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My seven principles of home development
My seven principles of home development
Date: 2024-06-01
My seven principles of home development
The beautiful North Coast is one of the most desirable and fastest-growing areas in the country and for good reason. The exceptional infrastructure, access to amenities, amazing weather and beautiful natural environment make our greater Ballito area compelling as a lifestyle choice.
With vacant land sales surging across the new and fast-developing mega estates, the approval of new plans can be expected to increase dramatically and the planning and development of new residential homes within these estates will explode as a result.
For those aspirant home developers, herewith are my seven principles of home development:
Principle 1: Design excellence is essential. Appoint the very best architect available with a track record of design and development within the area you are looking to build in. Spend more time and effort that you think is necessary at this stage and use advanced illustrative tools to work through your design before work commences on site. For South Africans, we now also look to design homes that are energy efficient and off the grid from both an electricity and water aspect.
Principle 2: Plan your payments using professionals. Please do not DIY the financial plan around how and when you will pay for each stage of development. Use a QS as the first consultant to provide a detailed development payment plan based on the completed working drawings and then work with your experienced contractor of choice to test each phase and related costs. A good discipline is to bring a bank in at this stage as the development financier, whether you require this or not, as they provide a level of discipline and control that will save you money.
Principle 3: Architecture is not Interior Design - these are two different disciplines and very few architects provide the level of interior design required to take a home development to the exceptional level. Do not fear professional fees to achieve value-adding input on the interiors and how the finishes are to be applied and fit together.
Principle 4: Develop fast not slow - once a spade hits the ground it is game time on site and better to development fast without time interruptions. Curved balls such as unseasonal flooding could be disruptors out of your control. The appointed main contractor is in control of your site during the build process and the scheduled site meetings, chaired by the Architect as the principal agent, usually every two weeks, is an excellent control mechanism to keep the pace up and to catch mistakes early. The coordination of the ordering of materials and delivery to the site takes more genius and effort than you think and this must be controlled carefully. Have your finances ready to flow as the payments come faster at this stage than anticipated. Never keep a supplier or contractor waiting for payment.
Principle 5: Finishes make the home pop! In the same way that amazing make-up makes a woman look sensational, the choice of specialist suppliers or sub-contractors for kitchens, cupboards, shelving, floor coverings, lighting and bathroom fixtures and fittings is critically important. Work closely with your main contractor to select and manage this aspect. Never assume all sub-contractors or suppliers are similar - use experienced and reputable electricians, plumbers, and kitchen and cupboard suppliers. Be happy to pay a bit more for the best in the business.
Principle 6: Work with and not against all the professionals and contractors in your employ. When (not if) mistakes are made, simply rectify them quickly and move on. Build a team ethos and celebrate each skill set the various disciplines bring to the process. There is always a snagging process at the end of a home development project and this important stage adds the final sparkle.
Principle 7: Keep calm and retain your sense of humour. Listen carefully to suggestions and points of view of the men and women working with you on the project. Celebrate the milestones reached and the eventual final completion of your dream home.

