A modern house plan usually means clean lines, a flat or low-pitched roof, large areas of glass and living spaces that open straight onto a patio or garden. Those features look simple on paper, yet they are exactly where things go wrong on site: a parapet that leaks, a butterfly valley that overflows in a Highveld thunderstorm, or a west-facing glass wall that turns the lounge into an oven by four o'clock. Send one request and draughtspersons and architects in your area quote you directly for a modern design drawn to SANS 10400. It is free and there is no obligation.
Flat, mono-pitch or butterfly: choosing the roof
The roof decides the look of a modern house and a good share of its problems, so settle it early:
- Flat concrete slab: heavy, quiet and fire resistant, but it needs an engineer, thorough waterproofing and a fall to the outlets.
- Hidden IBR sheeting behind a parapet: a lighter and cheaper way to get the flat-roof look, with a shallow fall and a gutter or scupper behind the wall.
- Mono-pitch: one slope, easy to build, and handy for facing a clerestory window north or for fitting solar panels.
- Butterfly: two slopes meeting in a central valley. It gives high ceilings at the edges, but the valley gutter must be sized for the heaviest rain your area gets.
Big glass, sun and the energy rules
Large windows are the signature of a modern house, and SANS 10400-XA limits how much glass you may use compared with floor area unless the design is checked by a competent person. The orientation matters as much as the glass area. In South Africa the best living rooms usually face north, with a roof overhang or a pergola that blocks the high summer sun and lets the low winter sun in. East and west glass gets shading, deeper reveals or screens. Your draughtsperson will include the fenestration or energy notes in the set, and the municipality will ask for them.
Waterproofing and drainage belong in the drawings
Flat roofs and parapets fail at the junctions, not in the middle of the slab. Ask for details of the upstand, the membrane, the outlet positions, the overflow and the flashing where the roof meets a wall. A lot of leaks come from a drawing that said only "waterproof as specified". Water from a butterfly roof also has to go somewhere: downpipes, a stormwater route that stays on your stand, and no unplanned discharge onto a neighbour.
Open plan, and what to put in your brief
Most modern plans join the kitchen, dining area and lounge into one space, often with a scullery behind and a covered braai area outside. Tell the draughtsperson how you actually live: do you want a closed kitchen for noisy cooking, a study, a double garage, or room for solar panels and a battery on the roof? Include your budget, since big spans and large glass sliders cost more per square metre than a simple box. For the general process, see our page on house plans, and for fee examples see what plans cost.
What to include in your request
- The stand size, slope and which way it faces
- Roof style: flat, mono-pitch or butterfly
- Rooms wanted and how open-plan you like it
- Estate or HOA design rules you must follow
- Photos of houses you like, with your budget
Modern House Plans for different clients
- Families building a new house: a contemporary family house with open-plan living and a patio, designed for the stand's sun and views
- Owners adding or changing rooms: modernising an old pitched-roof house with a new flat-roof wing and bigger openings
- Developers and builders: repeatable flat-roof house types for a small estate, drawn to pass the design committee
- Estate agents, sellers and landlords: a clear set of approved modern plans to show buyers who ask what can be built on the stand
- Shops, offices and restaurants: a flat-roof office or showroom with a glass front, a parapet and a covered entrance
- Farms, smallholdings and rural homesteads: a modern farmhouse with a mono-pitch roof, deep shade and room for water tanks and solar
- Churches, schools and crèches: a flat-roof clinic or church annex with simple detailing and easy maintenance
- Rental and granny flat investors: compact modern rental units on one stand, with a shared roof line and separate entrances
Frequently asked questions
Are flat roof houses a bad idea in South Africa?
Can I get a butterfly roof house plan to suit my stand?
Does a modern house cost more to build?
Will my estate allow a modern design?
Modern House Plans by province and city
- Johannesburg
- Pretoria
- Centurion
- Midrand
- Sandton
- Randburg
- Roodepoort
- Krugersdorp
- Randfontein
- Germiston
- Boksburg
- Benoni
- Kempton Park
- Alberton
- Vanderbijlpark
- Vereeniging
- Durban
- Pinetown
- Pietermaritzburg
- Richards Bay
- Newcastle
- Ladysmith
- Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)
- East London
- Kariega (Uitenhage)
- Mthatha
- Cape Town
- Bellville
- Paarl
- Stellenbosch
- George
- Worcester
- eMalahleni (Witbank)
- Middelburg
- Secunda
- Mbombela (Nelspruit)
- Rustenburg
- Brits
- Klerksdorp
- Potchefstroom
- Mahikeng
- Polokwane
- Tzaneen
- Kimberley
- Upington
- Bloemfontein
- Welkom
- Sasolburg