Tag Archives: building regulations

How Construction Laws, National Building Regulations and South African National Standards Affect Homeowners Prior to 1985, various provinces and municipalities in South Africa had their own construction laws and regulations which, although similar, were not the same. Over a period of years a committee of experts, including architects, builders, developers, and the Bureau of Standards …

NHBRC Review of the Technical Requirements A major revision of the Technical Requirements and Home Building Manual will affect the home builders and may affect the rights of housing consumers and those engaged in the housing supply chain. Housing consumers and key players in the housing industry will therefore also …

NHBRC Review of the Warranty Scheme The NHBRC recently embarked upon a review process of the Warranty Scheme which will result in three new documents being published, namely a set of Technical Requirements for issue as regulations by the Minister in terms of the Act; a Home Building Manual containing …

NHBRC Suspends the Payment of House Enrolment Fees-PA003 The National Home Builders Registration Council (NHBRC) announced at the beginning of November 2013 that the home registration fees, that must be paid on all new houses, will no longer be allowed to be included in the first progress payment that is …

Engineers Design Buildings for a Purpose Engineers around the world will design a structure based on the brief given to them by a developer. The basis for any good design is to have a structure that is “fit for the purpose” for which it is intended. Most international building codes, …

How to contact your Local Authority and Municipality in your District   We get requests almost on a daily basis about “How do I  contact my local Municipality?”,  “Where is my local Authority?”, “Where do I take my plans?”, “Where can I contact the building Inspector?” Well here is the …

A List of Definitions and Terms Used in Town Planning Schemes Includes Land Use and Zonings Terms The Johannesburg metropolitan area is the largest, most diverse and most cosmopolitan in South Africa, so we have based this list on definitions from their Town Planning document, see: town-planning-scheme-jhb. These are not …

Building Regulations Section 3: Part R to Part X & XA As there are a total 23 Parts to the SANS 10400 Building Regulations we have divided them into three sections to improve the ease of navigation. The order in which the different Parts of the regulations are displayed follows …

A to Z Glossary of Definitions and Terms Used in the National Building Regulation Code of Practice   Every industry has terms and definitions that are specific to that industry, and the building industry is no exception. These Building Regulation definitions form part of the National Building Regulations and Building …

Understanding what’s Underfoot The type of floors specified in building plans will determine the materials required as well as which sub-contractors or specialists are going to be involved in the building project. There are many floor coverings and floor finishes for our homes and buildings, but in construction there are only …

Some Good Reasons to Owner Build The Pros and Cons of Owner Building: A personal review After updating our ever-popular title, The Complete Book of Owner Building in South Africa (published in 2012 – see book cover, left-bottom right), we were left wondering whether owner building really is a good idea or …

Building Regulations Section 2: Part J to Part Q As there are a total 23 Parts to the SANS 10400 Building Regulations we have divided them into three sections to improve the ease of navigation. The order in which the different Parts of the regulations are displayed follows the same …

Building Regulations Section 1: Part A to Part H As there are a total 23 Parts to the SANS 10400 Building Regulations we have divided them into three sections to improve the ease of navigation. The order in which the different Parts of the regulations are displayed follows the same …

Living in a House With High Ceilings Personally I enjoy living in a house with high ceilings. They add a sense of spaciousness, at the same time allowing a greater amount of air to circulate around the room. Although of course this means nothing unless there is adequate thermal insulation …

Design, Planning and Supervision of All Construction Work Must Follow a Legal Process Each section of SANS 10400, the Code of Practice for The application of the National Building Regulations (NBR) is presented with the relevant extract from the building regulations (which is law), and is then followed by a …

Building Regulations Part-U Refuse Disposal Part-U of the SANS 10400 Refuse disposal states that ‘Any building, excluding a dwelling house’ that has refuse generated in that building will provide ‘adequate’ storage areas for rubbish containers. Over and above this the planning and building must provide access from the street so …

Building Regulations that Apply to Floors-Part J The Application of the National Building Regulations that apply to floors (Part J of SANS 10400) are certainly not exhaustive. In fact, if you think of how much of our house is floor, it’s what we might, in South Africa, describe as a biekie …

Regulations for Foundations-Part H A Focus on Safety Foundations, Part H, of any structure, large or small, must be built to safely transmit all loads of the building to the ground. If foundations are not correctly built, walls may crack and at worst, could even collapse. While the National Building …

Safety and Stability When Doing Excavations Are Top Priorities – Part G Excavations are not always necessary when we build our homes, but it often is, even if the ground is reasonably flat and level. Part G of the National Building Regulations deals with excavations and their safety. The Importance …

Building Regulations that Relate to Site Operations – Part F Site operations must be carried out in a safe, responsible manner. It is for this reason that Part F: Site Operations of the National Building Regulations specifies how the public and property belonging to the local authority must be safeguarded. …

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 …