Franschhoek Valley Estates

Franschhoek was founded between 1688 and 1694 by French Huguenot refugees, its valley enclosed on three sides by the Franschhoek, Wemmershoek and Groot Drakenstein ranges — the tightest, most mountain-locked of the four belts we cover. That horseshoe shape is the single fact that makes Franschhoek's spec logic different from its neighbours: it funnels a nightly katabatic drainage wind down off the peaks as the evening cools, distinct from the daytime coastal south-easter that dominates further toward the coast.

How we specify for Franschhoek estates

• The wind arrives after sunset, not during the day. An awning or zip screen left extended for a lovely still afternoon can still meet a real gust once the evening drainage wind sets in — which is exactly why we spec awnings and zip screens here with automatic wind-sensor retract rather than relying on a resident to remember to close them at dusk.
• The valley carries the region's densest heritage stock. Franschhoek has the tightest concentration of restored Huguenot cottages and Cape Dutch gabled farmhouses of any Winelands belt, many still carrying their original French farm names. Deep-set sash windows on these properties suit timber venetians far better than a roller or an aluminium slat.
• Newer guest-cottage architecture sits alongside it. Boutique wine-estate guest accommodation built more recently tends toward the same double-volume glass the rest of the basin favours, which is where concealed blinds and external venetians do their best work.

What we typically fit here

Timber venetians on restored homestead sash windows, external venetians or concealed blinds on newer guest-cottage glass, and awnings or zip screens on tasting terraces and guest verandas — all with the evening-wind sensor spec non-negotiable given the valley's nightly katabatic pattern.