Help save our home

I am not sure if anyone will ever see this as there are so many requests on this website. However it is worth the try.

Me and my partner bought our home in 2016. Our business got back off the ground and we were able to breath again after a very stressful two years prior. We were so proud of ourselves and had a dream for the home we bought. We wanted to turn it into a guesthouse to earn additional income and to plan for our retirement.

We started fixing the house, only to find that what we bought was a nightmare. The foundation was cracking which was seen in the walls, door frames, window frames. This was not brought to our attention when we bought the house (and that from a friend / or so we thought). We contacted lawyers who specialise in latent and patent defects. In order to proceed with the case, not only would we have to fund it, but we had to at the same time fix the house and provide proof of everything that had to be done. We got a specialist to come out and do an evaluation on the whole house. The amount came to almost R1 million. Now to fight the case it would have cost the same amount. We did not have this kind of money and decided to fix as we go and make our income.

It has been very stressful as once we started fixing it was like ripping a plaster off a wound that was still completely raw. So it cost more and more money. In 2017 my partner broke his tibia (I think that is what it is called) bone in his knee and his whole knee crushed into the bottom of his leg. Due to not having medical aid we had to pay over R150 000 to have an emergency operation done. The recovery process was 6 months. In this 6 months my partner who was doing the selling could not go out and get new business. The accident also put his mind in turmoil and his confidence had a big hit.

Due to the huge cash layout for the operation the home repairs came to a standstill. We managed to keep on fixing with materials we already bought, but could not buy labour and ended up doing it all ourselves. This was and still is very hard as our income is not fixed and we have to always look for new work.

2019 - As I am writing this we are in April. We had no work for 4 months. We have now gone back to walking the streets and asking every shop owner if we can redo their signage. Unfortunately we are not the only people struggling, so the answer is always no.

We have had to survive off our funds to fix our home for the last couple of years. We had a client whom we had for 15 years that suddenly stopped ordering. They have however not used another supplier and just have budget cuts.

With our small business struggling to get work, we had to start using our credit cards to make sure our expenses are paid. Prior to this we had no other debt except for our bond. Due to financial difficulty we are now in more debt and I am afraid that we are heading for disaster.

We have a couple of months to survive and based on this looking at selling our home. Friends whom we have helped are far and few. We have submitted our CV's to companies, but it seems to be hard everywhere.

If anyone can find it in their hearts to help us survive another month, we would appreciate it. We love our home even with all the cracks. We made our foundation stronger (literally). Now it is a time game of getting work in and surviving.