The rise of a Knysna phoenix
An enterprising resident has used car insurance to create a cosy little home for himself
An enterprising Knysna resident left devastated by the fires a year ago has come out on top with an unusual new, tiny home which he built using the insurance payout from his gutted car.
Risen literally from the ashes, Gordon Rattey’s house at 8 Du Preez Street in Knysna Heights stands on the same property where he was renting space in his parent’s home before it was burned to the ground.
Built out of scrounged, recycled and donated materials, with cupboards tucked beneath the bed and an outside shower, his tiny home is easy to heat, cool and clean.
It’s also humble, trendy and neat as a pin.
On June 7 last year, the day fire ripped through the heart of the Garden Route, Rattey, 48, a joiner and sculptor, was putting in a deck for a restaurant at the waterfront.
He had a front-row view of the blaze as it moved from the Elandskraal area northwest of Knysna, over the N2 and through Brenton.
Ferries had started arriving from across the estuary with fleeing residents, he recalled.
There was no indication at that stage that the fire had branched around the back of the town and he was not keen to leave his task and forsake a precious pay packet.
But he eventually decided he had to check on his elderly parents.
“I drove up and there was just devastation in our road. The curtains were drawn at our house.
“I raced up the steps wild-eyed and found my folks watching cricket. I flung open the curtains to show them what was going on and right then a fireball hit the house.“My dad grabbed two bottles of his favourite home brew, my mom took some soup and I chose my best jacket and then we were out of there.”
By that time, Rattey’s Citi Golf was on fire, so he bundled his mother into her car and his father drove his own vehicle and they escaped to safety.
The next day when he visited the property, the house and garage had burnt to the ground, he said.
“The highest thing left standing was the coffee cups.”
With their house insurance, Colin and Barbara Rattey were able to move into a retirement village and Gordon knew he had to make a plan.
“I had been reading on Pinterest about the new movement towards tiny homes and I knew I had to give it a go.”
Having worked out a design, he spent several months walking to mills and building sites all over the Knysna area to scrounge and bargain for materials for his new home.
His treasure trove eventually included discarded corrugated iron sheets, karri gum planks which could be used for the walls, some classy retro-window frames and cheap but sturdy OSB smart board for the ceiling.“I used the R35 000 insurance payout from my car to employ two carpenters.
“We built the house on the 35m² cement block left from the burned garage and put it up in 20 days.”
Rattey’s enterprise and determination was rewarded still further with regular food parcels and a wealth of appliances from Knysna Fires, one of the main donor groups established to help victims of the catastrophe.
The organisation also helped him to complete the electrical wiring he had done and a plumbing company stepped in at a large discount to install a toilet.
To top it all, several job possibilities emerged – including replicating his tiny house for two prospective customers who had themselves lost their homes in the fires.
The whole experience had been hugely uplifting, he said.
“Not having a car and walking everywhere, I’m discovering that there’s a whole bunch of things between the bubbles that we live in.
“Every day I meet dogs, children and all kinds of people. It’s definitely added to my life.”
FREE TO READ | Just register if you’re new, or sign in.
Questions or problems? Email helpdesk@heraldlive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00.