SANS10400-Building Regulations South Africa SANS10400 are the Building regulations in South Africa, and both international and national standards, are fundamental to successful building and construction projects, both big and small.

Eskom to push ahead with maintenance despite load-shedding

Eskom currently supplies more than 5 million households with electricity. The rest get their electricity from their local municipality. Eskom and municipal schedules often differ, even in the same regions. These are some of the most common questions consumers, including our readers, ask about load shedding.  Please note that these …

An impressive array of solar panels on the roof of a home – pic from Pixabay Will Solar Panels Add Value to Your Home? By PENNY SWIFT As a homeowner, there’s a good chance that you want to increase the resale value of your home. You’ve upgraded your kitchen, added …

Candles for light and gas for cooking during load shedding. Pic © Penny Swift Load Shedding Is Not Acceptable so Why Does It Happen? By PENNY SWIFT Load shedding is not acceptable to me or to most people who live in South Africa. But the irony is that it isn’t …

The South African Government has confirmed its commitment to net-zero emission by 2050, even though it continues to rely on coal for the bulk of its energy needs.  This is what President Cyril Ramaphosa said in his 2021 State of the Nation Address (SONA) about net-zero emissions and renewable energy, …

By  PENNY SWIFT As the cash-strapped South African power utility, Eskom, struggles to meet the country’s ever-growing electricity demand, the Government has confirmed its commitment to comply with the 2015 Paris Agreement’s goals for 2050. But to reach its goal, there will need to be immense innovation and urgent action …

Annual Builders’ Holidays changes December 2020 to January 2021 2020 has seen a major upheaval in terms of many of the normal functions in the building industry because of the Covid-19 Coronavirus pandemic. After months of not being able to operate, the usually welcome idea of the traditional shut-down over …

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You Can Reduce Your Energy Costs by up to 90% After signing up for “My Green Home” four years ago the Makalima-Ngewana family family saw their house in the middle-class suburb of Pinelands (a suburb of Cape Town) retrofitted with energy saving LED lights, low-flow showerheads and roof-top solar panels, …

Five 3D concrete houses planned for the Netherlands By this time next year a town in The Netherlands, Eindhoven, will have its first few 3D printed homes built and ready for people to live in. There are a few companies working together with Eindhoven University of Technology and the local …

Danger of Tree Damage to Walls & Foundations – SANS 10400-H Annex-D Cracks and damage to walls and foundations are caused primarily by soils that contract and expand due to moisture content when the soil absorbs water and swells up and then shrinks when it dries out. This puts pressure on …

Can you spot the electric fence violations in this picture? We spotted this electric fence installation recently and were shocked to think that a compliance certificate might have been issued. The alternative is that the owners or administrators of the wall used an unqualified electric fence installer, in which case …

Roofs come in all shapes and forms, ranging from “flat” concrete roofs to steeply pitched roofs. Some roofs are tiled while others types of roofing is finished with sheeting of various types. Thatch is also used for roofing, though the structure of rafters and beams is completely different to that …

Penny Swift Electricity is a charged subject that often shocks those who don’t realize how important compliance is. Just look at all the illegal electrical connections looming over informal settlements. Notice people on social media asking who can do electrical jobs cheaply. Do they even realize that only qualified, registered …

By JANEK SZYMANOWSKI Every time a water pipe bursts, there’s a good chance that the municipality will rake in thousands of rands from false water meter readings. This is because air passing through consumers’ water meters and water pipes gives false readings that are charged automatically on all water bills. …

What is a Contractors All Risk Insurance policy? Contractor’s All Risk Insurance is a policy which insures the principal/employer and covers the contract works undertaken by the contractor and sub contractors. CivilSure offers 2 types of Contractor’s All Risk Insurance policies: 1. Contractors All Risk Once Off This Contractor’s Insurance …

The NHBRC CAN Send You to Jail. If you are in the home building industry then this is a must read. Here are some important things you and housing consumers should take into consideration regarding the NHBRC and how it will affect your home building process. The National Home Builders …

New Electric Fence Legislation Sends Shock Waves throughout South Africa Penny Swift, 23 June, 2013 When the regulations regarding an electric fence were changed in 2011, nobody paid much attention. But now that the authorities are enforcing the regulations, people are totally shocked and all fired up. Yesterday a homeowner …

How Do I Register to Download? We get a number of questions from our viewers as to how to register to download documents. Here is a brief explanation with a few screenshots that we hope will help you get the documents that you would like to download. Firstly on our …

    By PENNY SWIFT The City of Cape Town recently ordered builders to halt construction of a Gordon’s Bay house because the project did not comply with the National Building Regulations (NBR). In fact work has been stopped several times, and only after repeated complaints over a period of …

Councils Must be Ruthless with Restricting Occupation of Unsafe Buildings I think it must be terrifying to be woken at 04:00 in the morning by a thunderclap that makes the whole building shudder. Then, in a confused state, you realise your bed’s still shaking and, no, it wasn’t thunder, it …

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 …

The Implications of Selling a House Without Approved Plans If you are selling your house, and don’t have approved plans, you could find yourself in a lot of trouble. And if you are buying a house, and don’t ask whether the seller has approved plans, you might end up inheriting …

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 …