House Renovations in Cape Town – What You Need To Know

 

If you are preparing to renovate your home in the Cape Town area then there are certain things that you need to be aware of in order to prevent delays, and additional expenses, to your project.

Both planning and building are highly regulated so it is a good idea to get to grips with what is required before embarking on a large renovation project.

 

Building plans

If you are wanting to build anything in the list below, you will need plans:

• Boundary walls
• Swimming pool
• Internal renovations
• Minor external works like a carport
• Dwellings or second dwellings

Permits are required for demolitions and temporary buildings

 

Regulations and legislation

The City of Cape Town provides all the documents relating to the regulations and legislation of planning and building. Please visit their website to download these documents.

 

Summary

Here is a basic summary of the regulations – for more detailed information, visit the City of Cape Town Municipality website.

• The National Building Regulations and Building Standards Act sets out the rules governing all development and building across South Africa. The act is applied through the South African National Building Standards 10400.
• Each municipality, for us, the City of Cape Town, then takes responsibility for ensuring that these standards are upheld.
• Each municipality is also in control of zoning rights.
• Processes are guided by the City of Cape Town’s policies and the municipal by-laws.
• Processes are also guided by heritage protection laws and by environmental laws.

 

Features of the site

Your renovations or building consultant needs to take all the feature of your building site in consideration when doing the planning.

 

Elements that play an important role in successful plan application:

Zoning – The use of a particular piece of land needs to match what it’s zoned for. For example, you cannot build an office block on a piece of land zoned for residential development. If your land is not zoned correctly, you might need to apply for permission to use the site for something that it is not zoned for.

Protected Land / Buildings – A number of buildings in Cape Town are restricted heritage sites. This means that you are limited in the changes you can make to them. This is also true of a lot of the natural environment – there are even certain trees that cannot be moved. The National Heritage Resources Act requires that you obtain a permit in order to do any alterations or renovations to buildings that are older than sixty years. There are similar restrictions to developing certain parts of the natural Cape environment.

Sustainability – Cape Town is a supporter of sustainable features in your plans – things like, solar panels and grey water systems.

Neighbours – When you are making your plans, please consider the neighbours. Make yourself aware of the laws that govern boundary walls.

Health and Safety – Keep in mind that your building will need to comply with health and safety regulations. Make sure you have correct ventilation, fire safety etc. as part of your planning.

 

Turn Around Times

The City of Cape Town sites these turn around times for plan approval:

• A building less than 500m2 – 30 days
• A building of more than 500m2 – 60 days
• A building that triggers a land application – or other application – The plan will be sent back and you will only be able to resubmit once the necessary application has been resolved.

 

Choosing a contractor

Once you have the approval from the Cape Town Municipality, you can start with your renovations. It can be quite daunting to choose a contractor for the work. Here are a few things to consider:

• Word of mouth recommendations are often very useful. You can also ask your SACAP Professional for recommendations.
• Make sure the contractor is registered with the NHBRC.
• Go and look at sites that the contractor is busy working on.
• Get quotes from at least three building contractors in order to be able to compare prices.
• Make sure that you enter into a proper contract that states not just the scope of work being done but also the costs and the timeline of work.
• Ensure that the contractor is registered with the correct associations for electrical, gas or plumbing installations.

 

When do I not need planning approval

Adrian Goslett (Regional Director and CEO of RE/MAX Southern Africa), states that any work considered legally to be “minor building work” can be undertaken without planning approval.

“As long as the addition is small enough, or the changes do not affect any of the external or structural walls, then homeowners are free to make changes to their home without arranging a visit to their local municipal office,” says Mr Goslett.
While professional plans do not need to be drawn up, Wanda Verster of the University of the Free State and professional architect, says that you still need to get permission from the local municipality.

 

To double check the above information and for further information, you can click the following link:
City of Cape Town