Hogsback mountains. Owners Mark & Linda were in the process of upgrading the hotel facilities when a hail storm damaged the roof tiles. We were contracted to reroof the hotel, replacing the tiles with a suitable alternative.

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Fall in Love with the Natural Charm of Decorative Concrete

Posted on Jun 18, 2021Sep 3, 2021 by ABosazza

This beautiful timber home makes use of decorative concrete on the floors and walls, bringing warmth and character into the home.

Featured Home: This two bedroom bespoke home of 130m² is built in timber frame. Distinct decorative concrete finishes make it feel warm and filled with natural charm.

Location: Chintsa East, East London, Eastern Cape

The Brief

Our brief for this project began with a stumbling block; our clients Jeanette and Anida had obtained detailed plans for a beautiful home from an architect out of the area but when requesting quotations from local builders, it became obvious that the plan did not match the reality of building costs and the available budget.

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Over-Sheeting a Thatch Roof

Posted on Nov 28, 2019Oct 13, 2020 by ABosazza

Our most popular thatch roof conversion system involves cladding or over-sheeting the thatch roof with tiles or roof sheeting.

Before and after picture of a large thatched rondavel which we converted to corrugated roof sheeting — Before and after pictures of a large thatched rondavel over-sheeted in corrugated roofing

This method of converting roofs is popular for a few reasons:

It is the least invasive of our conversion systems because the new roof is laid over the original thatch. This means that most of the work is outside and that the house is not open to the elements at any stage in the process.
It is the most cost effective system because the original thatched roof is retained; there is no need to build a new roof structure, to install extra insulation or ceilings.
It keeps the rustic look and feel of thatch on the inside of the house.

When over-sheeting a thatched roof, the choice of what kind of new roofing you can use may be affected by the shape and style of the original roof design. I will use some of our recently completed projects to explain what roofing products are available and why you might choose them.

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Get the Oregon Starter Home for under R 900 000

Posted on Oct 28, 2019Oct 20, 2021 by ABosazza

This small timber home is budget friendly and can be the perfect Starter Home or small Forever Home

Everyone has to start somewhere and the Oregon starter home is the perfect size for a couple or small family. We priced this home in October 2021 and including fees, we can build this custom timber home for under R 900 000.00. We have included a full breakdown of the costs included here.

The floor plan is designed specifically with extending in mind, so you can start out small and increase your living space when you and your family (or budget!) are ready.

Oregon Starter Home – Floor Plan

Two bedroom starter home floor plan by Bosazza Roofing & Timber Homes — *The Oregon floor plan was designed by Bosazza Roofing & Timber Homes*

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This Timber House has Two Homes in One

Posted on Sep 3, 2019Oct 20, 2021 by ABosazza

Timber Home dreams become a reality on this custom building project in Chintsa, Eastern Cape

Project Feature: large 200m² wooden home makes the most of indoor and outdoor living space, essentially creating two homes in one.

Location: Chintsa East, East London, Eastern Cape

The Brief

The brief was to create a relaxed, beach style, timber frame house with easy access to outdoor spaces. The plot is located in the seaside town of Chintsa East, just outside of East London in the Eastern Cape. It has a beautiful sea view. The timber home was also designed around the idea of having two adjoining living spaces; one for our clients Chrissy and Nick, and one for Chrissy’s parents when they travel to South Africa from Germany each year.

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One Bedroom Cabin Floor Plan – Designed for Resorts

Posted on Jul 16, 2019Oct 4, 2019 by ABosazza

This one bedroom cabin floor plan is designed specifically for resorts and game farms looking to build small accommodation units. The floor plan is simple and cost effective but keeps character and comfort in mind.

The floor plan is based on units that we built at Tsitsa Falls Resort in the Eastern Cape, where 10 cabins overlook the majestic Tsitsa Waterfalls. Check out our original article about the Tsitsa Falls Project.

TSITSA DESIGN – One Bedroom Cabin Floor Plan

One bedroom cabin floor plan with bedroom and kitchenette, en-suite shower room and deck — One bedroom cabin floor plan

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Old Cape Dutch House Converted from Thatch to Roof Sheeting

Posted on May 30, 2019Nov 10, 2021 by ABosazza

We converted this old Cape Dutch Style roof in the Eastern Cape, from Thatch to Roof Sheeting

This thatch roof conversion was on a big family home in Komani (formerly Queenstown). The roof was converted from thatch to corrugated aluzinc roof sheeting, transforming the entire look of the home.

Thatch roof which has been converted to aluzinc roofing — Thatch Roof Converted to Roof Sheeting, Eastern Cape

The original roof design was fairly complex with many hips and valleys. Our clients found that the thatch on the roof needed consistent maintenance (especially in areas around the valleys). They therefore took the decision to convert from thatch to another roofing product.

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New Thatched Roof on Holiday Cottage, Qolora

Posted on Jan 29, 2019Jan 29, 2019 by ABosazza

New thatched roof on beach cottage in the Eastern Cape of South Africa — New thatched roof on holiday cottage at Qolora, Eastern Cape

Who doesn’t dream of owning a holiday cottage on the beach? This rustic family beach house was given a new lease of life just in time for the summer. Situated in Qolora at the gateway to the Wild Coast, the house is the epitome of an old “Tranksei Cottage”. The thatched roof sits on thick, white washed cement walls with a large veranda overlooking the beach. Small rondavels complete the homestead.

At the end of last year, having hosted many a family holiday, the cottage was in dire need of some TLC. The thatched roof was in a terrible condition due to minimal maintenance over a long period of time. While the roof was being re-built, the owners took the opportunity to renovate other areas of the cottage including the veranda, kitchen and living areas.

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The Building Process: Breaking Ground to Moving Day

Posted on Jan 24, 2019Jan 25, 2019 by ABosazza

Timber Frame House being Built, Eastern Cape — “Breaking Ground” is when the builders dig their first holes for the foundations of your new home

This article is Part II of a two-part series that explains the building process. My aim by writing this series is to inform home (or land) owners building their own custom house about the building process, what to expect from their builder and what steps the building process entails.

In this article I will walk you through steps 10 – 20 of the building process. From when your builder “breaks ground” to the moment that you turn the key in the lock of the front door and finally get to make your custom-built house a home. I will give details about getting soil classification, registering the home build with the NHBRC, how progress reports, payments and variations are managed, inspections of the building, acquiring certificates of compliance, an occupancy certificate, and getting the final building snags fixed up. Your builder/ project manager will manage most of these steps but it’s important that you understand what’s going on and when things should happen.

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