Rhodes “Solar Cottage” Charming South African Countryside Retreat Home

Quaint, 128-year-old lock-up-and-go home offers historical charm & off-grid independence. Consolidation of 4 Cape Stands or Erven each 535 m2 amounting to 2140 m2 (half an acre in total) in the National Heritage Village of Rhodes village.

Key Features: An Authentic Cottage built in 1895 (original deeds of sale displayed on the wall). This was one of the original houses in Rhodes 128 years ago, which has been both carefully maintained and sensitively improved upon.

The house has 2 bedrooms, (master bedroom en-suite bathroom with the original cast iron white enamel bath), a north facing lounge, kitchen and adjacent dining room, and a fridge and lithium battery room. A separate 3-bed guest suite or annex has a hot shower, basin and loo. This offers 3 bedrooms in total, with sleeping accommodation of eight including a sleeper couch in the lounge.

Location: Situated at corner Ross & Naude Streets in Rhodes, a fenced "dog-proof" private garden surrounded by hedges, apple & pear trees, and 13 tall poplar trees with the property which overlooks Naude Street and has Ross Street on its eastern boundary, creating a uniquely peaceful, quiet and private space with no neighbors nearby.

The house & guest cottage sleeps two couples easily, with space for four or more children & additional summer sleeping space on a 1.2 m wide shaded front stoep or veranda - a favourite for family meals & street-side social gatherings. The guest annex bedroom has an en-suite gas heated shower, hand basin, toilet & separate 12v solar lighting.

The home is fully off-the-grid and has three independent solar systems (12v for lights in the main house and guest cottage & 220v for TV, microwave, air-fryer & fridges). A 220v Deye inverter Dyness lithium battery system powers two fridges, appliances & the on-demand water supply from the borehole & JoJo water tank.

Whether for fishing, hunting or just as a lock-up-and-go holiday home, it is ideal for the extreme climate with double insulated ceilings keeping it close to 20 °C during summers of 35 °C, and during winters with the outside temperature well below freezing. Gas lights, a wall-mounted gas heater & two Esse anthracite heaters keep the home warm in winter. A borehole drilled to 65m has pristine water and flow rate of 3500 litres an hour from water just 10m below the surface. Water is stored in 4200-litre JoJo tank, with connection to municipal water as an option. The kitchen features a modern Defy gas oven & range & Ellis Delux wood burner stove & oven. Two years of wood supply are stored in the garage. Hot water is produced by very effective Junkers gas geysers, in the kitchen, main bathroom & guest suite. The lounge has a sleeper-couch to provide holiday sleeping accommodation for two children when more is merrier and brings the comfortable sleeping total to eight, before including the 1.2 m wide stoep, that can easily (and has) sleep four more.

Additional facilities include a secure 6x6m lock-up garage; covered double carport; storeroom; separate workshop and paint store with workbench, vice, drill press, bench grinder & assortment of tools and paints of all colours for the ongoing maintenance.

The large private garden and lawn are ideal for outdoor activities like badminton, tennikoits, cricket, soccer, or croquet. The space is ideal for a growing adventurous family with lots of space for family competitions, when horse and bike riding in Rhodes have lost their edge.

A WiFi system with DSTV, Netflix, or YouTube provides evening entertainment.

A Suzuki SJ410 "Jeep" is stored in the garage, with two years of wood for the kitchen stove, two lawn mowers, two wheelbarrows, 2 bicycles, a gas & Weber braai, five ladders, many garden tools, accumulated over 22 years and a chain saw are all part of this sale. Everything required to settle in and enjoy time with family and friends in the Highlands village of Rhodes is right here on this property.

All furniture in the house is included in the sale — from two new fridges, a microwave oven, air-fryer, AEG washing machine and WAP vacuum cleaner, to the beautiful stinkwood-yellowwood 10-seater dining room suite and Welsh dresser — making this a truly move-in-ready, ready-to-enjoy home.

The property is a turn-key solution for a family (or two families) seeking a historic, self-sufficient home & holiday retreat. With all the hard work already done - solar systems, borehole, excellent water & improvements - this home is ready for the next family to enjoy. This property offers a rare opportunity to acquire a very special home with everything transported to this unique place & an opportunity to manage future costs and retain independence in our ever-changing world.