Home improvement in North West

Roofs and windows that survive a storm

Wind damage is not only about the roof covering. If your roof is older, or you are adding to it, ask a roofing contractor to check purlins, trusses, straps and sheet fixings, as well as the sheets or tiles. Use the roofing cost guide to judge quotes.

Hail can also break glass, as the Mahikeng storms showed. Laminated or safety glazing in new aluminium windows and doors, or external shutters, give more protection. It also helps to keep trees near the house healthy and trimmed so branches do not end up on the roof.

Dolomite under Potchefstroom

Parts of Potchefstroom, in JB Marks Local Municipality (formerly Tlokwe), lie on dolomite. A 2016 study counted 5,693 affected stands. It found that much of the old underground water infrastructure did not meet current standards for development on dolomite, and that some of it was assumed to be leaking extensively.

Water getting into dolomitic ground can trigger sinkholes, so on these stands a leak is more than a nuisance. If your stand is affected, fix plumbing leaks immediately, make sure gutters and paving send stormwater away from the house, and get engineering advice before new building work, a pool or a major extension.

Water: boreholes and municipal supply

The North West dolomite aquifers supply towns including Itsoseng, Lichtenburg, Mahikeng, Ottoshoop, Ventersdorp and Zeerust. Over-abstraction has lowered water levels: some wells near Mahikeng have dried up, and the Lichtenburg Eye spring has shrunk or stopped flowing.

Municipal supply is stretched too. In October 2026 Rand Water reported that Rustenburg was using 72 megalitres against an allocation of 68, and Madibeng 14 megalitres against 8, and warned that it could curtail supply to municipalities that over-consume.

For your home, that argues for landscaping that needs little irrigation, a cover on any swimming pool, rainwater harvesting off the roof, and some storage for days when the taps run dry.

Solar and quotes

In SALGA's 2023 survey, Matlosana, JB Marks, Madibeng and Rustenburg all allowed rooftop solar and had official application processes, but Matlosana, Madibeng and Rustenburg had no approved SSEG feed-in tariff. Size a solar power system for your own use rather than for export, and make sure the installer handles the application.

Through Home Improvement Hub you can ask for up to three quotes at no cost; there are over 200 registered providers nationally.