Cut into the cliff
Kalk Bay's houses climb the mountain behind the harbour, and their garages are cut into rock off Boyes Drive and the lanes above the Main Road — openings with almost no headroom, driveways that drop to the road, and no room for a tip-up to swing. A roll-up that coils into a barrel is usually the only door that fits, made to the opening's actual size. The cottages along the Main Road have heritage frontages where a bare steel sectional is the wrong door and a timber tip-up kept and automated in place suits the street.
Spray from the harbour
The doors face False Bay across the harbour wall and get spray in a south-easter, and every steel part that was fitted in standard finish is rusting. Stainless guides, fixings and cables, a sealed panel edge and a motor on a service interval is the specification, and a door fitted like a suburban one is replaced every few years.
Getting here
Kalk Bay is a real drive along the Main Road, with parking in the village the only delay. St James, Fish Hoek and Muizenberg share the routes, and an emergency is attended at the honest window.