A new website, www.inhouseplans.co.za, makes sourcing plans for your dream home an absolute synch. All you need to do is log on to the company's website, set your search parameters and find a sketch of your dream home. After purchase, your plans will be sent to you within five working days, along with the relevant documentation.
Inhouseplans.com's founder and MD, Dries Verbeek, explains how he came up with the idea of selling plans off the web: "I toyed with the idea for some time after studying a number of sites from the USA, where the concept of ordering standard building plans on the Internet is very popular. One day Marcel, who is an old friend and client of mine, sat me down and started putting the idea into a business plan. I am the architect and Marcel had the MBA and the background of being a former director of a city council. He also had a keen interest in e-commerce websites. We involved a website specialist and while they were building the website, we started designing houses and producing building plans."
Inhouseplans.com was launched in June 2002 after 12 months of hard work. The company's first order came through from a lady in Botswana and since then, it has experienced phenomenal growth as the concept slowly gained popularity. Verbeek says that the local response to date has been amazing, despite the fact that South Africans have been slow to catch on to the trend of shopping online in comparison to American or European markets: "The affordability of the product puts architect-designed house plans ready for approval at local authorities within reach of every South African. Inhouseplans.com also constantly adds new designs to its offering, keeping tread with the latest trends in popular residential architecture, offering house designs from 50m² to over 500m²." 
All the plans featured on the web page have been designed by registered South African architects and comply with the local national building regulations. Although each plan is designed with the South African context in mind, there are a number of popular styles to choose from, including Balinese, modern, Tuscan, as well as some excellent contemporary architecture. Verbeek says that the aim of the company is to capture a minimum of 10% of the market, and notes that it has still got a long way to go before it achieves this. He says that they would also like to grow the company's popularity in neighbouring states, as well as in Zambia, Mauritius and Angola, all of which constituted only 7% of its sales in 2007. 
Verbeek explains that there is a windfall of benefits when it comes to purchasing online plans – it saves you time and money, without skimping on quality: "Once one has selected and ordered a set of building plans from the inhouseplans.com online catalogue, the package will be delivered within three to five days at 10% of the cost of employing an architect. Inhouseplans.com provides a professional South African Council for the Architectural Profession (SACAP) registration number, which is by law required by local authorities for plan approval. Even though 90% of the market, according to our calculations, will still employ an architect to have a house custom designed, the quality of the inhouseplans.com designs and building plans is as good, possibly even better than what most architects offer their clients. "The proviso is that one has to accept the concept of ordering a standard plan. However, in some cases, people order a standard plan and employ a draughtsman to make some changes to suit their individual needs and still save a huge amount of money. For this, inhouseplans.com has a national network of nearly 100 independent draughtsmen who could be employed by customers to complete the site plan and assist in the approval process at a nominal fee negotiated directly with the draughtsman."
The following valuable documentation comes standard with each package delivered with the building plans:
•
A pro forma tender document.• A schedule with recommended formulas to calculate monthly payments to building contractors according to progress.
• A pro forma agenda for site meetings with the building contractor.
• Anyone can apply for a home loan on the inhouseplans.com website and do not even have to order a plan. Inhouseplans.com has an agreement with Absa regarding home loans.
What's more, Verbeeks says that the following documentation can be ordered with the building plans, which gives the customer the opportunity to customise his or her order according to their particular needs:
• A priced list of materials and quantities.
• Additional copies of the building plans – one set of coloured and one set monochrome copies are included in the purchase price, which is ready for submission to the local authority.
• A standard Joint Building Contracts Committee (JBCC) building contract, which is the most widely accepted contract agreement approved by a number of built environment associations, such as the SA Institute of architects, the SA Association of Quantity Surveyors, and so on.
• An electronic copy (conditions apply for waiving of copyright).
• A presentation colour drawing.
To further simplify the building process, inhouseplans.com also offers a consultancy section on the website, with a lot of information, advice and tips on house building, ranging from buying a stand, information required from the local authority, appointing a building contractor, and so on, which can be accessed free of charge. Inhouseplans.com's business model really does make sense if you are in the market to build your dream home and are willing to forsake a little individuality for the sake of making a cost effective decision for quality designs. Antonella Dési
Photos
Courtesy of inhouseplans.com.
For more information click here to visit the website.
Property News
Click here for more property news articles.
Need a blog?
Start your own blog with a free blog from 24.com.
Print
