How much does it cost to build a house in South Africa?
| Building cost per m2 for a basic home | R 12 500 – R 15 000 |
| Building cost per m2 for a mid-level home | R 15 000 – R 20 000 |
| Building cost per m2 for a high end home | R 20 000 – R 25 000 |
*These prices are a rough estimate and vary depending on the professional’s experience, the size of the home and the materials used.
It can take years to find the perfect home – which is why more and more people are weighing up the cost to build a house against the cost to buy one. It’s almost impossible to give you an exact cost to build a house as there are always unforeseen expenses but we have spoken to our top builders and put together a cost estimate to build a house. These costs don’t only apply to a brand new house, they are also accurate for building additions to your existing home.
Breakdown Of The Cost To Build A House In South Africa
There are hundreds of things that impact the cost to build a house – our expert builders have broken it down into three main categories:
Location – This is perhaps the most influential cost factor. Why? The cost of building materials differs drastically between provinces. For example – the cost to build in KwaZulu Natal is the highest in the country, much higher than the cost of building in Limpopo. On top of that, locally between two suburbs prices can vary for factors such as permits, local regulations and transportation cost - among others.
Materials – This one is pretty obvious but the more expensive the materials you use, the higher the cost of building a home will be. This doesn’t only apply to the actual building materials but also the finishes you choose.
Labour – The cost of labour is the most important to consider yet the one that homeowners try and cut corners with. The more labour involved in the building process, the higher the cost to build a home will be. A good example of this is building a double-storey home. Building multiple floors requires more labour and more skill than building the same square meterage on a single level.
First Steps To Consider When Building A House
There are a variety of things that can affect the process and the cost to build a house. Keep these in mind when collecting quotes from builders.
Your budget: To successfully build a home, the first thing you need to do is decide on a budget. You can’t make any plans or decisions about building a house if you don’t know how much you have to spend. Building a house isn't cheap and so it is vital to use the budget appropriately.
Pro Tip – Make sure you add around 10 – 15% of your budget into an emergency fund to cover the unforeseen costs when building a house.
Approvals and Regulations: Before you lay a brick, make sure you know exactly what permissions and approvals you need to get from city council and other municipal departments. Make sure you adhere to the building regulations, if you don’t, local authorities might demand a change or removal of what you build.
Land and Location: If you don’t already have a piece of land to build on – make sure you consider the type of land you want to build on. A sloped land will cost more to build on than level land. It’s also a smart move to consider the facilities near the property as well as the accessibility of the property and on top of that, the amount of vegetation on the property that will be needed extracted. Another important thing to look into is the security of the area you’re moving to.
Size and Layout – Think about the size of your family and the needs you have. Do you have a large family that would need extra rooms? Small children that will soon need bigger rooms? Do you want your home to be multi-level or sing storey? These are all things that you need to consider when planning your dream home. Not only will it affect approvals, but it will also affect the cost to build a house.
Contractors – Building a home from scratch is time-consuming and overwhelming. Make sure you hire contractors with a strong work ethic that have been background checked - we have a number of professional builders to get a quote from. It’s also important to consider hiring a project manager. They’ll help you liaise between builders, and sub-contractors to get your house built, on time and to your requirements.
Is It Worth It To Build A House?
If you want to live in a home that is 100% perfect for you and your family then building your own house is the way to go. However, keep in mind that it will be stressful and take up a lot of your time, there will be unforeseen expenses and factors out of your control but with an expert builder on your side, it will be worth it. Kandua.com can connect you to top builders near you to make your building project the smoothest it can possibly be. Whether or not it is cheaper to build a house or buy is dependent on what it is you are looking for. If you buy, you may not get exactly what you want but may be cheaper, if you build it may be more to your liking but you may have to sacrifice other features such as down sizing. It all depends on the amount of money you are willing to invest. Even before you have an idea of how much it will cost, loosely consider how much you are willing to pay.
