Blue Designs - Architectural Designers

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Browsing Archive: May, 2011

Who is responsible for the NHBRC Certificate - the owner or the builder?

Posted by Blue Designs - Architectural Designers on Saturday, May 28, 2011, In : NHBRC 
The Owner will be paying the fee to the NHBRC (National Home Builders Regulatory Council) either indirectly through the Builder's quote if the fee has been added to the tender or directly if not.  The fee is not for the Builder's account as the NHBRC warrantee benefits the home owner for five years and not the builder.  However the Builder needs to enroll the house with the NHBRC once building starts and he must be registered with them as well.
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What is Brickforce ?

Posted by Blue Designs - Architectural Designers on Friday, May 27, 2011, In : Building 
Brickforce is the steel reinforcing that strengthens a wall.  It is placed in the cement between a course of bricks.  Brickforce is used in every course of the foundations and every course above lintol height (2140mm).  Otherwise brickforce is used every fourth course in between the foundations and lintol height or a concrete slab and lintol height.
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Does a garage need to have a concrete floor?

Posted by Blue Designs - Architectural Designers on Sunday, May 22, 2011, In : Building 
It is best to have a concrete floor in a garage to consistently take loads and it is easy to clean.  However you can get away with paving so long as the ground beneath has been well compacted and a surface screed has been laid to discourage weed growth.  I believe that a concrete floor is going to be the cheapest and simplest option long-term. 



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Can you register with the NHBRC after a house has been built?

Posted by Blue Designs - Architectural Designers on Thursday, May 19, 2011, In : NHBRC 
There is no possibility of enrolling a house with the NHBRC (National Home Builders Regulatory Council) after it has been built.  The NHBRC only warranties the house against major structural defects and roof leaks for a period of five years. There is no warrantee against shoddy building work, sub-standard materials or poor finishing.  The main problem comes in if one tries to sell a house that is less than five years old to anyone requiring a mortgage. This is because the banks insist on gett...
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How close to the Boundary can I build?

Posted by Blue Designs - Architectural Designers on Wednesday, May 18, 2011, In : Building 
Building directly onto the boundary is not generally permitted; in terms of the National Building Regulations, you may not build a habitable room or structure on your property Boundary. Covered entertainment areas, lapas, garages, carports, lean-to shelters and temporary structures like shadeports etc. are usually allowed. However you will need your neighbour's consent and Council approval - dependent on the location, aesthetics of the structure and use thereof.  Bear in mind that you are not...
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How close can you build to a swimming pool?

Posted by Blue Designs - Architectural Designers on Tuesday, May 17, 2011, In : Building 
This issue is controlled by the municipal zoning regulations for your particular area and may even differ between streets, let alone towns.  Generally there is a 1m gap called for between a pool and any structure, but with structural engineering design this can be relaxed to zero, as it all has to do with the proximity of the foundations of the other structures around the pool. The zoning regulations supplied by your local Council building department would be able to give you guidelines for y...
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What do I do if there are no plans for my house?

Posted by Blue Designs - Architectural Designers on Monday, May 16, 2011,

There are two options that you can follow. The first is to see if you can find out from the current owner who designed the house when it was built, because they should be able to give you a copy of the original plans. If they know who the builder was, he may be able to tell them if they don't know. If the house is an old one then the above is unlikely to be helpful and the only way to get a set of plans is to have someone measure the house and draw them up for you. If you are planning to alte...


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