Company Announcement - Rustic Homes, based in the heart of the Western Cape timber-land, is an ethical company that now offers a simple solution to compact luxury housing through modular design and prefabricated components with their new prototype: the Rustic Eco Cabin. Available on order in the Western Cape from November and nationally next year the small cabin is pre made in the Rustic Homes factory in Elgin, simple to set up on site and can be installed completely off the grid as it has been designed to operate off solar power and gas. These environmentally friendly solutions, along with the rain queen tank that stores 1000 litres of water for water supply, are optional extras.

“We have long been looking to provide a cost effective and conscious solution to the holiday home market without compromising on quality,” says Pieter Silberbauer, Managing Director of Rustic Homes. “With the Rustic Eco Cabin, we think we have found an excellent solution. It is a very small house at 32m2 excluding the deck and out house with a minimal carbon footprint. There is no wasted space within the building and a reduced amount of material is used in the construction through clever design for compact living. It is the antithesis of the big luxury beach house that comes with high rates and big electrical bills.” “The living area serves as the heart of the home as well as the centre of the structure. The kitchen unit at the back is open plan and bedrooms on either side of the main living area offer bracing to the main structure.  The front deck forms the fourth quadrant neatly balancing this symmetrical unit,” explains Pieter.

“Like buying a motor car there are different levels of finishes that you can choose.  The kitchen and bedroom fittings are designed to neatly fit in with the compact structure of the homes.  One could use the sub floor of OSB board which can be finished as a cost effective option, or like choosing leather seats for an A-class Mercedes, one could have oak floors instead.” The internal linings of the cabin are a beautiful spruce. The house is well insulated and predominantly clad externally with aluminum. Windows are epoxy coated aluminum for longevity and easy maintenance and the roof is zinc alum with the option of aluminum for beach-front properties on the extremely corrosive west coast.  Jarrah trim gives a good wooden style finish to the exterior cladding without sacrificing the low maintenance. All the structural elements of the building are Radiata Pine grown in Grabouw’s managed plantations. It is an important element in the eco design, as this wood is locally produced and also has the benefit of having the highest density and strength of Radiata Pine grown anywhere in the world.  Rustic Homes makes a point of using local timber wherever possible in all of their structures.

The outhouse is literally an outhouse, which if cleverly placed could also be known as a loo with a view. It is Swiss log cabin in the mountain meets cost effective simplicity. The Rustic Homes stamp of class and quality is unmistakable. “This is the perfect solution for people wanting a weekend cabin on a farm away from services.  It also lends itself to resorts looking to set up in remote locations as the installation is a fairly simple affair with little impact on the surrounding vegetation,” concludes Pieter. The prototype has been set up at the Rustic Homes factory in Elgin as a show house and is available for rent as a self-catering unit that sleeps four comfortably. Take advantage of the location and explore the surrounding mountains by bike.