Currently on the market in the sheep-farming area of Colesberg are two adjoining Karoo cottages on four erfs (two in front and two behind) spanning 1,355sq m.

Together they are priced at R850k, which includes all the furniture in the smaller cottage.

"In the cities old houses peep out quivering and ghostlike from among their towering modern surroundings. They are here today and gone tomorrow, reduced to a heap of rubble in just 16 seconds. In the Karoo, although time has not stood still, it has progressed at a much more leisurely pace," Rosa Conradie of Seeff Properties in Colesberg.

Houses in Colesberg, built to accommodate the arid Karoo climate, developed a unique local character. Local materials were mostly used for the buildings because they were easily available. Stone was used for surrounding walls and foundations.

The walls were built up with sun-baked bricks and reeds, beams and timber ceilings supported the mud roofs, which kept the interiors cool in summer and warm in winter. After corrugated iron, created in the 1870s, arrived in Colesberg, it was simply placed on top of the original mud roofs. Materials such as cement were imported in barrels from Scotland, while Oregon pine, Baltic deal and yellowwood came up from Algoa Bay and Knysna by ox wagon.

Looking up the history of the two adjoining Karoo cottages in the Deeds Office revealed that they belonged to generations of the same family since 1862 for about 100 years.

"Harry and Belinda Gordon, both lovers of antiques, bought number 3 in 1985. The first thing they did was to remove the heavy veranda. Kitchen cupboards and shelves are made from old beams and floorboards they found lying about or removed when they also bought and restored no. 4, the little cottage next door.

"They turned a bedroom into a bathroom, exposed the reed and yellowwood beamed ceilings and placed the old ball and claw-footed bath in a position that enables the occupant to watch the goings on in the garden and on the koppie beyond."

The two cottages together comprise five bedrooms, three bathrooms, one outside toilet, two living rooms, a dining room with fireplace, two kitchens, one laundry, one wooden studio, a shed, two off-street parkings, a garage and a workshop.

Exterior features include stoeps, a splash dam, boundary wall and flat metal roofs. Interior features include blinds, fireplaces, wooden floors, frames and doors, door fingerplates, two calico ceilings, and reed ceilings.

For more information contact 082 450 2875 or send an email. Click here to visit the website.

Readers' Comments
Have a comment or question about this article? Email us now..

Get up-to-date property news
Would you like to receive free weekly news and information about property in South Africa? Sign up now for Property24's Week in Review.

Property News
Click here for more property news articles.

Need a blog?
Start your own blog with a free blog from 24.com.