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Wooden It Be Lovely – Building A Garden Summer House
The shed (and shed-loving man) hasn’t become extinct, of course. But, in some gardens the shed has evolved into a more attractive space: the summerhouse. This is somewhere you can relax without having to share footroom with the lawnmower, plant pots and soil bags.
So, what are the things you should be thinking about if you’re pondering buying a summer house for you garden? Here are some pointers.
Positioning :
What parts of the day will you be using the space, and which direction will the sun be coming from at these times? There’s no point in calling it a summerhouse if you can’t make the most of the sun, but you might not want it to be baking-hot either. Also, do you want you summerhouse to be a hidden gem or a focal point of the garden?
Planning permission :
This is something you probably won’t need to think about, although it’s worth making some checks if you can – including with the neighbours. If your construction is made of timber, you generally don’t need local authority permission unless it’s over four metres tall, it’s close to the house (less than five metres away), it takes up over half of your garden, or you live in a conservation area.
Above and below : Read the rest of this entry »
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Basic Principles For Designing Your Dream House
Before setting your mind on a particular choice of plan or architectural design, take the time to read through the following pointers as set out below, subsequently you will be able to make a more knowledgeable decision in plan design & style choice.
SIZE
The size of the proposed house will often be determined by budget for most 1st time builders in South Africa but other factors will also play a big role.
Local municipalities will always stipulate a certain coverage and height restriction for a site in a particular area. Read through your title deed for possible servitudes (areas as set out by the municipality for other uses eg. Electrical or sewerage services) or other restrictions before planning is started as these might also greatly reduce buildable area on your erf.
Take a look at the following typical example:
You have just bought a lovely stand at the coast with a great view towards the sea. The size of the stand is 600sqm (20m X 30m) with a 3m building line all around. You contact the local authority or estate architect and find out that only a 40% coverage is allowed for this stand and that the 1st floor may only be 30% of the groudfloor area to not restrict sea views for the neighbouring houses.
You might be surprised how limited your building area has become with the above parameters: The stand’s building area is reduced to 336sqm by the building line alone, furthermore the coverage only allows for a 240sqm max. building footprint with a 72sqm upper floor. Therefore the building limit for this stand would be 312sqm. Read the rest of this entry »
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Wooden Summer Houses – All the Information You Need
A wooden summer house is so much more than a shed, yet to the uneducated they are remarkably similar. They both have four sides and a roof, they are both located in the garden, both have a door from the outside world, so what I hear you ask, is the difference? A wooden summer house is an extension to a house, a place that can be visited to relax and to entertain, not merely to store rusty tools like the garden shed.
The other main difference of course is the price, for wooden summer houses are not cheap. They cost a substantial amount of money so it’s important to choose one with a design that will appeal for a number of years and also is made out material that will withstand the harshest of winters.
Regardless of whether you build your own wooden garden house or buy one in, you will probably need planning permission. Every local authority is different so depending on your location you may get lucky, but either way it pays to double check before the building begins. There would be nothing worse than wasting all that money by having to pull the summer house down on the orders of the local council.
It’s important that you think off all the various factors before you start the build. Below is a list of key points to consider:
Regulations – As mentioned above, always check local building regulations with the relevant authorities.
Foundations – Regardless of size, all wooden summer houses will need foundations. This will help prevent the floor from rotting and also give it a slight elevation. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: housing authority, the better homes fund