Getting three draughtspersons to look at your stand in Durban 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 Durban and nearby areas of KwaZulu-Natal.
Floor Plans in Durban
Draughtspersons and architects serving Durban range from one-person practices who measure up and draw small houses and extensions to firms that design estates and commercial buildings across KwaZulu-Natal. Give the suburb or erf number so the quote can include site visits, travel and the local council's submission process.
New to this? Read the floor plans guide for the choices and the questions worth asking before anyone measures up.
Plans & approvals in Durban: local notes
eThekwini receives a very large volume of submissions, so ask your draughtsperson which of the district offices will handle your stand and what they usually query. Sites on the Berea ridge, along the Umgeni River or near Westville's gullies often draw comments from stormwater and roads. Expect questions about stormwater run-off and retaining walls on sloping stands, and ask what approval times have been in recent months.
Homes and buildings in Durban
Durban is a city of steep ridges and humid coast, and the plans reflect it. On the Berea, Morningside and Essenwood, older houses on big stands are being subdivided or converted into flats, while Umhlanga and Durban North fill with sectional title blocks and townhouse clusters. In Chatsworth, Phoenix, Umlazi and KwaMashu, owners extend existing houses and add rental rooms at the back. Slopes mean split levels, retaining walls and drainage that must be drawn properly, and salt air and damp shape the material notes. Most work is drawn by independent draughtspersons and technologists, with architects for the bigger or older properties.
The requests we see from Durban usually come from:
- Families building a new house: a full plan set for a new house, drawn to the stand and ready for council and builders' quotes
- Owners adding or changing rooms: a measure-up of the house as it stands and plans for the new rooms, approved before building
- Developers and builders: unit layouts, site development plans and repeatable house types for townhouses or a small estate
- Rental and granny flat investors: plans for backyard rental rooms, a granny flat or student units that meet the zoning rules
- Estate agents, sellers and landlords: a clear listing floor plan with room sizes, and approved plans for the transfer
- Shops, offices and restaurants: a measured layout for a shop, office or restaurant fit-out, with the fire and access notes
- Churches, schools and crèches: plans for a church hall, crèche or classroom block, drawn for council and the fire department
Local tips for Durban
Popular here: sloping-stand family homes, extensions and backyard rental rooms. Ask each draughtsperson about this: ask which eThekwini district office handles your stand and what slope drawings it wants. Who does the work: draughtspersons across Berea, Umhlanga and Westville; architects along the north coast.
Around Durban the largest group asking is families building a new house, which usually means a full plan set for a new house on a vacant stand, ready for council and builders' quotes. Expect sACAP-registered for council plans as the baseline, and keep in mind: steep ridges, humidity and salt air: ask about retaining walls and damp-proofing.
What to include in your request
- What the plan is for: build, approve, sell or renovate
- The address or erf number and the stand size
- The rooms you want, or the size of the building
- Any plans, sketches or photos you have now
- When you need the drawings
Detail saves a wasted site visit. Fill in the brief below and the form adds up the floor area for you.
Service area: Durban and surrounds
Draughtspersons and architects on our network work in Durban and surrounding areas, including Umhlanga, Pinetown, Westville, Umlazi, Phoenix, Chatsworth, Berea. Give the suburb or erf number so the quote can include the site visit, travel and the local submission process.