Garage at the top, house at the bottom
Clifton's houses drop down the slope from Victoria Road to the beaches, and the garage is at road level with the house several flights of stairs below it. That means the door is the front door for most purposes, and a door stuck at night is a house cut off from its cars and an emergency. It also means a remote that reaches from Victoria Road and a receiver with the range for it, and a motor's manual release that the household actually knows how to use.
Spray, and the specification
The doors face the open Atlantic and get spray, not air. Motor boards corrode, cables rust through, bottom panels go from the edge. Every steel part is specified in stainless, the panel edge is sealed, and the motor is on a service interval rather than waited on — because a Clifton door that is fitted like a suburban one is replaced every few years.
Getting here
Clifton is minutes from the city along Victoria Road, and parking on the road in season is the only delay. Bantry Bay, Camps Bay and Fresnaye share the routes. Discretion is arranged as a matter of course.