INTRODUCTION
3 Garrick is a large family home situated in Blythedale Beach, KwaZulu Natal on the warm North Coast a few km north of Ballito. Away from the busy town life it is still closely situated to amenities and only about 30 minutes from King Shaka International airport. The building was completed in 2007 and at over 500m2 was designed by architect Raymond Gielink as a flagship eight bedroom, seven bathroom, BnB for his family to run. The current owners took occupancy in 2014 and utilised the space as a four bedroom home with three separate offices, and utilising the eighth bedroom as an upstairs lounge. There are still six bathrooms and a guest loo, of which three have been modernised and many of the spaces have been upgraded to match the stately modern appearance of the four-level building.
Location
Blythedale Beach is located about midway between Ballito and the beautiful well known Zinkwazi Beach right on the coast with the closest town being Stanger a short 7km drive. Blythedale has been identified as the next “coastal venue of choice” and Elan Properties is already developing a five estate coastal resort as can be seen on www.blythedale.co.za
Small stands in the estate sell for anywhere between R690k and R5million and phase 1A is already 96% sold out. Of course the development of the estate will mean a huge increase in the available infrastructure such as shops, schools, hotels, recreation and other amenities which are sure to add value to property in the current Blythedale town. At the moment there are hotels with restaurants, bed and breakfasts and a great pub, cafe and restaurant a mere two minute stroll away, but with time the estate will offer much more as the main gate is about three kilometres away.
Beach
The Blythedale Beach is a beautiful stretch of unspoilt coast with a pristine stretch of 3,2km directly in front of the residential area. There is a manned swimming beach with shark nets, a ski boat club with launch site and plenty popular fishing and snorkelling facilities right at the large public parking area. The area has received some negative publicity in the past, for the two day December beach festival, however this has been moved to a new venue away from Blythedale. The old caravan park which is no longer being used has been earmarked for upgrading and modernising and tender 124/2017 has already been published https://www.onlinetenders.co.za/tenders/kwazulu-natal?page=7
The House
Situated at 3 Garrick Road, the stand is bordered on the side and back by homes. Directly in front of the property is a piece of green belt conservancy and then the unobstructed sea view which covers almost 180 degrees. Due to the elevation the view cannot be harmed by any future homes and to the southern side the property has direct gated access to a large open park ideal for kids to play on and for walking dogs etc. Entrance through the automated gates up a steep concrete driveway offers a stately feel with three guest shaded parking spaces and direct access to the large double garages which also have remote aluminium roll-up doors. Access to the house is either through the garage, a “classic” front door or through the large glass veranda doors which open onto the deck and pool area.
Pool and Garden
The stylish semi-raised pool was built in 2017 to replace the old fiberglass pool and create a stately feel to the entertainment area. No expense was spared to create a low maintenance stylish technologically advanced pool which includes hidden pump, deck illumination, digital temperature display, remote controlled pump and a large below deck storage area. The stone feature wall has a 800mm letterbox water spout and blends well with the “tikki” bar and mini deck under shade port on the other end of the garden. The garden features three areas, including a no maintenance indigenous area in front of the house, raised pool garden with irrigated lawn and a typical natal back garden on the slope above the rear retaining wall.
Security
The property is secured all around with high walls in good condition, electric gates, two channel intercom which dials the home owners cellphones and a CCTV system which covers the entire perimeter. G4S security and K9 are based in the village and membership to the security response company only costs R150 a month which is probably the lowest in South Africa. With the imminent development of the Blythedale Coastal Estate the area is likely to enjoy the benefit of increased security patrols which would likely keep the area enjoying its relatively low crime status. SAPS Stanger is close by, there is a resident traffic officer and a very heavy police presence over the festive season conducting stop and search operations to prevent any incidents. The home also has a remote controlled alarm system which includes a cellular link up. The upstairs suite on the 5th level split, comprising the master bedroom, lounge, walk-in cupboard and dressing room, balcony, two bathrooms and look-out deck are all protected by a remote controlled security roller shutter which appears from a recess above the entrance way.
Reception
A large reception area leads to the separate lounge, dining area, bar and staircase. From here you can see the ocean, deck, pool garden and the light and airy feel gives you the sense of outdoors while protecting you from the elements. This area is on a spilt level just above the garage floor and is on the same level as the pool deck and entertainment areas.
Dining Room
Adjacent to the kitchen with separate electrical feed for future aircon, the dining area opens on to the reception and enclosed patio. With folding doors and a large glass sliding door the dining area leads right on to the pool deck for great entertainment. When the weather is not on your side, simple close the front stack doors for semi-indoor braai-ing. From the back wall of the dining room to the edge of the deck you have 13m and a total entertainment area exceeding 70m2
Lounge
The TV lounge has a recessed area with built in modern TV unit with enough space for a 72inch TV. With sliding wooden and glass doors, new aircon, ceiling fan, sea and pool views this is a great area for watching sport while staying close to the action.
Bar
Topped over two stories above by a massive 27m2 glass skylight, the bar has ample room for two double door fridges, bar counter, access to the kitchen mini sink through a hatch, piped water feed for the fridges and more, this area is light and breezy with sea and pool views.
Kitchen
The super modern kitchen comprises huge Ceaserstone counter tops which extend to cover window sills and back splash. No expense has been spared with double stoves featuring Whirlpool gas and Schott Ceran electric four place hobs, 900mm and 600mm touch control AEG cooker hoods and 650mm deep counter tops. Also included is a double Whirlpool 6th sense eye level microwave and convection oven system with intelligent touch cooking control, under counter macerator to eliminate biodegradable waste, breakfast high counters, prep bowl with Hans Grohe taps and TV feed so that you can keep up with TV events while cooking or eating breakfast. Tons of cupboard space with modern wrapped super wood doors in timber print and “diamond” door handles which were built in 2016 adorn the wall and under counter areas. LED under counter lighting add to the warm feel of this modern space.
Scullery and Laundry
The adjacent laundry and scullery features the same Ceaserstone 650mm counters, window sill and back splash, Rak Ceramics deep double sink, Hans Grohe taps, recessed washing machine and dishwasher space with plumbing points, prep bowl and the same cupboard system as the main kitchen, finished with a modern black porcelain tile on the floor and contrasting white porcelain wall tiles.
Back Garden
Entry to the back garden through the kitchen door makes hanging laundry simple and keeps it away from the front of the house. The garden features space for a small veggie patch and includes a 2200 litre JoJo water storage tank and pressure pump for redundancy if the municipal supply is interrupted or experiencing low pressure. Although not currently connected to the rain water collection this is a simple task to add.
