House Makhene, Gordon's Bay | African Eagle Projects

House Makhene on the Gordon's Bay mountainside, seen from above with the lift and stairwell shaft rising through the middle

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The lift and the staircase

This shaft carries the custom lift and the floating staircase. A glass roof goes over the top with glazing in front of it, so daylight drops right down the middle of the house.

A concrete roof

Concrete first floor slab and a concrete roof, both cast on site. Heavier, slower, and it does not move.

Retaining walls first

Massive retaining walls, beams and columns went in before a single wall went up. On this slope the engineering is most of the job.

Cladding still to come

Custom rock cladding goes on the outside of the house, and custom timber cladding runs through the inside.

Location

Mountainside, Gordon's Bay

Type

New home, double storey

Status

Nearing completion

Built by

Our own teams

This is the one we would put first. On a slope above Gordon's Bay, and about as far as we have taken a house.

It started underground. Massive retaining walls, a lot of beams and columns, a concrete first floor slab and a concrete roof. On a site like this the structure is most of the build, and none of it is visible in the finished photos.

Inside there is a custom lift, and a floating staircase under a glass roof with glazing in front of it, so the middle of the house is lit from above. Frameless glass balustrades on the terraces. Custom rock cladding outside and timber cladding inside. Ceiling bulkheads with LED strip lighting run in the lip channel, so you see the light and not the fitting.

A rim flow lap pool. A cinema room. Sanware and finishes at the top end, custom joinery throughout, and a full smart home installation. The house runs fully on solar.

Most of this has been built with the owners following it from a distance, on photographs and video rather than site walks. When they do come out, walking them through what has changed since their last visit is the best part of the job. Of everything we have built, this is the one we have enjoyed most.

Still on site, and nearly there.

What made this one interesting

Custom passenger liftA lift serving both levels, built into the core of the house.

Floating staircase under glassA custom floating staircase with a glass roof above it and glazing in front, so light falls straight down the middle of the house.

Rim flow lap poolA massive rim flow lap pool on the bay side, with the water edge reading level with the view.

Frameless glass balustradesFrameless glass along the terraces so nothing interrupts the line of the bay.

Rock and timber claddingCustom rock cladding on the outside, custom timber cladding through the interior.

Bulkheads and hidden LEDCeiling bulkheads with LED strip lighting run in the lip channel. You see the light, not the fitting.

Custom joinery throughoutEvery cupboard, wall unit and vanity made for the space it stands in.

Full smart home installationLighting, climate, security and entertainment on one system, specified and installed as part of the build.

Cinema roomA dedicated cinema room, treated and fitted out as part of the house rather than added afterwards.

Fully solar operationalThe house runs on solar. Full installation, sized for a home this size.

Before and after

House Makhene during the build, brickwork up and the slab cast

House Makhene finished, the front elevation from the road

Structure upFinished Scroll to reveal, or drag it

The build

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