This is our first building project! We are refurbishing the fire damaged rondavel below our house to make a study centre for the children. It started out as a single round room and will be steadily transformed into a two story building with an added ‘tail’  (below) containing the new entrance and bathroom downstairs.

Tadpole tail under construction

Here is what we started with – the burnt out shell of a small circular building (rondavel). You can obviously see the lack of roof, and the electrics were burnt out and there are cracks in the walls …

burnt out rondavel

burnt out rondavel door

burnt out rondavel interior

Our builders are Mr Samhembere and team. Somewhat amazingly his uncle, Mr Patrick 1 – also working on this project (below) – helped to build the main house here in 1975 …and swore he would never come back!

Mr Patrick 1 forming the special tadpole curve

A highly complex methodology was used to calculate the shape of the curves you can see being formed here in stone and brick by Mr Samhembere senior (Patrick 1). Later you will see what a great outcome this unique shape produced in our building

Mr Patrick 1 building the special tadpole curve

And now we start to see the walls going up and the building shape appears.

The end of the tadpole tail takes shape

As you can see below the location will give the upstairs room a view of Troutbeck lake

Second level of the tail is added

At the end of a busy day

And the finished structure with custom made lintels.

Tadpoles walls are finished