Bellwether Architecture & Engineering · part of Besbpo Group
Design it, approve it, then build it from one place
BAE is the group's architecture and engineering practice. Plans and council submissions, structural and civil design, inspections and bills of quantities — and the quantities land in your account as a project list, ready to order stage by stage.
Fixed-fee packages
Defined jobs at one price. Everything else is quoted from your brief.
Architectural
Measured as-built drawings
One house up to 250 m² in a metro; larger buildings and outlying sites are quoted
R6,500 fixed, excl. VAT
Architectural
Plan regularisation
One house with additions up to 250 m² in total
R18,500 fixed, excl. VAT
Structural engineering
Foundation inspections & completion certificate
Three site visits on one single-storey house in a metro
R7,500 fixed, excl. VAT
Structural engineering
Crack & structural assessment
One house in a metro; repair designs are quoted
R6,500 fixed, excl. VAT
Structural engineering
Retaining wall design
One wall up to 1.5 m high on a residential site; higher walls are quoted
R8,500 fixed, excl. VAT
Architectural
Plans, council submissions and full design-and-site services for houses, additions and commercial buildings.
House plans & council submission
Concept to council-ready drawings for a new house: site plan, floor plans, elevations, sections and the SANS 10400 notes, submitted to your municipality.
R120/m², minimum R18,000, excl. VAT →
Additions & alterations
Drawings for an extension, second storey, garage, granny flat or internal changes, showing the existing building and the new work, submitted to council.
R120/m², minimum R12,000, excl. VAT →
Full architectural service
BAE runs the design from brief to completion: design development, council approval, construction drawings, tender documents and site inspections through the build.
5–7% of building cost, excl. VAT →
Measured as-built drawings
BAE measures the building as it stands and draws it — the starting point for alterations, a sale, a valuation or plans you've lost.
R6,500 fixed, excl. VAT →
Plan regularisation
Get unapproved work approved: BAE measures what was built, draws it to council standard and submits it as a rider or a regularisation application.
R18,500 fixed, excl. VAT →
Structural engineering
Foundations, slabs, frames, roofs and retaining walls designed, inspected and signed off.
Structural design
Foundations, slabs, beams, columns and roof structures designed for your drawings, with the calculations and engineer's drawings council asks for.
1.5–2% of building cost, minimum R12,000, excl. VAT →
Foundation inspections & completion certificate
An engineer inspects the excavations and the steel before each pour and signs the completion certificate the municipality asks for at the end.
R7,500 fixed, excl. VAT →
Crack & structural assessment
An engineer inspects cracks, sagging or damp, finds the cause and writes up the repair — for owners, buyers and insurers.
R6,500 fixed, excl. VAT →
Retaining wall design
Design and drawings for a retaining wall — concrete block, gabion or reinforced concrete — with the engineer's sign-off.
R8,500 fixed, excl. VAT →
Steel & roof structure design
Steel portal frames, carports, mezzanines and roof structures designed and detailed for fabrication.
Quoted per project →
Civil engineering
Stormwater, drainage, paving and access roads for sites and developments.
Stormwater & drainage design
A stormwater plan for the site: levels, falls, channels, pipes, soakaways and attenuation, to council's requirements.
Quoted per project →
Roads, parking & paving design
Layerworks, levels and layouts for access roads, driveways and parking — designed for the traffic they'll carry.
Quoted per project →
Compliance
Energy, approvals and the paperwork that gets a building signed off.
Quantities
Bills of quantities and schedules that turn drawings into an order.
Bill of quantities
A measured bill of every material and trade from your drawings — and the materials loaded as a project list on this store, ready to price and order stage by stage.
1–1.5% of building cost, minimum R8,500, excl. VAT →
Bar bending schedule
The bar schedule from the engineer's drawings — which goes straight to cut & bend on this store.
Quoted per project →
How it works
01
Send a brief
What you want to build, where, roughly how big — and any drawings, title deed or photos you have.
02
Proposal
BAE replies with a fee proposal and terms of engagement for your project. Nothing is charged until you accept.
03
Design
Concept, drawings and the engineer's design, with your changes, to SANS 10400.
04
Council
BAE submits to your municipality and answers its comments until the plans are approved.
05
Quantities
The bill of quantities becomes a project list in your account, by build stage.
06
Build
Order the materials, hire and site services here — and BAE inspects as the work goes up.
Each project is allocated a registered professional architect or engineer, named with their SACAP or ECSA registration on your proposal, who signs the drawings, designs and certificates the law requires. All fees exclude VAT. Municipal plan fees, NHBRC enrolment and specialist reports (surveys, geotechnical) are paid at cost and shown separately on the proposal.
What will the design cost?
Design fees follow the size and cost of the building. Put in the floor area and a building cost per m² for a budget figure for plans, the engineer, inspections and a bill of quantities — and, for a new house, the NHBRC enrolment fee your builder pays.
Fixed fees are firm for the scope described; everything else is confirmed on BAE's written proposal once we've seen the brief.
Building cost, roughly R2,520,000 (180 m² × R14,000/m²)
| House plans & council submission | R21,600 |
| Structural design | R37,800 – R50,400 |
| Foundation inspections & completion certificate | R7,500 |
| Bill of quantities | R25,200 – R37,800 |
| Indicative design fees, excl. VAT | R92,100 – R117,300 |
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Or a full architectural service through to completion: about R126,000 – R176,400.
NHBRC home enrolment (statutory, paid by the home builder before building starts): about R21,600 plus VAT on a contract of R2,520,000. The NHBRC confirms the amount.
Municipal plan fees, surveys, the energy (XA) design and specialist reports are extra. These are budget figures from the building cost — BAE's written proposal sets the fee for your project.
Send BAE this briefSend BAE a brief
Tell us what you want to build and where. BAE will come back with questions or a fee proposal and terms of engagement. Reply to the email you get with any drawings, title deed or photos.
Already have approved plans? Go straight to a materials quote or shop by build stage.