6 spectacular stoeps
1 Inside out
When Cathryn and Warwick McCleland bought their Port Elizabeth home in 2014, a beautiful big tree in the middle of a grassy patch in the yard sealed the deal.
“It created such a lovely atmosphere, regardless of the fact that it was an alien syringa!” says Cathryn. “But there was no outdoor area in which to make use of our city’s year-round temperate climate and the stoep was only 1.5m deep; any work we wanted to do would involve cutting down the tree, which we really didn’t want to do.”
So they made the most of the space until 2018 when a storm caused the syringa to split in half. This was the push they needed to create the outdoor space they wanted: an enclosed entertainment/dining area of 28m² leading out onto a 30m² deck.
“At the moment, our family consists of just the two of us and our two dogs but the stoep has already served us well – whether it’s a braai for two (a weekly occurrence) or a party of friends,” Cathryn says.
“We haven’t enjoyed a summer with this new addition yet but it’s
