Creative Home Design This imposing house was designed by well-known international architect Giovanni D’Ambrosio and is set in the popular winter skiing region of Australia in the State of Victoria’s mountain countryside near Mount Hotham. To integrate the house with its surroundings the architect has used organic materials. Wood, stone, metal and glass are all…
Picture Above: A freshly placed concrete slab still wet on the top surface Cold Weather and Foundations The surrounding local temperature has a big effect on the setting time of cold concrete. The steps to take with foundations during cold weather are outlined below: Chemical Reaction Hydration is the chemical reaction when cement and water…
A Concrete Placing Guide Cast Your foundations This guide will help owner-builders to cast the foundations. These foundations are for external brick walls around a new house, or for extensions of an existing house. THE NHBRC (National Homebuilders Association Council) requirements for house foundations: For single-story buildings with tiled or sheeted roofs in stable soil conditions, the…
About the NHBRC The National Home Builders Registration Council (The NHBRC) was established in 1998 as a regulatory body for the home building industry. Their mandate is to protect house-building consumers and to make sure that building industry standards and regulations are followed. Their stated aim is to protect housing consumers who use contractors who…
How to Build a Container House Mads Møller of Arcgency is an Architectural office situated in Copenhagen, Denmark. Has come up with a container house concept as he says is using “Old shipping containers used as the structural framework for the WFH-Huse. This is not just recycling; This is upcycling!” The WFH concept is a modular…
Picture Above: A wide open kitchen in contrasting light and dark colors. Great Kitchen Layout and Design Ideas The kitchen, say the experts, will sell the house: an axiom that can’t be proved but which nevertheless rings very true. It is part of today’s house that, more than any other, will yield handsome dividends on…
A Table for Concrete Mixes by Weight in Kilograms, by Bag, and by Cubic Meter, for Various Strengths We have had numerous requests for concrete mix ratios by weight, by volume, and by mass. Here is a table that was released by the Cement and Concrete Institute for trial concrete mixes from 10MPa to 40MPa….
By-Law Definitions for Planning, Building and Zoning These definitions are mainly, but not exclusively, extracted from the Greater Metropolitan Area of Cape Town’s By-Laws Planning and Zoning definitions and explanations. They do and can relate to terms and phrases used nationally by other Municipalities and planning departments. We will be adding to them on an…
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 using it means. Some of…
How to contact your Local Authority and Municipality in your District Here is the most up-to-date National Municipality Contact list 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…
Consolidated Johannesburg Town Planning Scheme, 2011 Download the Johannesburg Town Planning Scheme document below We have included this Johannesburg Town Planning Scheme document to assist you with accessing the the correct information so that you can make the right decisions when it comes to planning any construction, building and renovation or the purchase of property…
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 a link to the City…
What the National Building Regulations say about Alterations and Additions to Existing Buildings In general, the National Building Regulations are not retroactive in their application. This means that if you are making alterations and additions. a building, you won’t have to ensure that the entire building complies with new regulations that have been imposed since…
Environmental Sustainability &Energy Usage in Buildings-Part X & XA In 2011, in an endeavour to make our buildings more sustainable, and to decrease energy usage in South Africa, a new part was added to SANS 10400, The application of the National Building Regulations. Part X deals with environmental sustainability, and Part XA deals with energy…
Temporary Buildings Must be Authorizedby the Local Authority What the term “temporary building” means
Building Masonry Arches Masonry arches can add immense character to homes, both internally and when used as part of the architectural style of the building. For instance in the house under construction on the left, large arched windows follow the same shape as the arched entrance that will welcome those entering the home. But building…
Electric Cables – What is Legal We get a lot of questions about which electric cables are legal and how they must be installed. So here is a brief rundown of the different types of legal cabling available and the way an installation could be done. There are various accepted methods and we illustrate a…
Below is a list of all tools and what they are used for in house construction Here is a list of common tools used in home construction along with brief descriptions of what they’re used for: Note that this is not an exhaustive list, and there are many other tools that can be used in…
A to Z Glossary of Definitions and Terms Used in the National Building Regulations Code of Practice Every industry has terms and definitions that are specific to that industry, and the building industry is no exception. This glossary of National Building Regulations definitions forms part of the National Building Regulations and Building Standards Act (Act…
Innovative home design, building and decorating ideas. This is where we will post a selection of good innovative building and home design ideas for you as well as decorating ideas for your house as we find them and pass them on. Western Home Awards explore and give out awards after every couple of years to the best…
Rapid Urban Decay in Jozi Blamed on Illegal Building The City of Johannesburg has lost control of town-planning infringements, according to an article published in The Star newspaper at the beginning of February 2013. It seems they simply can’t stop them from happening. The Accusations In the article, Ros Greeff, the City’s member of the…
Concrete Mixes & Batch Ratios For Different Applications The basic techniques that will enable you to cast a foundation or slab are relatively straightforward. The secret to success lies largely in the correct concrete mixes and quantities being mixed together in the concrete mixes you use. Although the principles of mixing concrete and mortar are…
Fenestration and Glazing Guidelines, Procedures, and Calculations. Window area guidelines below The guidelines featured in the pdf below give an idea to anyone wanting to calculate the Fenestration Compliance Procedures in terms of Sans 10400-XA:2011 and SANS 204:2011, what is required, and what is involved. Step-by-step There is a step-by-step guide to area (nett floor)…
01 – Glazing for Safety and Security Glazing is a vital construction element in our homes and other buildings. It is important to know how to use the right type of glass, in the right place, to make sure that our buildings are secure and to ensure that people don’t get injured in accidents involving…
Concrete Slab Step-by-Step Whether you are casting concrete for foundation footings to support a simple timber structure, or for a solid slab that will form the floor of a garden building to be built from wood, the principles are exactly the same. Of course, if the concrete slab is to act as a foundation, it…
