Getting three draughtspersons to look at your stand in Free State takes calls and weeks. Send one request instead, with the rooms, the stand and what you have now, and we pass it to draughtspersons and architects who work in towns and cities across Free State.
Building Plans in Free State
Registered draughtspersons and architects in Free State prepare building plans for the local municipality and know what its building control office looks for. Give the erf number and the suburb so the quote covers Free State submission requirements, travel to the stand and the engineer's visits.
New to this? Read the building plans guide for the choices and the questions worth asking before anyone measures up.
Free State notes on plans & approvals
Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality handles Bloemfontein, while Matjhabeng (Welkom), Metsimaholo (Sasolburg) and Dihlabeng (Bethlehem) run their own offices. In Clarens, the village's character often brings design comment from the local committee, and old sandstone buildings in Fauresmith or Philippolis may need heritage approval. Smaller councils sometimes ask for an engineer's letter with the first submission.
Homes and buildings in Free State
The Free State is farm country with a handful of larger towns. Bloemfontein's Westdene, Universitas and Brandwag hold older suburban houses and a university-driven rental market, while Welkom and Sasolburg grew around gold and petrochemicals and have large post-mine and company-built stock. In the east, Clarens, Bethlehem and Harrismith sit among sandstone hills where tourism lodges and holiday homes use local stone. Farmhouses and sheds dot the maize and sheep plains, and the townships of Mangaung and Botshabelo see steady extensions. Cold winters, summer storms and strong wind mean insulation and roof fixing are discussed on most jobs.
Typical building plans requests in the area come from:
- Families building a new house: a complete set for a new house, with the forms and drawings council needs to approve it
- Farms, smallholdings and rural homesteads: a set for a farm building or homestead, with water and sewage solutions where there is no network
- Owners adding or changing rooms: plans for an addition or a garage conversion, showing old and new work for council
- Rental and granny flat investors: plans for a backyard rental room or an extra dwelling that meet the zoning and parking rules
- Estate agents, sellers and landlords: approved plans to complete a transfer, or new plans where none exist or work was done without approval
- Shops, offices and restaurants: plans for a shop, office or workshop, with fire and access notes and change-of-use details
- Churches, schools and crèches: plans for a church, crèche or hall that meet the fire, access and toilet requirements
- Developers and builders: submission sets for several units, with the site development plan and engineer's details
Local tips for Free State
Plans for Free State are mostly drawn like this: draughtspersons in Bloemfontein, Welkom and Bethlehem, architects in Bloemfontein. The requests that come up most: student and mine-town extensions, sandstone holiday homes, farmhouses and sheds. When you ask for quotes, ask whether the village or conservation committee must see the drawings before council.
Around Free State the largest group asking is families building a new house, which usually means a complete set for a new house, with the forms and drawings council needs to approve it. Expect drawn to SANS 10400, SACAP-signed as the baseline, and keep in mind: frosty winters, summer hail and wind, with cracking clay in some towns.
What to include in your request
- The erf number, address and municipality
- New build, addition or conversion
- Floor area, or rooms wanted
- Whether the title deed and SG diagram are on hand
- Whether submission and follow-up are included
The more detail you give, the more accurate your quote will be. The brief below sketches the rooms and works out a floor area for you.
Service area: Free State and surrounds
We pass Free State requests to people based in or regularly working in Bloemfontein, Welkom, Kroonstad, Bethlehem, Sasolburg, Harrismith, Clarens. Rural stands should give the nearest town and the farm or village name, so site visits are quoted honestly.