Architectural Services by Crane Designs
Architecture in Roodepoort

What are the advantages of having an Architectural Draftsman? Commissioning an architectural draftsman for your product will ensure that you end up with work done correctly and also less stress for you.   Architectural draftsman’s are especially good at seeing the bigger picture, making the best of the space you have or improving it. You’ll also get interesting designs and have assurance that the work is professionally done and that it meets the requirements of building regulations.   Avoid inexperienced architectural draftsman’s as they can potentially make costly mistakes, that’s why Crane Designs delivers the most professional and effective services, to suit your construction budget.   One other benefit is that an architectural draftsman can also help you find the best builder and project managers and keep within budget. Building is never an exacting science, they are always unforeseen cost implications that occurred. That is why an accurate cost estimate and bill of resources is vital to any construction project, for expert eyes and ears please don’t hesitate to call us.   Feeling overwhelmed? Don’t panic, at Crane Designs is a registered member of SACAP (the South African Council for architectural professionals), and are subject to a statutory code of practice.

By the time you have reached this page, you have already expressed the need or desire for drawing services in your current project and will no doubt be in inquiring about 'Our Drawing Services' and possibly more information regarding the drawing process, Council submission, Engineering services and Cost Estimating services we have to offer.

Typically most clients inquire about our Drawing rates. In the past most Architect and Draughtsman worked on a rate per square meter basis, however since the establishment of SACAP (the South African Council for architectural professionals) and the mandatory registration to this Association as a professional in this field, we no longer work on a rate per square meter rather as a registered professional our service fees scale has been Gazetted by Government, this is in line with most professional services fees such as Doctors and Attorneys.

We require that our clients set up a meeting at our offices, in order for us to take down a detailed brief of their project and determine an estimated building cost for said project.

This building cost together with the STAGES of work requested from us, is then entered into the SACAP calculator which then formulates a fee and payment structure plan. We have found that some of the SACAP calculator fees may be excessive for the amount of work required, and as such we regularly discount our fees from the recommended rate as set out by SACAP.

Our office meetings are free, and affords both parties the perfect opportunity to swap ideas around their projects requirements. However, we do Site meetings within the greater Johannesburg area, when requested, at a rate of R2500.00 per site visit, payable prior to said meeting.

On completion of the drawing process, we issue our clients with a full set of WORKING DRAWINGS and related documentation for Local Authority submission.

The drawings and documentation are then handed to the clients for their submission. We do offer a plan submission service should you so require.

For further details on the plan submission process and our plan submission services fees visit our website and complete our contact form.  

Do I need an Architectural Draftsman? It is very tempting to use someone who has a basic knowledge of drawing plans - like your cousin’s friend who completed one year of architecture at uni or tech, because it is so much cheaper. 

But the ultimate cost of not using a professional person (an architect or draughtsperson) who can “walk” the plans through from concept to council for submission and ultimately obtain that final approval can be a costly mistake.

The National building regulations and Building Standards Act, clearly state that all structures, beards new; additions; alterations require local authority approval. It is advised that you do employ a draftsman if you want the job done right. If at any point you need planning permission, you NEED a SACAP (the South African Council for Architectural Professionals) registered Architectural Draftsman Or Architect! Without an Architectural Draftsman you are putting your hands in a builder whose judgement and vision is one you’ll need to trust, if this is the case then an Architectural Draftsman is less necessary.

If you are not sure of what you want, then an architectural draftsman can help give you ideas and guide you in the right direction. If you don’t trust builders, or are busy or inexperienced, an architectural draftsman can help you keep an informed eye on the builders and make sure the project stays on tract.