Calculator · every assumption editable

Full project cost calculator

Floor area × building rate, then the costs a rate per m² leaves out. Change any assumption in the left column; the total updates as you type. Land is not included.

Your building Construction area (m²) Location Building type Finish level

Rate assumptions

Base rate / m² excl. VAT

Regional factor reviewed default

Escalation since 1 July 2025 (%) Stats SA, to August 2026

The base rate fills in from AECOM 2025/26 (1 July 2025 prices). The default escalation of 6.4% brings it up to August 2026 (Stats SA domestic building cost index). Overwrite either if you have a better figure.

How it gets built Contractor builds it (tender price): the default

The base rates are tender prices, which already include the contractor's overheads and profit, so no builder fee is added.

Managed by an architect: owner buys materials and labour direct

Contractor margin removed (%) guess

Architect project management fee (%)

The building rate is divided by (1 + margin), i.e. ÷ 1.15. Contractors usually add their margin as a mark-up on cost, so dividing removes it exactly; multiplying by 0.85 would take off too much. The 15% margin is a guess. The 15% project management fee is set by the reviewing architect and charged on the reduced building cost.

Note: the managed route needs much more owner involvement (buying, payments, deliveries, labour). The owner carries the risk of price rises, delays, defects and site safety that a contractor would otherwise carry.

NHBRC: the normal enrolment fee still applies. The home is enrolled by ArkhiTekton Studio as the NHBRC-registered home builder, so the owner does not need an owner-builder exemption.

Fees Professional fees (% of building cost): tick who you'll appoint Architect % Structural engineer % Quantity surveyor % Land surveyor %

How the default was chosen: ooba's 2026 breakdown is architect up to 8%, structural engineer about 2%, QS up to 4% and land surveyor up to 5% of construction cost. A typical house needs an architect and an engineer, so the default ticks those two at ooba's figures: 10%. Tick the QS or land surveyor if you'll appoint them (all four: 19%).

NHBRC enrolment (new homes; statutory sliding scale)

Worked out on the building contract price including VAT (building, site works and any project management fee), as the NHBRC rules define it. If you buy a serviced stand with the build, its price counts too. No VAT is added to the fee itself.

Council plan fee (R per m², excl. VAT)

Default: Polokwane 2026/27 tariff, R32.63/m² excl. VAT (minimum R3,448.32). VAT at 15% is added. Other councils differ.

Site & services Site works allowance (R, excl. VAT): paving, walls, earthworks Borehole: complete 40 m system Septic tank and soakaway Eskom rural connection (Landlight 20A minimum fee)

Service amounts are entered including VAT (as quoted). Long power lines, deep or dry boreholes, and percolation tests cost extra.

Risk Contingency (% of building + site)

Default rule: 15% for rural Limpopo, 10% for town and urban sites. It resets when you change the location. 10–15% is the usual advice; first-time builders should use 15% wherever they build.

Please read: this is an estimate, not a quote. The total below is a rough, indicative figure for early budgeting. It is not professional advice for your project. You rely on it at your own risk, and we are not liable for decisions you make on it, except where the law says otherwise. Get proper quotes or a bill of quantities before you commit money. Full disclaimer

Estimated total project cost, incl. VAT, excl. land

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Item	Excl. VAT	Incl. VAT

VAT at 15% is added to building, site works, any project management fee, professional fees, the council plan fee and contingency. The NHBRC enrolment fee carries no VAT. Service quotes are taken as already including VAT.

Want this checked against your actual plans, or thinking of the architect-managed route? A registered architect can turn this into a proper budget. Email the reviewing architect (meyer@arkhitekton.co.za). Paid “Budget Check”: coming soon.

Where the defaults come from

Base rates: AECOM Africa Property & Construction Cost Guide 2025/26, p.57 (rates current to 1 July 2025, excl. VAT, Gauteng-based where possible)
Escalation 6.4% to August 2026: Stats SA P0151.1 Construction Material Price Indices, August 2026 (released 30 Sep 2026), Table 1, CPAP work group 180 ‘lump sum domestic buildings’: Jul 2025 104.7 → Aug 2026 111.4 (+6.4%); total CIPI Jul 2025 105.2 → Aug 2026 114.0 (+8.4%). Indices exclude VAT. Tender-price forecast for comparison: AECOM Cost Guide 2025/26, p.88: BER tender price index forecast +3.6% (Jan 2026) and +4.7% (Jan 2027)
Extension factor ×1.20: set by the reviewing architect from practice (top of the 10–20% range in public guides: SA Property Tools building cost calculator, updated Oct 2026 (extensions ‘about 15% more’, ‘typically 10–15% more per m²’; contingency 10–15%) · Building Prices South Africa, House extension cost guide, updated June 2026 (‘extensions typically run about 10–20% higher than a fresh build’; second storey 20–40% more))
Contingency guidance (10–15%): SA Property Tools building cost calculator, updated Oct 2026 (extensions ‘about 15% more’, ‘typically 10–15% more per m²’; contingency 10–15%). Rule: 15% for rural Limpopo, 10% for town/urban, set by the reviewing architect.
Delivery route: contractor (tender price, no extra fee) by default. Managed route: rate ÷ 1.15 (contractor margin removed, guess) + 15% architect project management fee, set by the reviewing architect.
Professional fees (default architect 8% + engineer 2% = 10%): ooba, 'What it costs to build a house in SA in 2026' (architect up to 8%, land surveyor up to 5%, structural engineer ~2%, QS up to 4%)
NHBRC: NHBRC enrolment fee rules (Housing Consumers Protection Measures Act, Rules, rule 2) · NHBRC Rules, rule 1: ‘selling price’ means … in the case of a building contract, the contract price, including VAT … together with the price at which the serviced erf has been acquired · SANS10400.co.za, ‘NHBRC fees’: the NHBRC deregistered for VAT in 2011; enrolment fees carry no VAT (secondary source)
Council plan fee: Polokwane Municipality approved tariffs 2026/27 (Provincial Gazette 3851, erratum, 7 Aug 2026), Schedule 12: building plan fees R32.63 per m² gross floor area, minimum R3,448.32, from 1 July 2026; ‘All charges exclude VAT’. VAT on municipal fees: SARS VAT 419 Guide for Municipalities: from 1 July 2006 almost all municipal supplies are standard-rated, incl. building regulations activities, permits and inspection fees (Annexure A)
Electricity: Eskom 2026/27 Schedule of Standard Fees, Table 3(b) rural connection fees: Landlight 20A R10,900 incl. VAT; Landlight 60A R37,605 incl. VAT; 16 kVA single-phase R53,820 incl. VAT (minimum fees; line extensions extra)
Borehole: Limpopo Boreholes price guide, checked 23 Sep 2026: drilling R290–R300/m; 40 m home borehole with casing, pump, 5,000 L tank and cover R36,690; 60 m complete R71,240
Septic: Kandua septic tank installation cost guide: R25,000–R70,000, average ~R45,000
Limpopo regional factor 1.10: architect-reviewed default (higher transport and sourcing costs; see How we calculate)