How to make sure your house is insured for the correct sum

I’M STANDING in at my old company for the next month for three days a week while one of the partners has a well-deserved break. So I’m going to be close to the action again for a while.

Already I’ve travelled over Ou Kaapseweg and seen the devastation caused by the fire – quite souldestroying, especially as at the end of the drive I had to go and have a look at a friend’s house destroyed by the fire.

It is really scary as the closest the flames came is a good few minutes walk away, but hot conditions, wind, sparks and a thatched roof write a recipe for disaster.

If you are looking at purchasing a thatched-roof house, please ensure it is fitted with all the necessary antifire systems, a fire blanket, sprinkler system, lightning spike and so on. We tend to think that we are not likely to be affected by lightning, but with weather patterns changing it is something that we now need to consider.

Even with all the necessary systems fitted to a thatched roof, and even though I think they look beautiful, I would certainly think twice before buying a house with one, especially if it was going to stand empty for long periods as in the case of a holiday home.

Also remember that a thatched roof is very expensive. The going rate appears to be well over R2 000 a square metre, and this must be taken into account when you are insuring your home. Having now witnessed the damage caused by the fires first hand, I must urge you all to check your sums insured again.

Building costs are not coming down so it is imperative that you ensure that you are insured for the correct amounts.

It is your responsibility – and yours only – to ensure that you are insured for the correct sum. It is not the bank’s, your broker’s or your insurer’s responsibility.

Your house needs to be insured for what it would cost to rebuild and return it to the state it was in before the disaster occurred.

This value is neither what it says on the rates account, nor what the bank valued it at, nor what you paid for it.

Very simply, you need to calculate the area of your property that sits under a roof. Patios and garages are cheaper to build, but work on the safe side. Take the length multiplied by the width and get a total area, (remember to times by two if it is double storey).

This then needs to be multiplied by the appropriate rate for the type and standard of house.

Many of the insurance companies have online calculators to help you with this task, so just do a search for “calculating my house insurance”.

Figures range from around R5 000 per square metre for cheaper houses up to R14 000-plus per square metre for exclusive homes. If you are unsure, contact an expert such as a quantity surveyor to help you.

Features on older houses such as teak windows and timber floors need to be taken into account as these are very expensive to replace.

Once you have a basic figure, add an allowance for paving, swimming pools, boundary walls and so on. Then add 5 percent for demolition, 10 percent for professional fees plus VAT to the overall total, this will give you a rough idea of what you should be insured for.

Please pick up your phone and give somebody a call today – we seem to be losing our ability to talk.

On Thursday in my work capacity I must have received 60 emails and 20 texts, half of which could have been sorted with a simple call.

I know that today’s world insists that everything is recorded in writing and that we have records – and of course we save money by using SMS – but there is no passion.

If I am annoyed with somebody or if I want to say thank you, I want the person to hear the passion in my voice. To all the contractors out there: you must communicate with your clients, especially on the domestic front.

Mrs Jones wants to know that the glazer is not going to make it to close up the window; don’t leave her hanging around not knowing if she can go out or not.

And the same goes for the clients: let your contractor know if you are not going to be home. The price of petrol is going up again and a wasted trip costs money.

Coming from my small dorp where traffic congestion consists of two cars trying to get into the supermarket parking lot at the same time, I am appalled at how quickly our city goes into gridlock if there is a problem on the roads.

So let your contractor or client know if there is a problem.

It’s Easter and school holidays in Slaapstad so as always at these times my question box dries up, but many thanks to all of you who have sent in the names of reliable handymen, and to those of you who are asking for their numbers. I will reply as soon as possible.

My editor for the past four-and-ahalf years at Weekend Argus retires this month, so I must say a big thank you to Vivien Horler who has guided and corrected me over this period.

Many of you comment on my writing skills, but I am a simple builder and Miss Vivien has ensured that the grammar and punctuation are always correct.

● Please keep your questions or comments coming to don@macalister.co.za or SMS only to 082 4463859