Regulations

What Are You Required to Do with the NHBRC as an Owner Builder? All new homes, by law, have to be registered with the NHBRC, some RDP houses are exempt from this. As an owner builder you may apply for an exemption from the Housing Consumer Protection Measures Act with …

What Is the SABS? What Does the SABS Do? The South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) was established in terms of the Standards Act, 1945 (Act No. 24 of 1945) and now operates under the latest edition of the Standards Act, 2008 (Act No. 29 of 2008). This national body …

Here is a Classic Film Clip on How to Build a House This film clip that was made back in 1946 on how to build a house is a must watch for anyone contemplating doing any sort of building. Even though it was made so many years ago the process …

House Plan Submissions – What is the Process? The City of Cape Town have created an easy to follow infographic to explain how the process of house plan submissions work. Plans cannot be submitted by post or on-line, they have to be “walked through” personally by the owner or his …

We Rely on Regulations Building regulations, and both international and national standards, are fundamental to successful building and construction projects, both big and small. It doesn’t matter whether you are building a garden shed out of timber, a modest family home from bricks and mortar, a skyscraper made by pouring …

Definitions that are used in the Home Building Industry Words and definitions that are used in the home building industry are sometimes a little difficult to understand what is meant. Here we have a list of some terms that are used with an explanation of what it is the person …

 An A to Z list of Environmental phrases and words Thanks to the City of Cape Town for providing the basis for this list to which we have added more entries. We will expand the list as and when we find more interesting and useful words and phrases. There is …

Building drywall system is not environmentally friendly The American timber and drywall construction method is brought under the spotlight in a Wikipedia entry “Drywall”. You just have to look at the sulfur dioxide emmission figures never mind the mercury released during manufacture. It appears that this method is NOT good …

A garden structure is not just a wendy house. I am just going to post a few pictures of things in the garden including a wooden shed or two so that you can get a few good ideas. Here is a small wooden shed that I built for a step-by-step …

ELECTRICS & LIGHTING – WHAT’S INVOLVED Electricity and Electronics are Related Fields. While both these related fields are specialised and take considerable training to be tackled in their entirety, there are projects involving both electrics and electronics that anyone with a reasonable aptitude and understanding can tackle. These range from …

Clearing The Site – Getting Ready To Build Preparation is a vital part of any job in the construction industry, because if site preparation is not correctly done it can jeopardise the building project. Site clearing operations must also be safe so that there is no chance of anybody being …

Site Safety during Demolition-Part E If you have to do some demolition work before you build, Part E is the section of the National Building Regulations that you need to familiarise yourself with. But really all it states is common sense and caution.There are only three elements that are covered: …

Even at Home Public Safety is Paramount-Part D All home owners have a responsibility to people who visit their homes, or members of the public who are able to access their homes. According to the National Building Regulations we must be concerned specifically with: changes in level, pedestrian entrances to …