Builders in Parow for Older Homes, Hillside Houses and Townhouses
Parow takes its name from Captain Johann Heinrich Ferdinand Parow, whose schooner was stranded in Table Bay during the great storm of 1865. He stayed, bought land in the Tygerberg valley and sold it off in plots, and a village management board followed in 1902. Today Parow covers a wide stretch of the northern suburbs, from the shops and offices along Voortrekker Road to Parow East, Parow North, Parow Valley, Glenlily, Churchill Estate and Avondale, and up the slopes of the Tygerberg to Panorama, Welgelegen and Plattekloof.
With houses that old, what is behind the plaster matters as much as the plans, so we look before we price. Around The House Building Services takes on renovations, extensions, roofing, damp repair and paving in Parow; our services page lists the rest.
What Our Builders in Parow Do
The work we are most often asked to do in Parow includes:
- Home renovations: kitchens, bathrooms and knocking through between the small kitchen and dining room of a 1950s house.
- Extensions and additions: extra bedrooms, garden flats, enlarged kitchens, covered patios and second storeys.
- Roofing and waterproofing: tiled and corrugated iron roof repairs, re-roofing, and flat roof and parapet waterproofing.
- Plastering and painting: crack and damp repairs, re-plastering, and interior and exterior painting.
- Paving and walls: driveways, patios and raising old front boundary walls.
Renovating Older Houses: Builders in Parow North, Parow East and Parow Valley
The flatter parts of Parow, closer to Voortrekker Road, were built up through the middle of the last century. Parow North, Parow East, Parow Valley and the streets around Tygerberg Hospital are full of modest freestanding homes on reasonable plots, many of them still with their original layout of small separate rooms, a narrow kitchen and a single bathroom. These houses are popular with first-time buyers, and they are often bought with a plan to renovate.
When we open these houses up, a few problems come up again and again. Old galvanised plumbing has corroded. Roof timbers and battens have been patched over the years. Damp shows at the base of walls where the damp-proof course has failed or where paving outside has been laid higher than the floor inside. Cracks over doors and windows are common too, often where old steel lintels have rusted and expanded. Our guides on rising damp and cracks in walls explain what to look out for before you buy or renovate.
If something hidden turns up once the work starts, we stop, show you, and price the fix before carrying on. Our house renovation cost guide gives realistic 2026 figures if you are still setting a budget.
Parow Builders for Larger Homes in Panorama, Welgelegen and Plattekloof
Up the hill, the houses change. Panorama, Welgelegen and Plattekloof have larger homes on sloping plots, many with views across the city to Table Mountain. Renovations here usually mean modernising a 1970s or 1980s house: opening the kitchen to the living area, redoing bathrooms, adding a covered entertainment area or a pool deck, and reworking the outside of the house.
Sloping sites need more care. Retaining walls must have proper foundations and weep holes or drainage behind them so water does not build up and push them over. Hillside houses also take the full force of the winter weather, so their roofs and exposed walls tend to need attention sooner. Where structural work is involved, we bring in a structural engineer and build to their design.
Roofing, Waterproofing and Painting by Builders in Parow
Most of Parow’s older houses have tiled or corrugated iron roofs, and plenty of newer additions were finished with a flat concrete roof behind a parapet wall. Both age in predictable ways. Tiles crack and slip, ridge cement cracks, flashings rust through, and flat roofs pond water until the waterproofing fails. We find the cause of the leak before we fix it, rather than painting over the problem. If you are planning a roof job, our guide on preventing roof leaks before winter is worth reading first.
Exterior painting in Parow is mostly about preparation. We fill and seal cracks, treat damp areas and repair loose plaster before any paint goes on, otherwise the new coat fails within a year or two.
Extensions and Building Plans for Parow Renovations
Many Parow plots have space at the back for a bedroom, a bathroom or a garden flat, which is a common way to add rental income near the Tygerberg Hospital and the Bellville campuses. Any new room needs plans approved by the City of Cape Town, drawn by your architect or draughtsman. Our guide to building plans approval explains when plans are needed.
Parow Builders: Common Questions
Which parts of Parow do your builders cover?
All of them, including Parow Central, Parow North, Parow East, Parow Valley, Glenlily, Churchill Estate, Avondale, Panorama and Welgelegen.
Should I get a builder to look at a Parow house before I buy?
It is worth it on an older house. A walk-through will not replace a full inspection, but it can flag the expensive items, such as a roof near the end of its life, rising damp or old galvanised plumbing, before you make an offer.
Do I need plans for a garden flat in Parow?
Yes. A garden flat or any new room needs building plans approved by the City of Cape Town, and the zoning rules for second dwellings apply. We will tell you what is involved at the site visit and work with your draughtsman.
Can you fix damp and cracks in an older Parow house?
Yes. We find the cause first, whether that is a failed damp-proof course, built-up ground levels, a leaking pipe or soil movement, and then repair it properly. Where cracks point to structural movement, we get an engineer’s opinion before we price the repair.
How do I book a site visit with Parow builders?
Use the quote page or call 021 784 2663. Photos of any damp or cracks help us plan the visit.
Other areas we cover near Parow
Along Voortrekker Road we also work in Goodwood and Bellville, and further up the hill in Durbanville. Other suburbs are on our areas we serve page.