Category Archives: Tips

Electrical Contracting Mauritius: What Does An Electrical Contractor Do?

An electrical contractor in Mauritius is a full service contracting firm specializing in electrical construction work. Normally this work is related to the design, installation, and maintenance of the electrical system. Electrical contractors are responsible to ensure that those systems work effectively, safely and almost always in an environmentally friendly way.

PROFESSIONAL INDUSTRY

An electrical contractor is a construction industry professional who wires businesses, factories,plants and homes to supply them with electrical power. He usually installs electrical systems and wiring in new architectures, but can also rewire buildings that are being restored or have been damaged by fire or other disasters.

Before an electrical contractor bids on a job, he normally analyses the blueprints for the project. This expansive technical diagrammatic of the buildings floor and wall plans disclose all the site’s electrical needs. The contractor locates on the blueprint all the electrical panels, circuit breakers, outlets and switches, along with any specifically marked areas that may require extra wiring or backup system.

If the bids are accepted, the electrical contractor carries out the installation of all wiring in the walls and connect them to the suitable components. As this action is progressing, he routinely double-checks each wiring path and connection for safety and compliance with building codes. He should be a skillful user of a variety of hand tools, including screwdrivers, pliers, wire trippers and hacksaws in order to perform this part of job efficiently.

Continue reading →

How to plan your home construction

In life everyone wishes to own a dream house. Some people want to have a huge luxurious house while others prefer a cozy cottage with vintage interiors and multi-coloured paint. A house facing a small river and a garden where you can grow your own vegetables and fruits. Everyone has their own idea of how their dream house should look. However, before initiating the construction of a house, there are some steps that must always be taken into consideration.

Find below the steps to help you plan your home construction:

HOW TO SET UP YOUR HOME BUDGET

From the very moment you start thinking to plan your home construction, you can begin considering your budget. You will have an idea of how much you can afford, how much it will cost and whether you need to take a loan from the bank. The bank loan will depend on your income and other financial obligations. You will have to present some documents like pay slips and your working contract. The cost includes your contractor, designer, materials and appliances, and interior features.

PICK A HOUSE PLAN

You can choose your design on free online catalogue, select your style preference home. Set up your house goals: size of the home, layout, designs and interiors among other things.

Architect
Look for an expert architect or a designer who will help you select the best one for your needs. The designer can also make some changes to the design plans in terms of room size, window styles or other details. Choose a plan that will satisfy your requirements in the coming years. As an example of a newlywed couple who would like to plan for more family members while an older homeowner should expect ageing-in-place needs.

Continue reading →

Tips To Consider while Building your House in Mauritius

From the development of the project to its implementation, build your home is a course full of pitfalls. Spot the main mistakes and browse our tips for making your home.

Building your home is often the adventure of a lifetime. Choice of land, materials or craftsmen, the project is the result of a long-term reflection and represents a long-term project. Before starting to build your house, we have reviewed the most classic mistakes and give you the keys to avoid them.

Mistake # 1: Underestimate the budget for building his house

Main element, the budget defines the project according to the savings of the owners and their borrowing capacity. If the envelope is the result of a successful reflection, the construction of a house is often full of surprises with additional costs. To avoid being caught off guard, it is better to determine an additional margin of maneuver, even if borrowing a larger sum in case of credit. Even if you face unforeseen circumstances, you will be ready to face it.

Mistake # 2: hastily choosing the land of his future home

First step before the construction of the house, choosing the land with care is essential for the rest of the project. A good financial opportunity, even attractive, does not necessarily meet your criteria. If the choice of terrain is often difficult, do not rush. Write down your wishes and start your research based on these expectations. Once the ground is found, it is important to gather all the necessary information on the latter to confirm his choice or not.

Mistake # 3: Ignore the soil study for the land of his future home

After the environment of the ground, it is the nature of its soil that requires attention. Depending on its composition, the foundations will not be the same. A little more research is also recommended in order to have a real vision of the nature of the soil that will host your future home.

Mistake # 4: Calling Craftsmen Without Inquiring

The construction team is carefully constituted to build a house. Self-builder or not, the craftsmen who work in your home must be skilled and you must have echoed their achievements. At the risk of having bad surprises on the rendering and disappointments on the schedule.

Mistake # 5: Build your own house and underestimate the work

Rocked by the dream of creating one’s own home, one can quickly abstract the efforts and concessions demanded by the project. Building a house is a real undertaking and a demand for to evaluate work, fatigue and time.

What to consider when buying a plot of Land in Mauritius?

The question of the Surface Area:

In the urbanized areas most of the grounds measure around 300 m2, but a plot of 500 m2 will allow you for example to keep your distance with the neighbors, and to enjoy a spacious garden). On the other hand, a bigger ground supposes expenses and time for its maintenance, integrated in your search criteria.

The price is very variable from one region to another. The demarcation of the land is very important to know the exact boundaries of your land and prevent any future litigation. Request a demarcation plan from the vendor and a survey done by a surveyor before purchasing.

Field conditions to check:

In any case, prefer a simple form, as close as possible to the square, to ensure optimal construction conditions.

It will always be better to buy flat land, to facilitate construction and to leave as many possibilities as possible. But a sloping terrain can offer other potentialities: greater surface area, better integration with the site, more unobstructed view, original landscaping. However, the construction will be more complex, and may require earthworks, foundation, water recovery, accessibility.

Beware of the pitches, or near a watercourse, they can present risks of flooding.

The nature of the subsoil is crucial:

All soils are generally heterogeneous, but one still distinguishes the good soils of the bad ones. The basement of your property must be stable and fluid to provide the foundation for your future home. Rocky or sand or gravel soils are considered good soils, the bad ones being those composed of clay, silt, embankments (risk of settlement, flooding, landslides). Attention also to the presence of a water table, old pipes, galleries or quarries buried (make a survey in case of doubt).

Subjective criteria but nevertheless very useful:

The opinion of the neighborhood, and the repeated visit to the place, is essential. Do not hesitate to discuss with neighbors about the environment, constraints, methods and construction choices, etc. And most importantly, visit the site several times, at different times of the day and week, to realize the advantages and disadvantages of the place and the environment.

Mauritius: Trends In The Interior Design

If the choice of a floor or wall covering is difficult for you, a good solution is to follow the current trends to inspire yourself. So, you will find some ideas that will make the country’s homes a thing of the past.

Colored tiles, basin, Italian shower, … A very trendy bathroom!

For tiles, the motto is originality. The tiling offer is quite impressive. If you have no idea what type of tile you want in your home, the choice can be tedious. Here are some original ideas for this fall:

-The wood imitation tiles are the perfect compromise between the qualities of ceramics and the appearance of parquet. A woody hue is given to them during the manufacture.

-This dummrt also marks the return of tiny, patterned or colored tiles, such as the 1950s kitchens and bathrooms.

-Parquet and wooden floors: our suggestions for this season

Two variants of wooden flooring will become more and more common in homes this year.

Laminated floors with V-chamfer. It is therefore of parquet floor nestable with the difference that it does not overlap perfectly. They are designed to leave grooves between the blades for a more traditional look.

To give volume to your room, turn to the use of large wood blades. Their sizes will bring an impression of greatness to your interior.

Vinyl is back among popular flooring

Lately, vinyl is not as successful as it may have been a few years ago. Yet it is coming back in force, but in another form. Finish the rollers, instead of the blades. Indeed, today vinyl is also available in the form of laminated flooring.

The bathroom comes back to simplicity

In terms of bathroom, Italian showers with concrete imitation walls are found more and more frequently in the bathrooms of our country. This concrete aspect is obtained by the application of a special coating. The trend is lightness and clean lines. The basins are very popular, especially on wooden furniture.

Construction Mauritius: Choose the perfect door for your Future house!

How to choose your front door? When one builds one’s house, one chooses most often its door of entry according to criteria of aesthetics and security. The idea of the performance comes after. It is true that your gateway will be the first impression you give to your visitors. Classic or contemporary, you need to find your style without forgetting that it will protect you from the heat, cold and ensure your safety. Do not forget that it participates in the thermal and sound insulation of buildings particularly for the calculation of thermal bridges.

What material for your door?

The choices of materials for your door are varied. They each have their advantages in terms of thermal insulation but some are more efficient than others. It’s up to you to make your choice according to your preferences and budget knowing that you can opt for a solid door, a semi-glazed door, or a glass door for more brightness.

Wood

For an authentic and robust entrance door, wood is a good option. Several species exist: oak, larch, pine that are treated insecticide and fungicide or exotic woods, which themselves are naturally rot-proof. Wood is a noble and sturdy material that resists well in time but will require regular maintenance even if it is treated. Its last advantage will be the ease to change the color of your door.

Aluminum

For a very resistant door at an affordable price, aluminum is a good alternative with a variety of styles, sizes and colors. Be careful though because aluminum is cold conductor. It will be necessary to provide insulating panels to ensure good thermal performance. Some manufacturers offer monobloc doors adapted to cold weather.

PVC

A PVC door has huge advantages with very good insulating performance, a great choice of styles and colors, no maintenance and, most importantly, a very reasonable price. Its major disadvantage will be security.

Steel

Cheaper than wood and aluminum, the steel door is the best solution to prevent break-ins. For good thermal performance, steel should be combined with other materials. Its disadvantages remain its weight, its aesthetic appearance and its sensitivity to corrosion. (To be avoided by the sea). Hörmann, for example, with its range “ThermoPro” focuses on safety, thermal insulation and design at very attractive prices.

Glass

If you want a lot of light, opt for a glazed entrance door. With the increasing number of break-ins, today manufacturers offer double or triple glazing. You can also add 1 burglar proof film or security bars.

The composite

Made from molded fiberglass, the composite is the latest addition to the doorway ranges. Thanks to its density, it will guarantee you an excellent acoustic and thermal insulation and its resistance will protect you from possible burglars. With many decorative finishes, this is the ideal entryway if your budget allows it.

Building your house in Mauritius

To build one’s home is the dream of most people. But it can be scary at first when you do not know the ins and outs. Without knowledge, it is very easy to lose money unknowingly, and in the construction industry in Mauritius it counts in thousands of rupees! Make substantial savings at each stage of the project while following our guidelines.

In the following lines you will discover the action plan to flatten the budget of the construction, master it and optimize it to make great savings.

Definition of the overall budget

The starting point of the project is defining the budget. All the next steps will depend on this. You will need to consider the following:

Defining its financial capacity
Know your budget
Calculate and reduce notary fees
Study the price of the entire building
Estimate the cost of servicing
Take into account the work to be done
Anticipating taxes

Find the land at the right price

Afterwards, comes the purchase of the land. A crucial step that will determine your future environment but also trigger the first monthly credit and give you the building possibilities. You will need to consider the following:

The factors to be taken into account in choosing the right ground
Tools and services to know the market price
The tool for price reductions
The cheapest way to pay a lot
Good questions for the seller
The golden rules of trading
Important things to know before Signing the Sale Compromise

Negotiations with the builder and artisans

Then comes the construction of the house as such, you will then need to properly determine your needs and desires to get the house that fits within your budget. You will need to consider those:

Define the specifications of his house well
Lowering the price of the house
Choose between builder, prime contractor or architect
Request and select the best quotes
Start builders, craftsmen and suppliers
Know how and what to negotiate
Buy used, rent, recover or sell surplus
Choosing serious businesses

Subscribe to our blog for upcoming articles about tips for your future constructions in Mauritius.

Visit Seychelles in 2022! And rent a car with Car Hire Seychelles for a pleasant trip experience.

THE BUILDING PERMIT IN MAURITIUS

The building permit is an administrative document that gives the administration the means to verify that a construction project complies with the urban planning rules in force. This document is mandatory for work of great importance.

Registration for permission

Applicants for the building permit are asked to complete the appropriate forms and to go to the municipality with their identity card and all necessary information. The registration must be accompanied by all the documents indicated on the forms to be taken into consideration. The registration section of the planning department can help you with any questions concerning the registration for the building permit.

Documents to be provided

A copy of the title / lease and building permit
3 sets of plans, preferably on a sheet A4 or A3, drawn on a metric scale and signed by a professional:
The location plan indicating the distances of the specific and main landmarks, preferably at the scale of 1: 2500, but also the width and location of the access roads.
The site plan indicates the dimensions of the subdivision, the layout of the building with the setbacks of all boundaries, access roads, parking lot layout, septic tanks / other water evacuation systems, and any other existing structure, preferably on a scale of 1: 200
The surface area of the site, the area of each floor and a detailed calculation for the insurance of the subdivision, and for the parking lots designated on the site plan:
Any basement to propose
Plan of the contours to be submitted in order to justify the level of the basement
Layout plans of each floor, preferably 1: 100 or 1: 200, clearly indicating the proposed function for all rooms
Main facades, preferably on a scale of 1: 100 or 1: 200, showing the height of the building.
The cross-sections, preferably on the scale of 1: 100 or 1: 200, showing the height of the building
Structural details submitted including:
Foundation layout

And if your residential complex involves building construction:

Details of uprights / foundations (base, shoe, etc.)
Details of the frame for each floor
Details of the tile (s) for each floor
Stairs
Basement (if any)
Septic tank / other water evacuation system
Copy of all structural details of the existing structure
Consent and copy of neighbor’s identity card if construction is within 0.9m of the adjoining wall
Certificate of engineer in case of construction with more than 2 floors or span exceeding 5 m
CEB approval (for all constructions)
Authorization of the CWA / WMA (for new construction)
Lease / Reservation Letter and Project Establishment Contract in the case of government land
Receipt of general rate (if applicable)
Copy of identity card

Application Form (You may have to retrieve the application form from the Planning Department, SEHDA, or from the BOI, or from the Ministry of Territorial Adminis