Green, five-star ratings practitioners can take lessons from Dave and dad Al Stratford’s Nahoon Beach build
By Nick Pike - February 7, 2025
It is hard for me to tell you just how stunned I am at the new Nahoon Mouth home Dave Stratford is building, quite literally from the ground up.
Even the plot of land was an adventure in creative chutzpah, by that I mean gumption, spirit and tenacity.
Dave and his good wife found a disused tennis court at the bottom of an ideal property and sweet-talked the owner to subdivide and sell them the land.
In the Nahoon Mouth area, this puts Dave close to Nahoon Beach to go surfing with his kids or paddle his Fenn surf ski on the Nahoon River.
The property encompasses the three irrefutable laws of real estate: position, position and position!
Brothers Richard, David and Andrew are all highly creative people.
Then there is dad, Al, who does not so much have ants in his pants, but lions and tigers.
At the tender age of 70-something, he has no dreams of settling down.
Keep in mind he was the architect/designer of Stratfords guest house just off Devereaux Avenue.
If you are halfway interested in building, design, material and structure and you have not seen this build, then you are missing out.
If alternative and out of the box is where you want to go, then Al Stratford is your man.
He is the man behind the Wintec brand including the patents, Winblok, Winstep, Windeck, Winslot and Winbau.
Not only does he have all the ideas but his designs do get to paper.
Originally qualified in structures and engineering, the man is overwhelmed by talent, sweat, execution and completion.
When he comes up with an idea, it gets built!
Dave is blessed to have the dad he has, and shoulder to shoulder, they are building an incredible home.
First off, the entire above-ground structure is based on a timber frame.
More than this, the timber used is bluegum, the despised Australian invader.
Gum is stronger than pine, Al tells me. Originally it was imported to SA to be used as props to support our mining industry — that tells you something about the carry capacity.
However, it has a tendency to curl, crack and split when made into planks.
Thus Dave and dad had it supplied as 50mm x 75mm runners, which they have personally laminated edge on to form 50mm planks and floor boards or 75mm laminated beams for extra structure and carry.
The lads are expert carpenters. Polyurethane glue is a many splendid thing and laminated timber is no longer inclined to crack or curl.
The modular frame structure then has cast concrete panels which fit into the structure and are glued into place with silicone.
These concrete panels have been manufactured by Dave and dad in special moulds with perlite, accelerator and Chryso plasticiser enhanced concrete — “enlightened” might be the word, normal concrete has a specific gravity of about 2.5+, while Dave’s panels come in at 1.1.
His panels are just short of the ability to float in water.
Inside the house, lightweight, sustainable Gyproc RhinoBoard is used for cladding, partitioning and ceilings.
The planed all round, laminated (and treated) gum has a delightful rosy complexion and when varnished, glows with exceptional colour.
The building includes casement windows, interesting angles, corner windows, double story, open double volume, light, air, braai and polished concrete floors.
Green, five-star ratings, environmentalists and sustainability practitioners can come take lessons here, all a short walk away from Nahoon Beach.
In today’s photo you might not be able to see the colour design on the bottom of Dave’s surfboard?
The pattern is a print of shweshwe or German print from our own local company Da Gama.
This is the chosen fabric of our local Xhosa culture. Even Dave’s surfboard is a riot of creativity and an acknowledgment of our Eastern Cape custom. Anything but normal and everything intentional.
Motivational speaker Zig Ziglar says you become a part of what you hang around with. I hope so.
I love hanging around Dave and Al. I feel inspired by their company. Any time that I go surfing with a Stratford it is a good day.
Credit: https://www.yourweekender.co.za/2025/02/07/at-the-beach-bluegum-home-an-adventure-in-creative-chutzpah
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AT THE BEACH | ‘Bluegum’ home an adventure in creative chutzpah
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