10 Lapa Ideas That Will Make Your Outdoor Living Space Stand Out

Outdoor living is a big deal in South Africa! We love to spend time in the garden, invite friends over to braai, and enjoy sundowners as we watch the sunset. We have collected together ten lapa ideas that will help to inspire your outdoor living area so that you can make the most of your space.

Why choose a lapa for your outdoor space?

A lapa comes with lots of benefits and can be a great addition to any outdoor space. Your new lapa will:

  • Make sure that you stay cool by the pool by providing shade on hot summer days
  • Give shelter when in rains so that you can enjoy being outside whatever the weather
  • You can build a braai into the lapa with spacious side tables and even a sink, making outdoor cooking easy-peasy
  • Lapas come in all shapes and sizes! You can decide how big you want it to be, what shape it is, and what roofing to use to cover it. It can make your outdoor living area really stand out from the neighbors.

10 Lapa Ideas that Will Make Your Outdoor Space Stand Out

1. Extend your indoor living space to the outside

Big lapa added on to a house, with a aluzinc roof
This big lapa has plenty of space for outdoor living
Continue reading “10 Lapa Ideas That Will Make Your Outdoor Living Space Stand Out”

New Thatched Roof on Holiday Cottage, Qolora

New thatched roof on beach cottage in the Eastern Cape of South Africa
New thatched roof on holiday cottage at Qolora, Eastern Cape

Who doesn’t dream of owning a holiday cottage on the beach? This rustic family beach house was given a new lease of life just in time for the summer. Situated in Qolora at the gateway to the Wild Coast, the house is the epitome of an old “Tranksei Cottage”. The thatched roof sits on thick, white washed cement walls with a large veranda overlooking the beach. Small rondavels complete the homestead.

At the end of last year, having hosted many a family holiday, the cottage was in dire need of some TLC. The thatched roof was in a terrible condition due to minimal maintenance over a long period of time. While the roof was being re-built, the owners took the opportunity to renovate other areas of the cottage including the veranda, kitchen and living areas.

Continue reading “New Thatched Roof on Holiday Cottage, Qolora”

Project: Walled Thatch Lapa in Chintsa

Large Thatched Lapa - Closed in with Brick Walls
Large Thatched Lapa – Closed in with Brick Walls

Often lapa designs are open or semi-closed with no walls or perhaps a wall at the back. Here is an example of a large thatched lapa that Bosazza Roofing & Timber Homes constructed which is closed in with four brick walls.

The lapa is free standing in the clients garden – not attached to any part of the main house. The floor area is approximately 60 square metres which ensconces a large open living space, a dining area and simple kitchen including a built in braai. The lapa opens up on the sea facing side via wide sliding doors. Continue reading “Project: Walled Thatch Lapa in Chintsa”

Project: Large Thatch Lapa at the C Club, Chintsa

Large Thatch Lapa for Outdoor Entertainment, Eastern Cape
Large Thatch Lapa for Outdoor Entertainment, Eastern Cape

Bosazza Roofing & Timber Homes was contracted to rebuild a large thatched lapa at the C Club (restaurant, bar and events venue) in Chintsa East. Scope of works involved extensive remedial work on the existing structure as well as re-thatching the entire lapa in Cape Reed thatch.

Continue reading “Project: Large Thatch Lapa at the C Club, Chintsa”

Project: Re-thatch of Flatlet in Chintsa

Newly Thatched Roof on Home in Eastern Cape
Newly Thatched Roof on Home in Eastern Cape

Bosazza Roofing was contracted to re-thatch a large, self-contained flatlet on a private property in Chintsa East, Eastern Cape. The original roof had come to the end of it’s lifespan – the thatch was extremely thin and not well compacted resulting in leaks.

The scope of works on this roof included:

  • Replacing of several bottom-cord roof poles and rafters in the roof structure to strengthen it
  • Removing all old thatch from the roof and re-thatching the roof in new hyparrhenia hirta (thatching grass)
  • Application of thatch fire retardant spray

Continue reading “Project: Re-thatch of Flatlet in Chintsa”

Project: Traditional Style Thatched Roof in Cape St. Francis

This thatched roof in Cape St. Francis in the Eastern Cape was in need of a lot of care and attention. The client approached us to give a quotation on repairing or replacing the old thatched roof which was leaking and generally in a bad state of repair. Our team re-thatched the entire roof with Cape Reed fitting a fire blanket as they thatched and installing new drainage valleys to all valley sections.
The roof structure is built in a traditional style with a high pitch and gable ends.

Straight Edges and Neat Finishing - Thatched Roof
Straight Edges and Neat Finishing

Continue reading “Project: Traditional Style Thatched Roof in Cape St. Francis”