Building Contractor in Gardens, Cape Town
Building Contractor in Gardens
68 Projects Building Co renovates Gardens homes and apartments — period buildings on narrow streets, where the approvals matter as much as the workmanship.
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Your Local Gardens Builders
Cape Town's Oldest Houses, on Its Tightest Streets
Gardens holds some of the oldest residential fabric in the city — Victorian and Edwardian terraces and semis, many of them subdivided or converted, sitting alongside apartment blocks from every decade since. Most of it is over 60 years old, which means heritage protection applies automatically, and much of the suburb sits within a heritage overlay zone as well.
These are solid-wall buildings, not cavity construction. They have no damp-proof course and were designed to breathe, so damp behaves differently here, and structural openings need real engineering rather than assumptions. Add streets that are narrow, often one-way, and almost entirely without on-site parking, and the logistics become part of the job.
Our Services
Building Services We Offer in Gardens
From rising damp in a hundred-year-old wall to opening up a terrace layout, we handle the structure, the envelope, and the finishes as one job.
Heritage Renovations
Renovations to Victorian and Edwardian homes, detailed sympathetically and approved properly.
Structural Alterations
Opening up narrow, compartmentalised terrace and semi layouts, with beams engineered and signed off.
Apartment Renovations
Flat renovations carried out within the rules of your sectional title scheme.
Bathroom & Kitchen Renovations
Rebuilds in period homes and apartments, waterproofed to protect the room or unit below.
Damp & Plaster Repairs
Rising damp in old solid walls treated at the cause, with breathable systems rather than sealants.
Roofing & Waterproofing
Pitched roofs, flat roofs, parapets, and gutters repaired with heritage-appropriate detailing.
Ceilings, Cornices & Bulkheads
Pressed ceilings, cornices, and bulkheads restored or installed to suit period proportions.
Common Property Repairs
Repairs and maintenance to common property for body corporates and managing agents.
Why Choose Us
Old Buildings Need Old-Building Answers
The most common mistake we are called in to undo in Gardens is modern technique applied to a period building — waterproof render sealed onto a solid wall that needed to breathe, or an opening formed without an engineered beam. We work to how the building was actually built, and we check what is protected before anyone commissions drawings.
- Building team working across Gardens and the wider City Bowl
- Experience with heritage overlay zones and Heritage Western Cape requirements
- Structural openings in old solid-wall buildings, engineered rather than assumed
- Rising damp in period walls treated with breathable systems that let the wall dry
- Realistic planning for narrow streets, no site parking, and shared boundaries
- Clean, contained sites in a dense suburb where neighbours are metres away
Properties We Work On
Period Homes and the Blocks Beside Them
Gardens mixes Victorian terraces, subdivided period houses, and apartment blocks on the same street, often sharing boundaries and party walls. We work on all of it, and scope each job around the age of the structure and who has to approve the work.
Victorian and Edwardian terraces
Semi-detached period homes
Apartment blocks and sectional title
Heritage-protected properties
Converted and subdivided buildings
Rental and investment properties
How It Works
How a Gardens Project Runs
A clear process keeps your project on scope, on budget, and free of surprises from the first site visit to handover.
Site Visit
We visit the property, assess the structure and its age, and work out how materials will reach the site.
Plans & Heritage
We coordinate drawings and, where the building is protected, the heritage approvals that go with it.
Detailed Quote
You receive a clear quote covering labour, materials, structural work, access, and finishes.
Construction
Our team carries out the work with the site kept tight, and neighbours and tenants kept informed.
Handover
We complete the finishes, check the work, clear the site, and hand over your finished space.
Serving Gardens & Beyond
Building Across the City Bowl
Gardens sits at the heart of the City Bowl, and we work right across it — Oranjezicht, Vredehoek, Higgovale, Tamboerskloof, Bo-Kaap, and the city centre — as well as the wider Cape Town area. Wherever your property is, we bring the same standard of workmanship, clear communication, and reliable project management.
Frequently Asked Questions About Building in Gardens
Common questions from Gardens homeowners and trustees — covering heritage approvals, structural openings in old walls, rising damp, access, and quotes.
Do you work throughout Gardens?
Yes, across Gardens and the rest of the City Bowl, including Oranjezicht, Vredehoek, Higgovale, Tamboerskloof, Bo-Kaap, and the city centre.
Our house is over a hundred years old. Do we need heritage approval?
Almost certainly for anything structural or street-facing. Any building older than 60 years is protected under the National Heritage Resources Act, and much of Gardens sits inside a heritage overlay zone on top of that. Internal work away from the facade is often more straightforward, but alterations to the street elevation, roofline, or footprint generally need Heritage Western Cape input. We establish which applies before you commission drawings.
Can we knock through to open up the layout?
Usually yes, but it needs proper engineering. Period terraces and semis in Gardens were built with solid load-bearing walls, so an opening means a beam sized by an engineer and bearings that actually carry. This is not a job for assumptions — an undersized lintel in a solid-wall building shows up as cracking above the opening within a season.
Why does damp keep coming back in our old walls?
Because the wall is solid, not cavity, and it was designed to breathe. Old buildings in Gardens usually have no damp-proof course, and moisture rises and evaporates through the plaster. Sealing that with a modern waterproof render traps it and pushes it higher up the wall. We treat rising damp with breathable systems that let the wall dry rather than sealing the moisture in.
There is nowhere to park a truck or a skip. How do you manage?
It is planned at the site visit rather than on the day. Gardens streets are narrow, often one-way, and mostly without on-site parking, so deliveries are scheduled, skip permits arranged with the City, and larger loads broken down and carried in. Those access costs go into the quote up front, because they are real on a job here.
Do you work for body corporates on apartment blocks?
Yes. A large share of Gardens is sectional title, and we do common property repairs, waterproofing, and facade work for body corporates and managing agents, quoted in a format that can be put to trustees.
How do I get a quote?
Get in touch to arrange a free site visit. We assess the property, discuss the scope and access, and provide a written quote covering the full scope of work.
Still have questions? We're here to help!
Contact UsPlanning a Building Project in Gardens?
Contact 68 Projects Building Co for a free site visit, honest advice, and a clear quote for your Gardens building project.
Areas We Service
Based in Cape Town, we provide renovations, structural repairs, waterproofing and property maintenance across the Southern Suburbs, the Northern Suburbs and surrounding areas. We work on both residential properties and commercial or industrial premises. If your suburb isn't listed below, get in touch — chances are we cover it too.
Residential Suburbs
- Bakoven
- Bantry Bay
- Bellville
- Bergvliet
- Bishopscourt
- Bloubergstrand
- Brackenfell
- Camps Bay
- Century City
- City Bowl
- Claremont
- Clifton
- Clovelly
- Constantia
- Diep River
- Durbanville
- Edgemead
- Fish Hoek
- Fresnaye
- Gardens
- Goodwood
- Green Point
- Higgovale
- Hout Bay
- Kenilworth
- Kirstenhof
- Llandudno
- Meadowridge
- Milnerton
- Mouille Point
- Mowbray
- Muizenberg
- Newlands
- Observatory
- Oranjezicht
- Panorama
- Pinelands
- Plattekloof
- Plumstead
- Rondebosch
- Rosebank
- Salt River
- Sea Point
- Simonstown
- Southfield
- Sunset Beach
- Table View
- Tamboerskloof
- Tokai
- V & A Waterfront
- Vredehoek
- Welgemoed
- Woodstock
- Wynberg
Industrial Areas
Not sure if we cover your area? Reach out for a free site visit and quotation.
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