51 SABS 0400-1990

PART C DIMENSIONS
REGULATlONS

C1 ROOMS AND BUILDINGS

(1) Any room or space shall have dimensions that will ensure that such room
or space is fit for the purpose for which it is intended.
(2) The floor area of any dwelling unit shall not be less than that necessary
to provide one habitable room and a separate room containing toilet facilities.
(3) The requirementsof subregulations (1) and (2) shall be deemed to be satis-
fied where the area and plan dimensions of any room or space, the room heights
and, in the case of any dwelling house, the floor area comply with Part C of sec-
tion 3 of SABS 0400.

DEEMED=TO=SATIS Y=RULES

cc1 GENERAL
The regulation contained in Part C of the National Building Regulations shall
be deemed to be satisfied where the dimensions of any room or space comply
with deemed-to-satisfyrules contained in the following provisions of this Part.

cc2 PLAN DIMENSIONS

cc2.1 The plan dimensions of any room or space shall be the horizontal dimensions
between unplastered wall surfaces.

cc2.2 Any floor area snall be based upon the plan dimensions but shall not include
any area occupied by any built-in cabinet or cupboard or any dividing wall or
partition erected, in terms of subrule CC2.4.

CC2.3 The floor area of any room contemplated in coloum 2 of Table 1 shall be not
less than that prescribed for such room in column 3 of Table 1.

1 2 3
Type of
occupancy
,
I
Room Minimum plan area

All occupancies Any habitable room other than 6 m* with no linear dlmenslon of less than 2 rn .
a kitchen, scullery or laundry.

B, D or J Change rooms and dining rooms -

Population 1 1 5 0,8 m* per person but not less
than 6 mz .
Population 16- 100: 0,6 m2 per person but not less
than 12 mz.
Population more than 100: 0,5 m* per person but not
less than 60 mz .
CC2.4 Two or more spaces shall be deemed to be one room if any dividing wall or par-
tition, including any door, erected between such spaces occupies less than 60 %
of the area of the separating plane.
SABS 0400-1990 52

cc3 ROOM HEIGHTS

CC3.1 The height of any room or space contemplated in column 1 of Table 2 shall not
be less than that prescribed for such room or space in column 2 of Table 2 and
shall be the vertical dimension from the top of the finished floor to -
(a) the underside of the ceiling;
(b) the underside of the roof covering where there is no ceiling; or
(c) the underside of any structural members where such structural members
project below such a ceiling or a roof covering and the plan area of such
projections exceeds 30 YO of the plan area of the room.

CC3.2 Notwithstanding the requirements contained in Table 2, where any structural

member projects below the level of the ceiling or, where there is no ceiling, below
the level of the roof covering, the height to such projection shall not be less
than 2,l m .

TABLE 2 - ROOMS AND THEIR DIMENSIONS

1 2

I Room or Space I Minimum height

Bedroom
Any other habitable room in a
dwelling house or dwelling unit
2,4m over a floor area of at least 6 m2 with a clear
height of at least 1,8 m at any point more than
0,75m from the edge of the floor space.
2,4m over a minimum of 70 ?hof the floor area, and
not less than 2,l m over the remaining floor area.

All habitable rooms other than

those listed above
I 24 m

Passage or entrance hall 2,l m

~ _ _ _ _ _
Bathroorn, shower-room, laundry 2,l m over any area where a person would normally
or room containing a WC pan be in a standing position.

Open mezzanine floor which has an 2,l m above and below the mezzanine floor.
area not exceeding 25 % of the
area of the floor immediately below
it

cc4 FLOOR AREA

The overall plan area of any dwelling house shall be not less than 15 m2 in the
case of any temporary building or 30 m2in the case of any permanent building.

Commentary: The plan areas given are very small but this is necessary in the interests of providing
affordable housing. In the case of certain types of self-help housing such as the “core-
house”, the first stage will, by definition be small, and will seldom consist of more than
a single room plus toilet facilities. The fact that such a building would be regarded as
a temporary building should ensure that it will eventually progress to something more
reasonable in size.

Since rule CC2.3 gives a minimum size for habitable rooms the number of rooms in a
dwelling house will to some extent influence the overall area of the building. In this con-
text the rules do not indicate whefher a habitable room must be of greater size than the
minimum given if such a room is to be used for multiple purposes, but for practical if
not legal reasons this obviously would be desirable. In the case of the temporary house
consisting of one habitable room it is assumed that this will be used for eating, sleeping
and cooking as well as being a general living room.
 53 SABS 0400-1990

With the present tendency towards smaller sites it is likely that many more houses of a
size much smaller than has been common in the past wiil be built. In considering the
very small permanent building it must be remembered that size cannot be equated to
quality and a small house will not therefore automatically detract from the value of sur-
rounding larger houses.
Figure l(a), (b)and [c) illustrates the measurement of the plan area of a room as referred
to in subrule CC2.2.
Figure 2 illustrates a room with a dividing wall, such room being regarded as a single
room where the area of the wall E, F, G, C is less than 60 94 of the area of the plane
I A, B, C, D.

Figure 3 illustrates measurement of the ceiling height. This height would normaily be taken
at level 2 in Figure 3 but if the sum of the pian areas of ribs A, B, C, D, E, F and G is
greater than 30 % of the total area of the room, the ceiling height should be measured
to level 1. The minimum height of level 1 must never be less than 2,l m .

-in

I
oard
e

Oard
B
c I
I

Floor area =A x B

Partitions

1
1
B t
(cl '

Fig. 1 - Measuremenf o f Floor Plan Area

Drg. f 1 U W E
SABS 0400-1990 54

Fr G

0 E C

Fig. 2 - Dividing Walls

-
erg. 11011/€

fig. 3 - Minimum Floor t o Ceiling Height (see CC 3.21

Drg. llOll/€