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Building and Construction Costs in South Africa

The following building and construction rates are provided to indicate the current square meter costs of a range of basic or common buildings in the construction industry.

Rates are approximate and vary according to the specifications of the project. Rates should be used with extreme caution and used only as a estimated indicator as these differ from area to area. Information is not stated specifically and the lowest industry standard specification is implied.

Preliminaries are included in the price but external works excluded. Escalation to start and during construction, professional fees and finance costs are excluded.

Residential Developments
GASH (good address, small home) housing by Contractor/Developer R 2 550 – 3 200

Duplex houses/apartments R 3 600 – 4 200

Luxury (cluster) houses R 5 000 – 6 800

Retirement centre R 3 600 – 4 200

External works and services R 550 – 780

Office Developments
Underground parking basements including foundation R 1 650 – 2 300

Commercial office park development on basement (with AC) R 2 950 – 3 650

Prestigious office development on basements R 4 700 – 7 200

External works services and landscaping for low rise developments R 550 – 780

Retail Developments
Value centre type retail R 2 200 – 2 900

Convenience strip shopping centre R 3 100 – 3 700

Regional shopping centre with enclosed malls R 5 200 – 7 300

External works paving and services R 550 – 780

Industrial Developments
Warehousing with 6 m height (over 2 000 m²) including ablutions R 1 400 – 1 950

Medium duty factory building with 8 m height (over 2 000 m²) R 1 750 – 2 300

Attached office buildings (no AC) R 2 700 – 3 200

External works, paving and services R 550 – 780

Leisure Developments
Thatched game lodge accommodation per m² R 3 700 – 4 800

Budget type hotels per room R 390 000

Luxury hotels per room R 1 380 000

External works and landscaped environment per m² R 850 – 1 100

Jan Lombaard is the founder of http://www.builditall.co.za The National Building, Renovating and Home Improvement Directory of South Africa. He has been actively involved in the building and renovating industry for the last 12 years.

Author: Jan Lombaard
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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What and How of Apparel, Clothing & Garments Industry

What drives the Garments Industry?   Consumer tastes and the comparative manufacturing costs are the two major determinants of demands by the market. Whether a Garment Company will be profitable, also depends upon its operational efficiency and its ability to strike deals with the clothing marketers including clothing wholesale and clothing retail sector. This industry is highly labor intensive and the skilled labor is more so important on whose support even a small garment company can compete effectively with the larger ones.

How the Apparel Industry works?

As different skills and equipment are needed to make different types of clothes, the garment manufacturers mostly specialize in manufacturing only one or two types of apparel. There are different types of apparel manufacturers too. The Integrated Manufacturers design and make garments in their own manufacturing plants and market their own clothing brands. The Licensees have their own manufacturing plants but they market their manufactured clothing under license from the other Brand owners. Then there are Contract Manufacturers who make clothing under contracts from independent designers. These designers market their own brands without any role of the manufacturers. All these Apparel Manufacturers find the markets for trading their finished garments after taking the Apparel, Clothing & Garments Industry overview

What the Apparel Manufacturers do?

The procedures followed by most of the Apparel manufacturers are more or less similar. First of all, design for the clothing is made. They are then made into sample patterns of fabric or are represented in graphical form with the help of computers. Clothes are cut on the basis of markers made according to the generalized sizing measurement of the population for whom the garments are being made. They are then sewn into finished items by workers in the sewing plants. These finished garments are then pressed, inspected and packaged for delivery. The whole process of apparel making is really very interesting.

If the whole description of apparel and garments industry has interested you so much that you want to start apparel manufacturing yourself, then its no surprise to me! After all apparel manufacturing is one of the most sought after businesses today. Starting a Clothing Line Business is definitely a wise decision!

http://www.teonline.com/apparel-garments/industry-overview.html

http://www.powerhomebiz.com/vol66/clothing.htm

Author: Barbie Thomas
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Mobile Merchant Accounts – Process Credit Cards With Your Phone For More Sales & Increased Profit

Mobile merchant accounts, or telephone processing of credit cards, are becoming the hit with professionals and tradespeople alike. In fact, they are becoming the life blood for many lawyers, accountants, psychologists, plumbers, handymen, and others.

Why?

First, accepting credit cards usually increases business by 20% or more from simply accepting this form of payment. This statistic will change rapidly in today’s credit crunch, and businesses and individuals alike will have less and less cash. Buyers will not only want to use credit, in many circumstances they will have to use it. If you don’t offer credit cards as a payment option, they will go next door and buy from the professional or merchant who does offer it. And you simply cannot afford to lose these sales.

Secondly, accepting credit cards eliminates a whole slew of headaches and expenses that go right to the bottom line.

For example, you can avoid issues with accounts receivable. Get paid upfront, as in a retainer situation, or when the transaction is complete, and you don’t have an account receivable issue. This saves time, and the likelihood of having to wait months until you do so, and the costs associated with collections. If the account goes bad, you end up either reducing the amount due to get paid, or just not ever getting paid. And, if you have to take legal action, you lose even more.

What’s the big deal with having a mobile merchant account?

For one thing, you don’t have to buy an expensive processing terminal. While the cost of these are dropping, it’s still usually $250-500 for a terminal. And that terminal is stuck in one place, unless you spring for a wireless terminal which can set you back $850 or more. So, a mobile account that works from a telephone or cell phone cuts that upfront expense.

(By the way, never lease a credit card processing terminal these days… that made sense when they used to cost $1000 plus, but when you can get a terminal for under $200 it just doesn’t make sense to go to this added expense.)

For professionals or tradespeople who perform their services away from their office or shop, a mobile merchant account can be a Godsend. Imagine performing your service or selling your product, and, rather than having to accept only cash or a check, or, worse, give the customer a bill to pay later (say “account receivable”), you can easily receive immediate payment. As mentioned before, that’s not only good for you, but for your customer as well.

If you’re a trade show or flea market vendor, just think of the convenience of this. The way many vendors handle this is to take the customers credit card information, and then go back to their wired terminal. If the card is declined, there is often nothing they can do to get payment. Of course, the products they sold are gone.

This mobile option can apply to handy people, plumbers, carpenters, home inspectors, pest control companies, roofers, painters, cleaners, electricians, lawn services, snow plowers, and hundreds of other mobile services.

It also applies to professional services, whether they make “house calls” or are just too small an operation to warrant the expense of a terminal or virtual terminal. These include solo or small office lawyers, insurance agents and brokers, doctors, dentists, psychologists, counselors, consultants, and whomever.

So, what does all this convenience and cost savings actually cost?

While the costs vary, mobile merchant accounts seem to cost $0 -70 or so to apply (refunded if you’re not accepted), and then usually a small monthly fee plus a percentage of each sale. Per transaction fees vary, but you can usually count on paying 3-4%. Other services are available with a higher monthly fee, but lower transaction rates. There are quite a few options, most sellers requiring a mobile option seem to go with a low monthly fee that is fixed, as it’s typically an easy program to get and use.

How tough is it to be accepted for telephone credit card processing?

Easier than you might think. It usually involves a simple application, and, with reasonable credit, most merchants or professionals can be accepted within 24 hours.

Does mobile credit card processing make sense for you? Of course, that depends on your particular circumstances. Things to look at would be the types of transactions you expect and where you would make them. Then a quick review of costs such as application fees, equipment needs, all fees involved, and discount rates can me made.

If you’re like more and more companies or individuals doing business, the most cost-effective and convenient decision might be a mobile merchant account. My website offers more information, reviews, and best-rated sources and can be found by clicking here http://www.mobilemerchantaccount.net.

Author: Joe Marquet
Article Source: EzineArticles.com

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