26/07/2020
45 STEPS TO BUILDING A HOUSE IN ZIMBABWE
STEP (1)
Architect Drawings drawn up and approved by the city council. Make sure you hire an architect that insists on visiting your stand in order to come up with the house design, this will ensure a design that takes advantage of your stand positioning and orientation. Remember that Zimbabwe is in the southern hemisphere therefore your houses (main living areas) should face north in order to get the most sunlight.
The boundary pegs are already found and on view
Builder gets all required approvals for construction to begin
Your engineer will study the new house plans and specify where you will require certain beams, structures and re-inforcing, particularly with a double storey and sloping plots.
The Engineer will draw technical specifications which illustrate where the structural re-inforcing has to be placed and how it is to be designed.
A copy of each engineers drawing are handed to the Building Contractor, Architect, Owner, Municipality, (for inclusion with your original drawings). The Engineer will inspect each selected area as it is finished before signing each one off.
GEO-TECHNICAL REPORT - The Engineer will require a report on your plot for samples of soil.
Depending on soil type, extra foundations or re-inforcing have to be built into the structure for safety. Holes are dug all over the site and at different depths. Soil samples are analyzed.
Reports on these samples are given to the Engineer who can then establish where the re-inforcing and strength is required. Get the Geo-tech report done whether it is required or not for the safety of your family and your building in the event of poor soil.
Clay is the worst soil type and requires special foundations.
