Hollow Oak's Villa (b.1998)	The Side View	The Front View	The Pool Side View

Guess what? We're downsizing! The new house we've built on the other side of town is enormous, but we're sharing it with Bulent's sister, and in the summer months at least, with his folks. Sevda lost her husband a few years ago, after a long fight with heart disease, and we convinced her to move to our town and start a new life. After working with the "architect from hell" for a few months, we sacked him, and Aimee designed the remainder of the new house, after the structure was set. Our part of the house is a vast one-bedroom apartment, plus a separate studio for Aimee's intermittent painting, and Bulent's dream garage and workshop. We also share the use of guest quarters with Sevda, who also has a garage, her doctor's office (she's an ophthalmologist, semi-retired), and the top two floors of the building. Bulent has been general contractor, and yes, his hair is definitely whiter than it was in March, 2004, when the project began. It's been a more-than-full-time job. We will really miss the old house, which we built in 1997-1998, since it was just a five minute stroll to the sea, the bars and the restaurants. No pool at the new house, and the garden is not nearly as big, but we're still in walking distance to the sea, just up a steep slope.
 

Bathtub with the fall	Seaside yard	inside the house	The View of Turkbuku

We've already moved, so the old house, Hollow Oak's Villa, is for sale. Want to buy it? In case you are interested, we called it Hollow Oak's after the sole tree we had to cut down in order to build the house, a hollow Holly Oak, the trunk of which now resides in the garden, planted with honeysuckle. Aimee's nostalgic comments: It was the least we could do. I cried the day we cut it down. I'm such an old softie.

In brief: 300 square meter private villa with large garden. Three floors, two living rooms, two kitchens, four bedrooms, three and a half baths, balconies on all levels, plus roof terrace and private pool with waterfall; with sea, valley and mountain views, and central heat. All documents are filed, legal, and ready for a sale (unlike most properties in this area). $355 K

The house was built in 1997-1998. It is in a quiet neighborhood, set back from the road, but still a five minute stroll to the sea, bars and restaurants.

It has three stories, the lowest level being a complete, one bedroom flat with its own balcony, laundry and storage area. The flat has a separate, private entrance, but is connected to the upper floors by a lockable door to the stairway, so it could be a rental income, caretaker's flat, or guest quarters. (We always used it for guests; they never wanted to leave, since it has great garden and pool access!) It is also accessible by wheelchair, an unusual asset in this area. (We were planning ahead for our infirm years, but moved before they caught up with us.)

The first floor has an enormous, wrap-around balcony. It's an open plan interior, organized around a central, open stairway, with views of the sea, tangerine groves and the mountain. On this floor you will find the main living room (with floor-to-ceiling slate fireplace), dining room, and kitchen (walnut cabinets with honey-colored marble countertops; dishwasher and refrigerator are included. The kitchen in the flat has the same countertops and cabinetry, but we scampered off with the appliances). There is also a half bath and coat closet.  We already miss watching the "Big Dipper" swing down on summer evenings and take a scoop right out of that hill, as if it were a giant ice cream cone... and more double rainbows than I could count, in the winter. The sunrise is often breathtaking, and sometimes the mountain changes color like Ayer's Rock ... I'm getting carried away!

The second floor has a large master bedroom with private bath and direct balcony access, plus two other double bedrooms which access the balcony through sliding glass doors, and another bath. All the bedrooms on this level have real hardwood floors. The remainder of the floors are a pale salmon-colored travertine (an especially variegated kind of marble), with tile floors and showers in all baths.

Laundry facilities (room for washer and dryer) are in the "Kule", or tower, which is also the access to the full roof terrace, which has spectacular panoramic views ("I am unanimous in this", as Mrs. Slocum used to say on "Are You Being Served"; it was the most beautiful place I have ever hung my knickers out to dry!) In the event that someone might want to do their laundry on the first floor, the half bath is plumbed for a washer in the storage closet.

The pool is two meters deep, with a seating area incorporated into the stairs, under the waterfall. It's a great Party Pool!

Garden info, for all you plant lovers. The garden has three bougainvillea (purple, pink, and a pink/orange mix, very festive). There are hibiscus, date palms (one we raised from a pup) and a Mediterranean Fan Palm. Lots of  Nerium Oleander, three ficus trees and one "edible Fig", which has yet to fruit. Several varieties of oak. Large Tecomaria Capensis shrubs (also known as Cape Honeysuckle), bloom all winter and sporadically in the hot months, with deep orange flowers. There are purple and white flowering African Daisies, lots of ivy geraniums and pelargoniums, and more succulents than you can shake a stick at (should you choose to do so). A variegated ivy is just starting to climb up the stone garden wall. Cape Plumbago (which is known here as Blue Jasmine) flowers most of the year. There are two tangerine trees and two lemons, but they are just babies. The little almond tree gave nuts last year for the first time. There are honeysuckles and jasmine, perennial morning glories known as "Blue Dawn Flower", and a small sweet bay tree. The garden, while mature, has plenty of room for the new owners to make their mark on it, since the "front" of the house (facing away from the sea) still needs some tender-loving landscaping. Everything grows fast, here, and plants are plentiful and cheap! Garden info is subject to change without notice, weather being out of our control, but we try to keep an honest accounting of our beloved plants! Anyone interested in roses take note: lots of gardens around here have them, and they are beautiful. We don't have them. You are welcome to try!

Mundane but essential info: Central heating, with hot water radiators, throughout. There is a separate furnace room which doubles as a nice warm workshop. The furnace is diesel fueled. The house is very breezy, so there's no air conditioning. We never felt the need, but it could easily be installed.

Starting the foundation	Concrete skeleton	Getn ready for more concrete	Laying living room marble

First xmast with friends