I often get asked whether you need a set of plans to sell your house  here in South Africa.  I also get called a lot to get illegal / 'as built' additions and buildings approved at Council.  Fortunately Johannesburg Council is a lot more relaxed than elsewhere in the world and usually will only order demolition if you have built over a servitude or the building/addition is unsafe or poorly built.

Increasingly banks and mortgage lenders are making it a requirement for a seller to have a complet...

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A study by the Solar Energy and Building Physics Laboratory in Lausanne, Switzerland finds that straw bale buildings are carbon neutral. Engineer Adrien Chaussinand conducted extensive testing of ECO-46, a straw bale building that houses the Department of Parks and Gardens in Lausanne.

He conducted a life cycle analysis of the building, which accounted for all the energy that went into its construction — from planting the grass to the eventual destruction of the structure. “If all of the b...

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Will these houses make you dizzy? Architects build rotating homes.  Imagine living in a house that follows the direction of the sun when it's hot. Or one that offers a different view out of your bedroom window every day of the week. For some bold homeowners this is becoming a reality, thanks to an innovative wave of architects who are re-imagining the concept of the house. Once something firmly routed to the ground, homes are now becoming moving entities that can rotate, change shape, and eve...
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Santa Clara University students recently won California's first tiny house competition with 238 square feet of technological and design genius. Called rEvolve House, referencing its ability to track the sun throughout the day to optimize solar gain, the prototypical home was designed in collaboration with Operation Freedom Paws as a low-cost housing solution for veterans training their own service dogs.  To read more go to:- http://inhabitat.com/solar-powered-revolving-home-for-veterans-wins-...
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http://hometimes.co.za/2016/03/enrolling-your-new-home-with-the-nhbrc-is-a-statutory-requirement/

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https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/do-i-need-home-inspection-before-buying-my-house-brain-cardwell

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https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-long-does-take-design-new-home-claire-cardwell-claire-cardwell

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https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/7-ideas-designing-tiny-house-claire-cardwell-claire-cardwell

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It varies from municipality to municipality but in general your building plans will be valid for one year after approval, you can renew for a further year, but thereafter the plans would be treated as a new submission  In some cases you can get away with putting the foundations in and then finishing the building at a later date.
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The rules for Wendy Houses are the same as any habitable structure whether it be brick or any other building method.  You will need to have the plans drawn up and approved by the Local Authority before erecting your Wendy House.  If you stay in an Estate then the plans will have to be approved by the Body Corporate / Home Owners Association before you submit the plans to Council.
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We will need to come to site to take measurements and to see how your planned addition will fit in with the rest of the buildings on site and on surrounding stands.  We will also establish exactly what your requirements are.  The next stage is to get copies of previously approved plans, your Zoning Certificate and SG (Surveyor General) diagram from Council - for more information on Zoning Certificates and SG Diagrams check out our article - Getting Building Plans Approved.  We will then draw ...
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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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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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