The latest version of SANS 10400 in South Africa is SANS 10400:2011, also known as the National Building Regulations (NBR). However, please note that regulations and standards are subject to updates and revisions, and there may have been newer versions released since then. “The National Home Builders Registration Council (NHBRC) is revising its home-building manual…
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 (SABS) professionals researched and compiled…
NHBRC Review of the Technical Requirements A major revision of the Technical Requirements and Home Building Manual will affect the home builders and may affect the rights of housing consumers and those engaged in the housing supply chain. Housing consumers and key players in the housing industry will therefore also be afforded the opportunity to…
NHBRC Review of the Warranty Scheme The NHBRC recently embarked upon a review process of the NHBRC Warranty Scheme which will result in three new documents being published, namely a set of Technical Requirements for issue as regulations by the Minister in terms of the Act; a Home Building Manual containing the technical requirements prescribed…
NHBRC Suspends the Payment of House Enrolment Fees-PA003 The National Home Builders Registration Council (NHBRC) announced at the beginning of November 2013 that the home registration fees, that must be paid on all new houses, will no longer be allowed to be included in the first progress payment that is made to the home builder…
The Photograph above: By Valenciano – Self-photographed, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=29802079 Engineers Design Buildings for a Purpose Engineers around the world will design a structure based on the brief given to them by a developer. The basis for any good design is to have a structure that is “fit for purpose” for which it is…
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…
A List of Definitions and TermsUsed in Town Planning Schemes Includes Land Use and Zonings Terms The Johannesburg metropolitan area is the largest, most diverse and most cosmopolitan in South Africa, so we have based this list on definitions from their Town Planning document, see: town-planning-scheme-jhb. These are not only relevant to Gauteng but are…
Building Regulations Part 3: Part R to Part X & XA As there are a total of 23 parts to the SANS 10400 Building Regulations we have divided them into three sections to improve the ease of navigation, here below is Building Regulations Part 3 The order in which the different parts of the regulations…
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…
Understanding what’s Underfoot The type of floors specified in building plans will determine the materials required as well as which sub-contractors or specialists are going to be involved in the building project. There are many flooring coverings and floor finishes for our homes and buildings, but in construction, there are only two basic types of floor…
Some Good Reasons to Owner Build The Pros and Cons of Owner Building: A personal review Perhaps you see the owner build exercise as a challenge. Or maybe it is an opportunity for you to prove you can do it better than we did. Maybe you’d decide to owner build just because you can! After all…
Building Regulations Section 2: Part J to Part Q As there are a total 23 Parts to the SANS 10400 Building Regulations we have divided them into three sections to improve the ease of navigation. The order in which the different Parts of the regulations are displayed follows the same order as the regulations themselves…
Building Regulations Section 1: Part A to Part H As there are a total 23 Parts to the SANS 10400 Building Regulations we have divided them into three sections to improve the ease of navigation. The order in which the different Parts of the regulations are displayed follows the same order as the regulations themselves…
Living in a House With High Ceilings Personally, I enjoy living in a house with high ceilings. They add a sense of spaciousness, at the same time allowing a greater amount of air to circulate around the room. Although of course, this means nothing unless there is adequate thermal insulation between the roof and the…
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…
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…
Building Regulations that Apply to Floors-Part J The Application of the National Building Regulations that apply to floors (Part J of SANS 10400) are certainly not exhaustive. In fact, if you think of how much of our house is floor, it’s what we might, in South Africa, describe as a biekie min. But the authorities have,…
Regulations for Foundations-Part HA Focus on Safety Foundations, Part H, of any structure, large or small, must be built to safely transmit all loads of the building to the ground. If foundations are not correctly built, walls may crack and at worst, could even collapse. While the National Building Regulations specify general requirements for foundations,…
Safety and Stability When Doing ExcavationsAre Top Priorities – Part G Excavations are not always necessary when we build our homes, but it often is, even if the ground is reasonably flat and level. Part G of the National Building Regulations deals with excavations and their safety. The Importance of Stability One of the reasons…
Site Operations – Part F – Building Regulations Site operations must be carried out in a safe, responsible manner. It is for this reason that Part F: Site Operations of the National Building Regulations specifies how the public and property belonging to the local authority must be safeguarded. Other site operations issues that are addressed…
Even at Home Public Safety is Paramount-Part D All home owners have a responsibility to people who visit their homes, or members of the public who are able to access their homes. According to the National Building Regulations we must be concerned specifically with: Change in Level If people can access a level other than…
