Justin the Jeweller’s Strongbox - adapting a boomer family house into a millenial bachelor’s lair

          Client: Mr J Raynard
          Status: on hold
          Budget: R2 million
          Services Offered: full suite

To allow his mum - who raised him alone - to down-scale, Justin - the only son and only child in his immediate family still in Johannesburg - bought the family house.

The house is modest and from the 1950s. It is designed with two wings placed almost in the centre of the site. One is for living and one is for sleeping. The living space has a lounge and dining area. The sleeping space has three bedrooms. The two wings are linked by a utlitiy space which houses the kitchen and bathroom. There is one outbuilding that was intended for the cleaning staff.



The house is too large for Justin, who is a proud bachelor and it’s modesty does not reflect his ambitions. Justin wanted to construct the ultimate bachelor pad that could accommodate lavish events and store the many boy toys he has collected. I accepted his wishes, but recommended he consult a real estate agent to find out what a typical buyer expects from a house in the neighbourhood and what their budget is. This exercise was recommended to provide measurable constraints for the development to limit over-personalisation or over-investment.

We learnt that buyers prefer three bedrooms, a rentable outbuilding and entertainment space that is linked with the outdoors. To accommodate these aspirations, we decided to design the bachelor pad so that it may be easily converted into a family home.


The existing outhouse will be Justin’s temporary residence during construction. It will be rentable afterwards. The two existing wings are transformed: the existing living space becomes Justin’s bedroom. The existing sleeping space is lowered and becomes an entertainment space. A first storey is be added which can be a games room or divided into two children’s bedrooms. The relationship with the outdoors is designed more deliberately.



We learnt that buyers prefer three bedrooms, a rentable outbuilding and entertainment space that is linked with the outdoors. To accommodate these aspirations, we decided to design the bachelor pad so that it may be easily converted into a family home.

The existing outhouse will be Justin’s temporary residence during construction. It will be rentable afterwards. The two existing wings are transformed: the existing living space becomes Justin’s bedroom. The existing sleeping space is lowered and becomes an entertainment space. A first storey is be added which can be a games room or divided into two children’s bedrooms. The relationship with the outdoors is designed more deliberately.