Tembisa · City of Ekurhuleni
Renovations & Remodelling in Tembisa
Extensions, alterations, open-plan conversions and full refits in Tembisa — with a fixed scope and a programme, so you know when you get your house back.
- Built to the National Building Regulations
- Free site visits in Tembisa
- Itemised written quote before any work starts
Renovating is harder than building new, and anyone who tells you otherwise has not done much of it. You are working around an existing structure, services nobody documented, and usually a family still living in the house. That is the job we do well.
Tembisa is one of Gauteng’s largest townships — dense original housing, extensive backroom rental accommodation and a substantial informal and small-business economy. That mix is what makes the building work here so varied — and why we keep teams working this area rather than running one crew across the province.
Any structural alteration or addition in Tembisa needs plans approved by City of Ekurhuleni before work starts. Building without them is a false economy — it surfaces when you sell, when you claim on insurance, and the moment a neighbour objects.
Renovations & Remodelling services we provide in Tembisa
Extensions & added rooms
Extra bedrooms, enlarged living areas, second storeys, garages and cottages, tied properly into the existing roof and structure.
Open-plan conversions
Removing walls to open up kitchens and living areas, with engineered beams where the wall was carrying load.
Full-house refurbishment
Strip out, replan, rebuild — managed as a single contract with one programme and one point of accountability.
Kitchen & bathroom remodels
Complete replanning and refitting, including the plumbing and waterproofing behind the finishes.
Heritage & older-home work
Repairs and alterations to older properties, matching the existing brickwork, plaster profiles and detailing rather than patching over them.
Damp, cracks & structural repair
Diagnosing the cause before treating the symptom — rising damp, penetrating damp, settlement cracks and failed lintels.
Living-in renovations
Staged work with dust control and protected zones, so the house stays usable while we work.
Plans & approvals where needed
Structural alterations and additions generally need approved plans. We tell you honestly when yours does, and manage the submission.
What we see in Tembisa
Layouts built for a different way of living
Houses in Tembisa were planned around separate rooms, small kitchens and a formal lounge nobody now uses. The structure is usually sound; the plan is what is wrong. Most of the value in renovating here comes from removing the right two or three walls — which means knowing which ones are carrying the roof.
Blocks and common property
Multi-unit buildings in Tembisa bring their own problems: common-property roofs and drainage, shared access, managing agents, and repairs that affect several owners at once. Work here needs coordination with the agent and clear documentation of exactly what was done and where.
Homes that have grown over time
Properties in Tembisa have typically been extended more than once — rooms added, garages enclosed, backrooms built. The additions are often sound but rarely documented, and they seldom tie into the original structure or drainage the way they should. Renovating here usually starts with working out what is actually there.
Do you need plans for this?
It is the first question worth answering on any renovation in Tembisa, because it changes both the cost and the timeline. The honest answer depends on what you are actually doing.
Plans needed
Anything structural or anything that changes the building: extensions, second storeys, removing load-bearing walls, new or enlarged openings in external walls, carports and covered patios, second dwellings, and changes to the roof. Approval comes from City of Ekurhuleni.
Usually no plans needed
Replacing a kitchen or bathroom in the same layout, new finishes, flooring, painting, re-roofing like for like, and internal non-structural partitions. Moving plumbing within a room is generally fine; moving a wall is not.
An engineer, not an opinion
Removing a load-bearing wall needs a designed beam, not a guess. We bring in an engineer where the structure requires it and install the temporary support before anything comes out — which is how ceilings stay uncracked and doors keep closing.
Estates and complexes
In a complex or estate, the body corporate or homeowners association usually has to approve the alteration before the municipality ever sees it, and there will be rules about hours, access and approved contractors. We deal with that process as a matter of routine.
The NHBRC warranty scheme is built around new homes, so most renovations are not enrolled. On a renovation your protection is the contract, a properly defined scope, and a builder who stands behind the work in writing.
How it works in Tembisa
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1
Free site visit
We come and look. Nothing is priced off a photograph or a phone call.
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2
Written quote
Itemised, with the scope and the exclusions in writing so you can compare it properly.
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3
Agreed start date
A date we can keep, and a team that arrives on it.
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4
Finish & clean up
The job is completed, snagged and cleaned — not left at ninety percent.
Renovations & Remodelling in Tembisa — your questions answered
Can I stay in the house during the renovation?
Usually, yes — it depends what we are doing. We stage the work, seal off the areas under construction and keep kitchens and bathrooms running as long as we can. Where you genuinely cannot stay, we tell you at quote stage rather than halfway through.
Do I need plans to renovate in Tembisa?
For structural alterations, additions and anything that changes the footprint or the roof, yes — and approvals come from City of Ekurhuleni. Purely cosmetic work does not. We will tell you which side of that line your job falls on, and we do not start structural work without approvals.
Can you remove a load-bearing wall?
Yes, with an engineered beam and the right temporary support. What we will not do is open a wall and work out the support afterwards, which is how ceilings end up cracked and doors stop closing.
How do you handle the unexpected?
Renovations uncover things — old drainage, rot, no foundation where there should be one. When that happens you get a written variation with a price before the work is done, not a surprise at the end.
Is renovating cheaper than building new?
Often, but not always. When the structure is sound and the location is right, reworking is usually better value. When you are replacing the roof, the services and half the walls, building new can cost less and give you more. We will tell you which one you are looking at.
Does the NHBRC cover renovations?
The NHBRC scheme is built around new homes, so most renovations are not enrolled. Your protection on a renovation is the contract, a properly defined scope and a builder who stands behind the work — which is why we put the guarantee in writing.
Other services we provide in Tembisa
Everything below is available in Tembisa from the same team, on the same terms.
Building Contractors
One contractor, from foundation to final coat
Learn moreNew Building Construction
New homes and developments, built to programme
Learn moreKitchen & Bathroom Upgrades
The two rooms that sell the house
Learn moreRoofing & Structural Repairs
Leaks, trusses, waterproofing and structural repair
Learn moreTiling, Painting & Finishes
The part everybody sees
Learn moreCommercial Renovations
Fit-outs and refurbishments around your trading hours
Learn moreCeilings & Drywalling
Suspended ceilings, bulkheads and drywall partitions
Learn morePaving
Driveways that carry the load and drain the water
Learn morePlumbing
Leaks, geysers, drains and new installations
Learn moreRenovations & Remodelling elsewhere in Gauteng
We work these areas from the same base, with the same teams.
Need an electrician in Tembisa?
Electrical work is handled by our electrical arm, Sirius Bright, who are registered to issue Certificates of Compliance. Same group, same standards — fault finding, DB boards, rewiring, COCs and solar, across Tembisa and the rest of Gauteng.
Renovations & Remodelling in Tembisa
Call us, or send the details and we will come and look.