Good Ideas for home design
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 progressive home design ideas. A huge selection of buildings (including small, large houses and towers and other office buildings) are built each year worldwide based on many amazing ideas and designs. Here is number one in the small home design section. This small house is a single story and is located in California in the Three Rivers area. This was voted No. 1 in this category. The innovative design of this house amazed the judges and they appreciated the striking glazing work featured in this build.
Have a look at the list below or the tabs in the “Great Ideas” dropdown menu (above) and you will find ideas for various parts of the house that we hope will inspire you with your home building endevours.
Building materials, new and innovative
Lighting
Exterior look and finishes
Gates, fences and boundary walls
Entrances and front doors
Kitchens
Dining rooms and eating areas
Lounge, TV rooms and entertaining areas
Bedrooms
Bathrooms
Garden landscaping
Hi;
My little family are in the process of building a Subterranean Earth bermed Sandbag Dome house (Mouthful I know) to finish looking similar to this when done http://www.ecohomes500.com/images/underground-homes.jpg or here http://www.earthhomesnow.com/earthbag-homes.htm
We plan to completely sink our house and Courtyard and then after building the monolithic domes we will cover the house completely earthbermed and natural roof style and line the whole setup properly for Stormwater deflection on the outside etc
My question is if you know what the building regulations would stipulate on this type of Green home, Green roof included, in South Africa?
I’m not sure where to start searching or refer to for regulations as far as Earthbag / Sandbag houses with Natural roofs and floors are concerned
Thank you for any feedback
These all fall under non-standarised buildings, and in terms of the National Building Regulations, you need an agrément certificate that confirms “fitness-for-purpose of a non-standardized product, material or component or the acceptability of the related non-standardized design and the conditions pertaining thereto (or both) issued by the Board of Agrément South Africa” – See Part A of SANS 10400. Where is your house? We’d love to photograph it once complete. There is one that I think is similar in Gordons Bay, Western Cape!
I intend on supplying the government with an alternative to the RDP housing problem in the form of PVC houses. Are there regulations that govern the building of such houses in South Africa?
The National Building Regulations govern ALL forms of housing. In the case of a material that is not usual – or a building method that is different – the regulations (specifically Part A of SANS 10400) state that you need to obtain an agrement certificate that outlines what is to be built. Where relevant all parts of SANS 10400 will apply.