Finding the perfect home for your family is often difficult. A great alternative would be to build a house on a vacant plot of land. Building your own home adds a sense of pride and sentimental value which cannot be found in a purchased property. By building an ideal home from scratch you have the ability to ensure that every aspect of your new home is impeccable and lacks any form of faults. Your home will also have the latest gadgets, technology, safety features, elegant tap faucets, luxury paint, top-notch flooring, and more.
A major benefit is that you get to customize the property according to your desires, from the foundation to the tiles on the roof. Every corner and room will be made exactly the way you have envisioned it to be. One of the biggest drawbacks of building your dream home can be the cost factor.
Cost of the land
Finding the right spot is always a challenge. The land you choose for your future property is one of the first costs you will have to incur. Vacant land with exquisite panoramic views tends to go at a higher price, while others are more affordable to suit a basic budget. Bear in mind that some areas and plots have other costs involved, such as building levies.
Once you have secured your spot, a realistic budget should be made for your dream build. In order to avoid unexpected costs, it would be wise to budget for expenses upfront instead of during the process. In some instances thou, you might have to spend a bit more than what you initially budgeted for.
The team
To ensure that your dream home becomes a reality you will need to hire a team that includes an architect, quantity surveyor, structural engineer, land surveyor, a geologist in some cases, and reliable builders.
An architect coordinates the efforts of all the professionals to best meet your requirements. Their fees will be based on a percentage of the building cost, which is recommended by the South African Council for the Architectural Profession (SACAP).
The quantity surveyor who calculates an early estimate of what your house can charge around R250/m².
The structural engineer designs and signs-off the structural concrete and steelwork for the building. Their fees can be estimated at R150/m².
Other specialists involved in the building process may also include landscape architects and interior designers.
It would be a wise move to get the right team in place when building your home. Conduct reference checks and analyze the previous work of each professional in the team. Also, verify that they are reputable and licensed as per professional regulatory requirements. The result of having an incompetent architect or electrician can lead to unwanted delays and extra costs.
Other administration costs involved can include plan plotting and printing costs, estate approvals, building levies, sidewalk deposits, as well as plan and submission approvals.
Currently on the market:
-1,500m² Vacant Land For Sale in Berghof with sweeping views across Walker Bay, Gansbaai in the East, and Vermont in the West.
-361m² Vacant Land For Sale in Vermont situated in a quiet cul-de-sac bordering a greenbelt with good sea views.
-1,700m² Vacant Land For Sale in an exclusive gated enclave of Leopard Rock Mountain Estate.
If you are keen on building your dream home in one of Hermanus' breathtaking suburbs contact Hermanus Property Sales today. We have a wide variety of plots available in many of the exclusive and sought-after areas.
Author: Hermanus Property Sales.
