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At some stage in our lives we have all lived
in a house that has seen better days, so
chances are that sooner or later you will
get the opportunity to try your hand at
renovating. If you do not want to give up
halfway, first conduct thorough research,
make sure that you balance your budget
and rather leave the jobs that require a
more experienced hand to the experts.
Regardless of whether you want to redo the
kitchen, sand the floors or knock down a
few walls, start at the beginning and answer
these easy questions:
Does the property belong to you or are
you renting it? In the latter case you should
first ask the owner for permission to go
ahead with your plans and clarify exactly
who will pay for what.
Is it a national or local monument, or
does the property fall under a conservation
area? No property protected by law may be
changed without approval. In such a case
you should contact your municipality as well
as the local branch of the South African
Heritage Resource Agency (SAHRA).
Are you living in the house or do you
want to move in after the work has been
completed? If you have already moved in you
should be aware that you will need patience
to cope with all the dust, buckets of paint
and countless nails that will be scattered all
over your home. If you are undertaking a big
project you should seriously consider living
elsewhere on a temporary basis, which will
generally entail further expense.
Do you have a deadline and is it feasible?
Add extra time to your planning because
unforeseen hitches might occur.
Architect Rudolf Perhold advises that the
process of getting plans approved can be
particularly time-consuming.
What is your budget? Don't start a project
if you don't have the money to complete it
because few things are as unpleasant as
living in a half-renovated house. Be wary
of what appears to be the cheapest option,
as in some cases it can work out to be the
most expensive. – Frieda le Roux (editor of
Die Burger's property supplement).
Why renovate?
I find a dwelling with small, dark rooms, little natural light and
old-fashioned finishes irresistible. The reason? It makes my
hands itch and I love the challenge of transforming it into a
stylish, comfortable open-plan living area, even when I am
on a tight budget. Such a passion for fixing up and making
beautiful is one reason for restoring a place but there are
others as well, especially when it is time to decide whether
you need to pack up and sell or grit your teeth and renovate:
You want to sell eventually but you want a better price than
what you will get for your property in its present condition.
Your family has grown and you need more space.
Your circumstances have changed: perhaps you have
exchanged the office for a business run from home.
The finishes in your bathroom and kitchen are dated.
Your home receives too little natural light.
When should
you submit plans?
When you want to make structural changes
(including outdoor alterations) to your house,
the plans must be approved by the municipality.
According to architect Rudolf Perhold, this protects
both you and your neighbours, and satisfies the
municipality that nothing will collapse, no drainpipes
will burst and that the entire neighbourhood will not
suddenly be left without electricity.
Even though this can be a time-consuming
process, as many municipalities are struggling with a
backlog, it is advisable to wait patiently for approval.
Should the house be sold one day, or if one of the
unpleasant scenarios mentioned above ever becomes
a reality, you will know that you are protected.
Do the neighbours
have a say?
Unfortunately there are instances that require you
to discuss planned building operations with your
neighbours. If, for example, you want to raise a
boundary wall higher than the building regulations
prescribe, you will have to obtain permission from
your neighbours. The municipality will advise you
when this is necessary.
Sectional title – what
you may and may not do
Although you are the legal owner of your
unit in a sectional-title property, you may not
make any permanent or structural changes
without notifying the other members of the
body corporate.
When it comes to most alterations within
the four walls of your house or flat you
usually don't need the approval of the
body corporate. However, this excludes
structural changes – if a weight-bearing wall
is removed in a flat, this could endanger
the entire block. The body corporate must
also be consulted if you are planning
construction work that will alter the façade
of the building. In some sectional-title
developments even the installation of a
satellite dish must be approved. Permission
is also required for enclosing a patio or any
similar alterations.
Make sure of where your responsibility
(and say) ends and that of the body corporate
starts. In particular, the conversion of
balconies and the building of car ports can
cause much discontent if tackled hastily or
without approval. – Frieda le Roux
Where to find a
'good' builder?
Many people believe – with
good reason – that the term
'good builder' is an oxymoron
but there are
some excellent builders around; they are
simply few and far between.
For this article we inspected
no fewer than 17 renovation
projects and photographed
11 – but only three
homeowners were prepared
to recommend their builders.
There are two reasons why
we decided not to feature
some of the projects here:
either the builders were
months behind schedule
or things had gone terribly
wrong. At some homes the
builders had been sent
packing, while at others
building errors were creating
difficulties: in one case
a cement floor had been
chopped up for the third time
by the time this magazine
went to print.
Finance your
building project
A bond is a handy financial tool when
you want to improve your property.
Save cash: Even if you manage to
pay a little more than your monthly
instalment you will eventually save
thousands of rands on interest. If you
have an access bond, this money can be
used for a renovation project.
Pierre van Zyl, a financial planner,
uses a bond of R900 000 with an
interest rate of 10.5% and an instalment
of R9 721,04 per month as an example:
Period of repayment: 240 months
Total repayment: R2 333 049,60
If you pay an extra R3 000 per month,
the picture looks as follows:
Period of repayment: 128 months
Total repayment: R1 628 293,10
You save: R704 756,58
Borrow money: You can register a
second bond on your property or apply
for a building loan. Remember to
discuss the additional costs, such as
bond registration and legal costs, with
your bank. You can also approach an
institution such as SA Homeloans.
Rands and cents
Now that house prices are not growing
as fast as they have over the past few
years, renovation is a clever way to
increase the value of your property.
According to ABSA, in May 2006
house prices increased on an annual
basis by 12,3%, which is the smallest
growth since 2000. In 2004 this
growth reached a peak of 33,5% and
ABSA predicts only 12% for 2006.
However, if you renovate with savvy
you don't have to be satisfied with
this average.
Smart ideas
You can produce a return of 60%
to 80% on the money you spend on
a new kitchen or bathroom. So if you
spend R10 000 on your bathroom
that should increase the total value of
your house by up to R18 000.
By adding an extra room you can
produce a return of 70% to 80% on
your money.
Think carefully
about these ideas
Fourth bedroom: This is not
necessarily as valuable as a third
bedroom. 'Don't overdevelop your
property; you don't want a rabbit
warren,' says Saul.
'Personal' rooms: Wine cellars, gyms
and soundproof music rooms are only
attractive to certain individuals and
not to the broad market.
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