If there was ever a good time to have bought shares in a building supplies enterprise, it would be now. All indicators show that South African homeowners are adding-on rooms, renovating, DIY-ing and generally upgrading their homes. Just look around your neighbourhood for the proof. Or try to find parking outside Builders Warehouse on a Saturday morning!
If you’re one of these homeowners, and you’re doing actual construction work on your property, you’ll have discovered that building rarely goes 100% according to plan. However, the upfront planning is a critical phase, and it starts with getting permission to build.
Section 4(1) of the National Building Regulations and Buildings Standards Act no. 103 of 1977 makes it law that you must have planning permission before building, renovating or extending your home. Regulations around this are broadly-speaking the same in all provinces, although there may be stricter rules in protected areas like natural bush estates or heritage buildings, and if you live in a sectional title complex, you’ll also have to abide by the body corporate’s rules.
Compliance 101
No domestic construction work, whether on a new build or an upgrade, will be approved by any local council authority unless the building plans have been submitted by a registered professional with the SA Council for the Architectural Profession (SACAP). All building plans must have been drawn up and submitted by a SACAP-registered architect, senior architectural technologist, architectural technologist, or draughts person.
Design 101
A registered architect will know whether your Pinterest boards can be interpreted through design, and also if they’re legal.
Submission 101
Applications are submitted to municipalities’ Town Planning departments to determine whether the proposed build is in-line with the permitted zoning/use of the site. Then, the plans go to the Building Inspectorate, where all aspects of the building elements are scrutinised, including the foundation and building specifications.
After your building plans have been approved, you still need permissions before you can start with the construction work. Your town council will issue a building inspector’s form that outlines all inspection stages, and it’s critical that these are followed to the T. Without inspections at the predefined intervals, you can’t get an occupation certificate, and it’s illegal to occupy a building without one.
The buck stops here
If you’ve done major renovations or construction without plans, a building inspector may enter your property without your permission and stop construction. You may be allowed to complete the process of getting plans approved before construction can restart, or you may be issued with a court order to demolish the structure at your own expense, in which case you would also be liable for any associated legal costs. In some cases, you may be fined or even receive a prison term.
After finishing a renovation, you should have your home revalued to make sure that it’s insured for the correct sum, and so that you can apply for additional finance through your home loan if you need the funding. An up-to-date valuation is also obviously a prerequisite if you want to sell your property.
Then, you can kick-back in your brand-new braai room and start Pinterest-ing ideas for extending your bathroom.
