A full architectural upgrade of a Johannesburg family home — layout reconfiguration, structural retrofit and a complete finishes refresh. Delivered with NHBRC oversight and SANS 10400 compliance from day one.
The owners of this Orschards property came to us with a tired mid-century home that no longer worked for a growing family. The brief was clear: reconfigure the ground floor to open up the kitchen and living areas, modernise the finishes, and bring the building envelope up to current SANS 10400 standards — without losing the home's character.
We were appointed as principal contractor and lead architect, with responsibility for plan examination, NHBRC enrolment, and full project management from demolitions through to final handover.
Our first step on any renovation is a measured survey combined with a structural assessment. On this Orschards project that surfaced a roof truss that needed reinforcement and two load-bearing walls that could be safely removed once a hidden steel beam was introduced. We documented everything as part of a SANS 10400-A application pack before any demolition started.
Once the structural strategy was approved, the architectural layout work drove the program: open-plan kitchen/living, scullery, guest WC, and a new covered patio flowing to the garden. We scheduled the works in clear phases so the family could remain in occupation for most of the build.
The finished home reads as a single, calm, light-filled space — with the new kitchen as the social anchor. Glazing was upgraded throughout, plaster and paint refreshed, and a new screed laid over the existing slab to level out decades of movement. The roof insulation was upgraded to meet SANS 10400-XA energy requirements for the Highveld climatic zone.
The owners moved back in to a home that looks completely different, performs better thermally, and is fully signed off against the approved NHBRC schedule. It's the kind of transformation that defines how we work: architecture-led, technically rigorous, and built around the way the family actually lives.
Tell us about your site, your brief, and your timeline. We'll come back with a feasibility view, a compliance check, and a ballpark — within 48 hours.
