Home Additions, 6 Things To Consider
Alterations and Additions to Your Home
Picture©: Janek Szymanowski
There are so many changes that have been made to the National Building Regulations in recent years that homeowners may be forgiven for wondering what is and what is not allowed in terms of altering and making home additions.
Some of the greatest concerns relate to the new energy laws and regulations in the form of SANS 10400X (2011) and SANS 204 (2011). For instance, many homeowners wanting to make home additions and extend their home or alter certain aspects of it are concerned that these home additions will become much more substantial because they have to worry about fenestration issues.
Fenestration in Homes
Fenestration, of course means any glazed opening in the “building envelope”, including doors, windows and skylights and can be seen as home additions.
The fenestration area as a whole is that part of the house that includes glazing and framing elements (in other words door and window frames as well as the glass) that are fixed or movable (can be opened), and opaque, translucent or transparent (which broadly describes the different types of glass or glazing possibilities).
Issues relating to fenestration include solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC) which is the ratio of the heat gain that enters the space through the fenestration area to the incident (or amount of) solar radiation (which is reflected and direct). Specifically:
- Buildings with up to 15% fenestration area to net floor area on each floor (or storey) must comply with the minimum energy performance requirements specified in the regulations.
- Buildings with a fenestration area to net floor area on each floor (or storey) that exceeds 15% must comply with the requirements for fenestration in accordance with SANS 204.
- All fenestration air infiltration must comply with SANS 613: Fenestration products – Mechanical performance criteria.
While it’s certainly in your own interests to do what you can to ensure that your home complies with the regulations as they apply to fenestration, it is not normally mandatory when you are doing alterations and home additions to existing buildings. In the case of home additions, you will normally need to comply.
Alterations and Home Additions to Existing Buildings
While the National Building Regulations and deemed-to-satify South African National Standards – specifically SANS 10400 – do not deal with alterations and additions as such, there is a section within Part A, General Principles and Requirements that is explicit in terms of what is expected of you as a homeowner.
This section (B.11) states that while in general the National Building Regulations “are not retroactive in application, a problem might arise when alterations or additions are carried out on buildings that have been erected in compliance with earlier building by-laws.
New vs Old Regulations
“In the case of an addition it might be possible to treat the new portion as an entirely separate part which can be designed to comply with the National Building Regulations without having any effect on the original portion of the building.” This clearly refers to the regulations that have been introduced progressively since the National Building Regulations and Building Standards Act 103 of 1977 was dramatically amended in 2008.
“In the case of an alteration, this will seldom be so and it therefore becomes necessary to ask to what extent that part of the building which is not to be altered should comply with the National Building Regulations. This might be particularly pertinent in the application of fire regulations where escape route requirements, for instance, tend to be more stringent.”
While the regulations don’t refer to energy issues here, they certainly are relevant.
Health & Safety
“It is obvious that a pragmatic and essentially practical approach is necessary. In terms of the functional regulations every attempt shall be made to ensure the safety and health of the occupants of the building, but this should be within the context of what might be practical and economically sound in an old building.”
Cost Factor
Cost is also a vital factor. If you as a homeowner are going to be forced to make extensive changes just because you are adding on a room, or fitting a sliding door where there are currently windows, it’s going to put you off making the changes.
“If an owner or entrepreneur cannot alter a building to suit his purpose at a cost which will enable him to have a reasonable economic return, he will probably not alter the building at all. This could lead to the perpetuation of a situation which might be dangerous but one which is in compliance with old by-laws and is thus perfectly legal. Such a situation could often be considerably improved by making certain changes that are practical and economically sound even though they would not provide the same standard as would be expected in a new building.
“Both the owner and the local authority will have to consider what they are trying to achieve with the Regulations and the answer should be tempered by the knowledge of what is reasonable and practical to require of an existing building.”
Which is why we always advise people to consult with their local authority. If decisions are unreasonable there are recourses for you to take.
Hi
I want to replace a bedroom window with a sliding door. Do I need approval of plans to do this, especially since the width will remain the same, but I will be removing the bricks below the window to make vertical space for the sliding door.
My Mother received a house from the municipality in December 2019. She died in December 2020 and in life my Mom told all of her children that I will get the house should she die. She did not have a will. To date we also have not received a transfer deed from the municipality (as was promised) prior to the old folks receiving the keys to their houses.
We want to build vibracrete and a boundary wall for security around the house. May we do so without a plan?
Hi Penny
I bought a 3 bedroom house 6yrs ago and the house need more attention now ,so l was thinking of demolishing it and built a new 4 bedroom double storey. Please assist with the requirements and the cost .How long does this take to get any approval from the council.
hi
we would like to make an outdoor patio using the outer wall of the garage ,extended outwards into the garden, held up by two pillars. wapadrand area , pretoria east
Hi, we are doing extensive renovations of an existing home. We have removed all the wooden windows and replaced with double glazed aluminium. Do I need to get any certificates of compliance? And if yes from whom. Thanks.
House circa 1971. Adding a shower of 1.5m(L) x 1m(W) x 2.3m (H) to an existing outside toilet. No extension to roof as it fits under the existing eaves. Closing off outside entrance and breaking thru to master to turn this into a small en suite.
Architect tells me for this small addition I have to convert to solar geyser? I only have 1 electrical geyser in the house as there is only 1 bathroom now. A geyser conversion will add 40% to the building cost! Why should I comply to new regulations for a) such an old house and b) such a small job?
hi I want to build on top of my excising home using log house timber. Can I do this? What approvals do I need?
Good day
I have a 6m x 6m free standing double garage, with own plumbing and with electricity running through own DB board.The walls of the garage are double bricked.
Can I put i wooden wendy house / structure on top of this garage, and would one need plans
Pleased to hear
Hi Leonie, any building that is going to be occupied/lived in by a person will need plans.
You will need approved plans for the garage.
hi I want to build the garage and wall fence, enxtend my house about 500m. I must involve the municipality first for approval
Complex rules and regulations are in addition to the National Building Regs
Extensions are not the responsibility of the NHBRC.
I recently bought an upstairs unit in a complex. Each block in my complex has four units, two upstairs and two downstairs units. I have an open balcony that is 2m x 4m in size. I would like to cover this balcony as it is of no real value to me without a roof, the Pretoria weather is either too hot or too cold. The board of trustees informed me that I will have to submit plans to the council for this. However, section 13 (1) of the National Building Act, Act 103 of 1977 makes provision for certain minor alterations to be done without plans being submitted. what is the correct procedure here?
Hi Penny, we are busy with extensions and because we do not have to enroll the house with NHBRC, the inspectors do not come to inspect. My argument with the contractor is how is effecting the extensions. Is it acceptable by the NHBRC to make a straight joint between the old house and the new house. please advise.
PM
Unfortunately we are not in a position to carry out inspections. This is simply an informative web site.
Do I need planning permission for a wooden container to be installed and used as a bedroom on my property?
I WOULD LIKE YOU PEOPLE MUST INVESTIGATE THESE PROPERTIES IT NOT FAIR TO US SEE HOW THE PEOPLE MAKING MONEY AND THEIR IS NO PLANS FOR THE BUILDING BUILD ONTO
You should be building according to approved plans. What do these show?
Your best bet is to try and track previous owners and see if they have plans. In the meantime put the municipality on the spot and tell them you will draw up plans for the extension with the existing house indicated as already built.
Hi, I am building outside rooms at my house and the inspector says my outside rooms have to touch the neighbor’s back rooms Isn’t that against safety regulations or fire safety regulations?
Hi. I want to make an extension to my existing house. I have requested a copy of my existing plans from our local municipality. They had put a request through and oftet a week replied that there are no plans of my existing house on the system. What can I do. Is the only option to re do the whole house plan at my cost
Not without permission because you are changing the function. You may also require permission from your neighbour.
Hi please help. I would like to convert my garage into a bedroom and entertainment area/ second lounge. i have a sliding door in the back of my garage and there is another door that leads to my lounge. My garage is joined to the neighbours garage am i allowed to replace the garage door with a sliding door as well
He’s way out of line and clearly doesn’t know the law. First of all you would have required approved plans to convert the garage into a granny flat – not a letter from council. Secondly, NHBRC registration is only required for NEW houses, not for extensions and additions. You could always offer to remove the sliding door and put the garage door (or a garage door) back in place! And he’s going to find it very difficult to hold you responsible for fines that may be issued.
We are renting a property for the last 2 years now. In the first year I got permission from the owner to convert the garage and out building into a granny flat. He never informed us that we need a letter from the council ans that the builder must be registerd at the NHBRC. The only alterations we made made is putting a sliding door in where the the garage door was. The garage had a back door and we put up a outer 2 layer wall linking garage and out building. Now that we want to move out he is requisting a letter from the council and the NHBRC certificate. Can he hold us liable for any fines that he may have as he wants to sell his house now.
Debra, the National Building Regulations and Building Standards Act of 1977 was most recently amended in May 2008 and the amendments were major. Furthermore, the “deemed to satisfy” rules which are presented in SANS 10400 – and discussed in detail on this website – were published progressively from 2008 until 2011. So there is absolutely no doubt that your plans will be out of date, particularly in terms of the new energy regulations.