SANS 10400

Official Town Planning Scheme 2011 – JHB

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…

Environmental A to Z

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…

Building & Alterations | Building Plans | House building | NHBRC | SANS 10400X & XA

Alterations & Additions

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…

Owner Building | Regulations | SANS 10400

Is Drywall Destroying the Environment?

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 emission figures never mind the mercury released during manufacture. It appears that this method is NOT good for our environment and Americans…

Energy Usage & Sustainability (SANS 10400X & XA)

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…

Garden structures | Home Design Ideas | Landscaping | Minor Building Work | Regulations

A Garden Structure

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 book on garden structures. A…

Competent Person | Municipality | SANS10400-NBR (SA) | Stormwater disposal | Water supply and drainage for buildings

Stormwater Disposal

Stormwater Disposal-Part R, What the Regulations Say Property owners are responsible for the removal of stormwater from their property. They may NOT simply discharge excess water onto adjacent land or into the street unless this is permitted by neighbors and/or the local council or municipality. SANS 10400: Part R Stormwater Disposal The law is very…

Electrics | Owner Building | Regulations

Electrics & Lighting

ELECTRICS & LIGHTING – WHAT’S INVOLVED Electrics & Lighting & 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 wiring a plug…

Energy Use In Buildings, World-class

Part XA – Energy Use In Buildings Energy Use in Buildings in South Africa: A Focus on SANS 10400-XA Energy consumption in buildings is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and a major driver of climate change. In South Africa, the energy use in buildings is regulated by the South African National Standard (SANS) 10400-XA:…

Site Clearing

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 injured. Before you can start…

Building contraventions | House building | National Building Regulations (SA) | National Standards | NHBRC

8 FAQ About the NHBRC

The NHBRC – Frequently Asked Questions and Answers (Q&A’S) The NHBRC used to have a page with a number of Q&A’s (questions and answers) that we now give you on this website. The most common questions and answers we have listed here below. We must point out to all homeowners and potential homeowners, as well…

Sustainable Homes

By PENNY SWIFT Are you Ready to go Green? South Africa, as a country, has been incredibly slow to take up the challenge of sustainable living. Yet we really do need to embrace this challenge and build using sustainable materials and sustainable methods, so that we have sustainable homes. We also need to live a…

SANS 10400 Governs the Design, planning and supervision of all construction work 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 the law), and is then followed by a general commentary explaining how the…

Be Your Own Project Manager

Take Charge of Your Home Building Venture as Project Manager Anybody who is serious about owner building will want to have a degree of control to ensure that the project stays on track. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to be hands-on. Taking on the role of project manager simply means that you are…

Building & Alterations | Facilities for disabled persons | National Building Regulations (SA) | National Standards | SANS10400-NBR (SA)

Facilities for Disabled People

The Importance of Facilities forDisabled People in our Buildings-Part S The National Building Regulations and Building Standards Act was amended and published by the Department of Trade and Industry in May 2008. Some parts of the Act were affected more than others; some changed very little. Part S, which deals with facilities for disabled people…

Pros and Cons of Owner Building

A Review Based on Personal Experience Having just finished totally updating the ever-popular title, The Complete Book of Owner Building in South Africa I am left wondering whether owner building is a good idea or not. We’ve completed the exercise three times, and not once made any money, or in fact, even got our money…

House building | National Building Regulations (SA) | NHBRC | Owner Building

The NHBRC – 5 elements

1. The NHBRC gives protection against shoddy workmanship The NHBRC was established in terms of the Housing Consumers Protection Measures Act, 1998 to regulate the building industry and protect home buyers against shoddy workmanship. Motivation at the time was largely charged by fly-by-night-builders who were conning people all over the country. There was undoubtedly a…

Structural Design – 5 headings

All buildings must have a strong, serviceable, stable and durable design-Part B Why do you suppose we need structural design professionals to be involved in every aspect of building processes? I’ve thought about this often, since we’ve done a load of DIY projects that involve building, and we have seldom had professionals help us. But…

House building | National Building Regulations (SA) | NHBRC | SANS10400-NBR (SA)

Dimensions

Every Room Must be Fit for Purpose-Part C The National Building Regulations (NBR) are not prescriptive when it comes to the dimensions or size of rooms and buildings. However it is vital that the size of any room or space is fit for the purpose for which it was intended. In the case of a…

SANS 10400 General Principles & Requirements

House building | National Building Regulations (SA) | National Standards | NHBRC | SANS10400-NBR (SA)

Requirements & General Principles Part A

Design, Planning and Supervision of All Construction Work Must Follow a Legal Process Requirements for 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 general commentary explaining…

Fire | Municipality | National Building Regulations (SA) | National Standards | SANS10400-NBR (SA)

Fire Installation

National Building Regulations Part W – Fire Installation Part W of the SANS 10400 Building Regulations is intended to keep people and property safe in the event of a fire. These have to be inspected and approved by the local authority and permission needs to be granted before any water fire fighting system is connected…

Space Heating

Chimneys, Flues, Hearths and Fireplaces Used for Space Heating-Part V Anyone searching through the National Building Regulations for information about chimneys and flues, hearths and fireplaces, might go straight to the part that deals with Fire Protection. The next step would probably to look through the part that deals with Walls – after all chimneys…

Municipality | National Building Regulations (SA) | National Standards | SANS10400-NBR (SA)

Refuse Disposal

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 that the containers can be…

Fire | National Building Regulations (SA) | safety | SANS10400-NBR (SA)

Fire Protection

What SANS 10400: Part T – Fire Protection Says What the Act Says Essentially the legislation is concerned quite simply with the need for all buildings to be designed, constructed and equipped so that in the event of fire: The requirements of the Act will be deemed to have been satisfied if the design, construction and…

Bathrooms | National Building Regulations (SA) | Plumbing | SANS10400-NBR (SA)

Non-Water-Borne Sanitary Disposal

Non-Water-Borne Waste Disposal-Part Q The SANS 10400-Part Q deals with the sanitary waste and the healthy handling and treatment of effluent when there is no water-borne sewage system available in a particular area. Health is the major factor when it comes to effluent and any pathogens, pollutants or contaminants must not affect the user of…