Something about me, Dawid Jacobs.....

Hi there! My name is Dawid. On this page I would like give you a little insight into who I am and what you can expect from my writings on this website. I want to share with you why I love everything about home renovations:

• The ideas that inspire them!
• The ways to implement them!

I will show you which ideas implemented, really increase the value of your home, and will give you the biggest return on your investment.

How to:

Change from the house you have to the home you love!

My Past - A Love for all things building

During high school I found a love for all things building. I bought every book I could find (or rather afford) on residential architectural design, and home improvements. The rest I begged, borrowed and stealed (no I didn't steal any books!).

I just loved to study the new trends and ideas and on weekends I used to ride around wherever we lived to look at other people's homes. First on my bicycle, and then later on my 50cc Kawasaki.

I didn't have a preference for a certain style of home. I used to look at anything, because every home has something unique. It is what the home owner make of the ideas they gathered that adds character to their specific home. And that was what fascinated me! The way that a person's personality determines the way their homes will look like.

Just there and then I decided I want to be that person. The one to visualise a home owner's ideas and combine it with their personality and then make the dream come true (regarding the home they would love to have at least).

I wanted to be able to listen to and understand a clients ideas and needs, and then come up with a perfect solution that will combine the ideas with all her needs; all within the budget available. I know, that may seem like a far-fetched dream, but I was still young and had a fairy tale idea of life.

Reality Time in South Africa

This is me, Dawid

So it was obvious that when I finished high school, the only thing I really wanted to do was to study architecture, but because of apartheid (that the reason I mentioned it above), the world imposed heavy sanctions on us, and South Africa thus had an extremely small economy.

Most people were poor, and the middle-class was just that..... middle class and small, so not many people had the money to do regular home improvements, yet alone build new homes. And other infrastructure projects fell way behind when money was dished out every year by the Minister of Finance. Those years most of it went to the war we were fighting at the time on our northern borders…..

So my Dad told me that I will never survive financially as an architect and that I must rather study to become a doctor.....

And as any good, reputable Afrikaner son does, I listened to him and went to study medicine. I soon realised that medicine wasn't my passion, so I discontinued my studies after three years and joined the army. [Those days it was compulsory for white boys to do two years of national service]. I eventually became a platoon commander and spend thirteen months in the bush fighting the “rooi gevaar” (what we used to call the onslaught of communism at that time).

During my time in the army, I became interested in radio communications and the technology behind it. When I completed my army “career”, I applied for an internship at the company that provided all the two-way HF and UHF radios to the South African Defense Force.

They accepted me and sponsored my studies towards electronic engineering. Till today I am still employed by the same company, although it has changed ownership many times over the years and it is now Swedish owned.

Alexandra TT house designed by Saota Architects

I Never Lost my Passion for Home Improvements and Solutions

But I never lost that passion for all things building. Throughout my life I kept up with the latest home improvement trends and ideas.

And then Nelson Mandela was released from jail on February 11, 1990, and the lives of every South African changed!

So from the mid nineties onwards, the South African economy took a turn for the better. Money was more available and people started to build new homes and upgrade their existing ones. I did the same. When Linda and I bought our first home, we spend months and months (years actually) changing, adding, redoing, tweaking.... to ever increase the value of our home. 

• We loved to sit together and find new ideas in magazines.
• We attended every trade show that we could.
• We would drive around over weekends, looking at other homes to find new ideas.

We lived in Cape Town those years, and the people lucky enough to know Cape Town, will know that you find some of the most beautiful homes in the world against the slopes of Table Mountain and in the Constantia valley.

We did amazing things together with that home! I wish I still had the photos, but unfortunately it was all lost when our computers and all the backup disks were stolen. I was heart broken.

Now understand one thing. I am not a handyman! I never was and never will be! No, I prefer to get someone else to change the tap, or to tile the bathroom floor.

Of course I do certain things myself! I mean I am not completely useless with a hammer or a spade. I love to do certain "do-it-yourself" tasks, but some things I much rather leave to the specialists.

• I love to work with wood.
• I love to build hardscape structures in the garden.
• I love to build water features. There is nothing as relaxing as the sound of running water after a hard day at the office.
  
  Note: Water efficiency is very close to my heart, and I do my utmost to be water-wise, so I will always use gray water when I build a water feature.
  
  
• I love to design new kitchens. I just love an efficient and beautiful kitchen.

These are things I love to do, but as much as I love to implement the ideas I find, my special passion is still research. I LOVE to do research on new trends in home design. To see what the latest home improvement ideas are and how I can use it to increase the value of my home.

Especially eco-friendly landscaping designs. We have such a shortage of water in South Africa and any idea I can put out there to motivate home owners to become more "green" is one idea closer to a sustainable earth.

We also have a lot of beautiful sunny days here in South Africa. So I am always on the outlook for new and sustainable solutions where we can use the abundant natural resources to make our environmental footprint less. If every home owner start doing that, imagine the impact we will have regarding a better life for future generations.

All these are ideas that will increase the value of your home tremendously and make your stay there enjoyable.

This is my personal website! I am writing with my own voice and in my own words - I am giving you MY take on home improvements and the ideas that inspire them, and how to implement them! I will show you which ideas, when implemented, will really make other people admire your home.

But they are still just my ideas. My take and opinion on a vast subject! Not everyone will necessarily agree with what I write here, and not everyone have too.

But if you like what you read, then please explore it with me, and leave your comments below. I would love to hear what you think.

With my daughter, Danee

Thank you for reading my story.....

Please return to my home page to explore some more

Or if you want to know more about why I am building this website, please go here