• When I want to sell my house and I don’t have approved council plans
• When my house has additions, outbuildings or a swimming pool that does not show on the previously approved plans
• When I want to increase a building size, for example by adding a new bedroom or bathroom or another level
• When I want to add a garage or carport with a solid roof
• When I want to add a swimming pool, “lapa”, covered patio or braai attached to the house
• When I want to add any loose standing structures or outbuildings
• When I want to change the function of an existing room, for example change a garage to a bedroom
• When I want to enclose an existing covered patio
• When I move, enlarge, add or remove existing windows or exterior glass doors
• When I break down internal supporting walls to make rooms larger
• When I change the internal walls of any public building, for example an office, shop, warehouse, church, doctor’s consulting room etc.
• When I plan to change the function of a building for example a house becoming a child care center
• When I want to make a change in ground level deeper that 2m

• When I do maintenance to a building for example painting, replacing roof tiles, fixing broken windows etc.
• When you do internal renovations like installing new cupboards, changing floor coverings or lighting fixtures for example
• When I add a temporary timber Wendy that is loose standing from the building
• When I build a boundary wall on the boundary line
• When I build a garden wall 1,8m or lower.
• When I add a water feature, fish pond, child play house or tree house
• When I add or remove paving, screen walls or garden walls (not retaining walls)
• When I add a tennis court or sports field with no roof
• When I replace windows or external doors with new ones of the same size in the same position, for example when timber frame windows are replaced with aluminium

Architects and architectural technologists study the same degree and are trained to see the big picture during the design process, for example to consider the practical, visual, environmental, social, historical and spatial impacts that a building might have. They think about function, resources and infrastructure like circulation, natural light, air flow, traffic flow, stormwater, health and safety, accessibility, security, (just to name a few) and how to optimize a building, and keep it running smoothly for decades. Architects require a Master's degree, and are specifically trained to be team leaders who manage other professionals in the construction industry and handle the more administrative parts of construction such as contracts, tender processes, dispute resolution, payment certificates etc. They are also focused more on public building and large-scale projects, and the overall look and feel of a project. Architectural technologists do not require a Master's degree and they focus much more on the actual drawings and practicalities of the building. They usually form part of the architect’s team on larger projects, but are allowed to do solo projects on residential buildings. They are concerned with the details of the project, for example plumbing, electrical fittings, stormwater, specifications, tile layouts, window and door sizes etc. Architectural technologists often handle all the smaller administrative tasks in the office such as document control and the council submission process.