Home improvement in the Free State

Building on expansive clay

Much of South Africa's central interior, including the Free State, is covered by the country's most active expansive clays, with a plasticity index above 32. These soils swell when they get wet and shrink as they dry out, and that seasonal heave is strong enough to crack foundations. It is why raft foundations are a popular choice for light structures across much of the province.

What this means for your project:

• For new building work or an extension, budget for a geotechnical assessment and an engineer-designed foundation, rather than assuming a standard strip footing will do. The new building work cost guide gives a starting point.
• Boundary walls are long and lightly loaded, which makes them vulnerable to differential movement. Ask your builder how the footing and movement joints are designed for clay.
• Keep water away from the foundations. Leaking pipes, overflowing gutters and garden beds against the house all wet the clay unevenly. Plumbing repairs and good paving falls are part of foundation care here.
• Cracks that open and close with the seasons are a structural question first. Fix the cause before calling in painting or plastering.

Hail season and your roof

November is the peak hail month across most of South Africa's summer-rainfall region. Hail climate modelling shows that in November the zone where large hail, over 3 cm across, is expected at least once a month extends west far enough to take in the Free State.

If your roof is due for replacement, ask roofing contractors about impact resistance of the sheeting or tiles they propose, and how skylights, solar panels and solar geysers on the roof will be protected. A carport with a solid roof is worth considering where cars are parked in the open. See roofing costs and carport costs for typical pricing.

Rooftop solar in Mangaung

In Mangaung's supply area, electricity is provided by Centlec. Centlec must approve every small-scale embedded generation installation, rooftop solar included, and the application has to be made on the owner's behalf by a qualified SSEG designer and installer. Ask any installer you are considering to confirm that they will handle the Centlec application, and do not let work start before approval.

Quotes

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