The "De Oude Huize" journey to stardom

After purchasing De Oude Huize Yard our family moved to Harrismith on 15 December 2000. Our sons did a huge commitment to leave their schools, sport and friends behind and join this new venture into the Free State.  Remembering the night that we traveled to Harrismith and the uncontrolled veldt-fires were lighting the skies Pedri made a comment —so beautiful but so destructive.  Our new lives away from the hustle and bustle of Pretoria and “retirement” in the town will have to make a difference.  

Everything’s done on impulse.  

We bought the old house to save it from the bulldozer and in the words of Adam Small: 

proud ou gabou—pathetic pêllie
stil ou—djy fancy djy staan nog...
djy word gedemolish sê ek vir djou!...
Hoor djy die pêrepote vannie bulldozers?

Ever since we have spend all our time in renovating and collecting history about our house and the town.  Even thought everything that we , Pedri and Gerald-Cecil have done did not come easily we still see this as a blessing and we would like to believe that we have made a difference to De Oude Huize Yard and our neighbourhood.  

Our neighbours are the best.  On our day of arrival they welcomed us with tea, coffee, rusk and a lot of help.  Strange people opened their hearts and hands to help us to move into a very dialectic house.  They treat us with love and open their heart to all off us. 

On opening the front door of our new dwelling we immediately decided to give it a name—De Oude Huize .  The state of neglect was cleary visible and we decided to keep to the original era of the house and try to safe a little history in Stuart Street.  We had little experience of such a big renovating process and as the kids at school asked Gerald-Cecil—does your parents know what they are doing—he could honestly answer I don’t know, I think they don’t know themselves. 

We have read articles on renovating but nothing really helps until you start with the process.  We have asked stupid questions and really work our fingers to the bone.  The renovation process of the original house was solely done by Hennie, Pedri and Gerald-Cecil.  They have sanded floors, scraped down old paint remove rotten novilon, wood and carpets. They have cleaned the yard from invasive kakibos.  They have leveled the garden and made new beds.     They have opened up the Attic , painted every room and  replaced old floorboards.