Full-width louvre roof over a first-floor terrace in Plattekloof.

The brief

A large double-storey home on the Plattekloof ridge wanted its upper-floor entertainment terrace covered without losing the elevated view across the valley. The cover had to span the full width of the balcony.

The build

A charcoal aluminium louvre roof carried on slim columns at the balcony edge, spanning the entire upper terrace and tied back to the house wall. Frame and blades are both charcoal, to sit quietly against the home's dark roof and stone feature wall. Built to handle the wind exposure that comes with a ridgeline position.

The result

The terrace is now usable through summer sun and winter rain alike, while the open-blade setting keeps the valley view and the sightlines from inside the house. The dark finish disappears into the architecture rather than competing with it.

Keeping the view on the Plattekloof ridge

Up on the ridge the wind is a daily fact, and a covered terrace that blocked the valley view would have defeated the purpose. With the blades open, the sightline across the valley stays clear from the terrace and from inside the house. Closed, the roof takes the winter rain that drives in across the ridge.

For the owners, the change is that the upper floor now has a usable outside room instead of a windswept balcony. Summer entertaining happens up there in the shade; in winter the terrace stays dry enough to use between fronts. The charcoal frame and blades were matched to the dark roof and stone feature wall, so from the street the addition barely registers.