# housing



## Geordielass

Are the houses really as cold, damp etc as people seem to be making out on here? I have a 'nice' house here - not extravagant - but don't want to be living in somewhere that's not that nice and paying a fortune to heat it. We won't be able to buy anywhere at first so we will be renting. I am trying to make an informed decision about moving to NZ and reading as much as possible both good and bad but I'm getting a little worried about some of the posts on here whilst trying to keep an open mind. Some are a few years out of date and I'm wondering if things are the same or not as here in the UK the economy has had such an impact on the cost of everything.
Thanks to anyone who can give me an insight from over there.


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## jenswaters

Geordielass said:


> Are the houses really as cold, damp etc as people seem to be making out on here? I have a 'nice' house here - not extravagant - but don't want to be living in somewhere that's not that nice and paying a fortune to heat it. We won't be able to buy anywhere at first so we will be renting. I am trying to make an informed decision about moving to NZ and reading as much as possible both good and bad but I'm getting a little worried about some of the posts on here whilst trying to keep an open mind. Some are a few years out of date and I'm wondering if things are the same or not as here in the UK the economy has had such an impact on the cost of everything.
> Thanks to anyone who can give me an insight from over there.


I was pretty worried, too, when I read these posts. However, I personally haven't found them to be as bad as is made out. Maybe I'm lucky?!?!?!

No, houses do NOT have central heating running into every room, and therefore, yes, you can experience damp issues IF precautionary measures are not taken. The first house we lived in when we moved here was HUGE, but only had one tiny heat pump (imagine an AC unit but with heat too) in a room that also had a whopping gas fire!!! It's 5 bedrooms had no heat other than a plug-in fin heater. Yeah, COLD! There could have been problems with damp etc if we hadn't left all the windows open a tiny crack, and doors open to air the rooms. We, however, didn't have any issues during the duration of living in the house (during the winter months I will add).

I guess you learn to accept things that are a national issue. Why complain about central heating when it simply isn't on offer here in many houses??? Houses have lasted this long, and people have found ways around it, so you kind of go with it (in the right frame of mind.

Good luck


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## topcat83

What Jen says is true - they do heat houses differently here. And older houses did have appalling insulation. The first house we stayed in was an old wooden 'ranch' style house in a very nice area of central Auckland (big bucks to buy, swimming pool in the back garden). And we had one oil-filled radiator to heat our living room. I thought hubby was going to head back to the airport! And Kiwis didn't know what double glazing was!

But even in the four years we've been here things have changed substantially. New houses have to have a certain insulation standard, including double glazing. Heat pumps have become very popular - we have two, one in our living room and one in our bedroom. And the Government has been giving out subsidies on insulating your house.

So best advice is shop around, and check out the insulation and heating in any house you go to. And if/when you buy, be even more fussy. The good houses are out there.


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## FrancisJames

There's heaps and heaps of information on the net about houses in New Zealand, there's more to it than a simple lack of heating.

Do a google search for "leaky building syndrome in New Zealand" and you'll get thousands of results. There's even a Facebook group for it if you're interested, but then there are Facebooks for most things these days! 

If you want a laugh watch this youtube video


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## topcat83

FrancisJames said:


> There's heaps and heaps of information on the net about houses in New Zealand, there's more to it than a simple lack of heating.
> 
> Do a google search for "leaky building syndrome in New Zealand" and you'll get thousands of results. There's even a Facebook group for it if you're interested, but then there are Facebooks for most things these days!
> 
> If you want a laugh watch this youtube video
> YouTube - Hilarious Kiwi Song : Six Months in a Leaky House


Oh yes - leaky buildings are a real blot on the Governments building landscape. There are heads that should roll for this one and you should find more information on this forum about it too. 

But even though there are more than there should be, they are a small minority of buildings. If you're renting, these won't be a major issue to you (most have now been fixed - albeit at a cost) but if you're buying, get a full building survey done and make sure this is checked out.


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## FrancisJames

Are you sure that most have been fixed, I thought it was a lot more than a small minority and that it was going to cost some horrendous amount to put them all right -about 11 billion dollars? 

I know of quite a few houses on the North Shore affected by leaking building syndrome, including one whole development of townhouses in Albany.

It's usually the newcommers to NZ that get caught out with them so that is something that people can take away from this forum. I'm so glad we didn't buy a monolithic clad house because I don't think we would have been able to sell it in the current market. Our was a modern brick built, even though it meant living on a subdivided section, it was worth it in the long run.


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## topcat83

FrancisJames said:


> Are you sure that most have been fixed, I thought it was a lot more than a small minority and that it was going to cost some horrendous amount to put them all right -about 11 billion dollars?
> 
> I know of quite a few houses on the North Shore affected by leaking building syndrome, including one whole development of townhouses in Albany.
> 
> It's usually the newcommers to NZ that get caught out with them so that is something that people can take away from this forum. I'm so glad we didn't buy a monolithic clad house because I don't think we would have been able to sell it in the current market. Our was a modern brick built, even though it meant living on a subdivided section, it was worth it in the long run.


...and it's exactly forums like this that are so useful in providing information, that stop newcomers making mistakes. Every country has some problems (we have friends in Spain that are wrestling their way through the bureaucracy associated with rural dwellings without 'official' planning permission at the moment). This is a nasty one for NZ - so a good lesson to learn.


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## Geordielass

thanks for the info. My husband is a building surveyor so knows all about what to look for etc. I just was doing my own research on what to expect and was a bit concerned by some of the posts on here. I think it's the same with most places - you can get stung if you don't know what you're looking out for so all the info. we can get about everything the better for when we hopefully get out there. I'm still really nervous about it all but can't wait at the same time.


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## anski

If I can add my input.
I bought a house in NZ 2001 having never visited before (although I had lived in Australia for 32 years)
Thankfully on the day I arrived New Zealand Herald had a large article which was the first of many articles on Leaky Homes. On inspecting houses for sale it soon became apparent what a potential or Leaky house was. I must admit during my trip in May 2001 it was extremely wet & in my opinion the best time to view a house as damp, mould, etc are more easily spotted than during an extended dry spell. Position of house is important too North/East facing is best for all day sun.
Although I loved the look of the modern Mediterranean homes I realised they were potential problem homes. After 4 return visits I bought a 1931 built double brick bungalow which was cosy & dry on visits at various times of the day.
I then carried out several improvements which were as follows
Full insulation below floor & in roof cavity
Connection to mains gas & which provides constant hot water, cooking & the entire house has floor vented gas central heating. (Incidentally the annual cost for gas & electric cost NZ$2,400 a year (for a 3 bedroom/2 bathroom house) & central heating is set at 22c year round & often on ) 18 hours a day
I also renovated the existing bathroom & added an extra bathroom.
New Ikea kitchen with all the gadgets, Smeg stainless appliances 
New deck & landscaped the garden
Fitted deadlocks to all external doors
Installed remote door opener to garage
Painted exterior & interior
New thermal drapes
This home is in Auckland Mission Bay 800m to beach & currently rented out for $550 a week.
I also pay for the gardening.
Not a very good return on my investment, & certainly a lot better appointed & value than the home I am renting overseas currently.

I hope my tenant's appreciate my home & take care of it.
This post was just to point out that not all rentals are cold & damp & not all landlords are uncaring.


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## smithpamela

*New Zealand Housing*



Geordielass said:


> Are the houses really as cold, damp etc as people seem to be making out on here? I have a 'nice' house here - not extravagant - but don't want to be living in somewhere that's not that nice and paying a fortune to heat it. We won't be able to buy anywhere at first so we will be renting. I am trying to make an informed decision about moving to NZ and reading as much as possible both good and bad but I'm getting a little worried about some of the posts on here whilst trying to keep an open mind. Some are a few years out of date and I'm wondering if things are the same or not as here in the UK the economy has had such an impact on the cost of everything.
> Thanks to anyone who can give me an insight from over there.


I have been in New Zealand for 5 months (originally from the US) and really love it BUT the housing does take a bit of getting used to. We are in a rural area and are building or really giving my husband's house a big re-modeling. We were going to try to build a modest US style home but it just could not be done at a reasonable price. You end up just accepting that when it is hot outside you are going to be hot; likewise cold. For me it is worth it to look outside at my tiny vineyard and 14 H of native bush. It's not for everyone, however and I would make a trip over to check out the reality as housing is US 1950s and expensive to boot.


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## anski

Maybe we should start a separate thread called Leaky Homes-New Zealand to warn new arrival of potential headaches.
I realise many countries have problems associated with buying houses ie: 

New Zealand -Leaky homes

Australia- Flood zones & bush fire areas

Cyprus- Title Deeds

Spain- Illegal builds & land grabs

but by revealing them on forums like these can save others from the same pitfalls

Leaky homes- True stories

A family newly arrived from South Africa bought their first home only to discover the view they had paid for was soon to disappear when the house nearby was demolished & a new one built. They sold at a loss & then bought a large brand new townhouse with views that could never be built out. Imagine their horror to discover the reason they had been constantly sick shortly after moving in was the fact they had a Leaky Home. This was not evident until they had lived in the house almost 2 years.
They went to mediation & settled for an undisclosed amount which in turn was nowhere near the amount to correct the problem. They had to move out for 6 months whilst every bit of the exterior & interior walls & roof were removed & replaced. It almost cost their marriage & now they have a massive mortgage & a house nobody wants to buy because in recent times buyers have voted against any house that has been or could be potentialy Leaky!

Another- a retirement village built had same problems & I remember a pensioner couple being interviewed sad, they had invested every cent they had into their dream villa & did not have the money to rectify it.

I have a real estate agent friend who sold a house without realising it was Leaky. The company performing the most expensive testing for Leaky homes gave it an all clear & the sellers withheld their knowledge from the agent.
Buyers were going to sue the real estate agent but settled out of court for $25,000 which the agent paid, the buyers then went and sought compensation from Auckland City Council.
Also it is a fact some Leaky home owners received payouts to fix their homes but kept the money & sold the homes to unsuspecting buyers. And you can only make 1 claim against a leaky home.
As a home purchase is the largest money you ever outlay in your life & many spend a lifetime paying a mortgage off I really believe any newcomer should be warned & armed with the facts.
The tests are not accurate & dependent on the areas of the house they are testing only, short of dissecting the house there is no guarantee in my opinion.


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## NZCowboy

Anski,
Rather than scaremongering, by giving unreferenced anecdotal stories wouldn't it be more constructive to give information that would assist expats identifying protential leaky homes.

Leaky Homes doesn't effect all homes in NZ, only some built in the 1990's and early 2000's.
Potential leaky homes:
- built with untreated wall framimg timber - 1998 the New Zealand standard for Timber Treatment was changed to allow untreated timber for wall framing 
- monolithic claddings - there were cases where these claddings were not used within their specifications or not installed correctly. Many buildings built in the "Mediterranean" style used these types of cladding. Not only that, they had features such as recessed windows, flat roofs, minimal eaves, multiple stories, complex roofs, solid balustrades, balconies and penetrations of the exterior cladding. These features increased the likelihood of water infiltrating the structure.
- Lack of detailed drawings for buildings was a contributing factor. Architects and building designers were allowed to specify weathertightness without drawing how it would be made so.
For more detailed info Why homes leak


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## anski

NZCowboy said:


> Anski,
> Rather than scaremongering, by giving unreferenced anecdotal stories wouldn't it be more constructive to give information that would assist expats identifying protential leaky homes.
> 
> Leaky Homes doesn't effect all homes in NZ, only some built in the 1990's and early 2000's.
> Potential leaky homes:
> - built with untreated wall framimg timber - 1998 the New Zealand standard for Timber Treatment was changed to allow untreated timber for wall framing
> - monolithic claddings - there were cases where these claddings were not used within their specifications or not installed correctly. Many buildings built in the "Mediterranean" style used these types of cladding. Not only that, they had features such as recessed windows, flat roofs, minimal eaves, multiple stories, complex roofs, solid balustrades, balconies and penetrations of the exterior cladding. These features increased the likelihood of water infiltrating the structure.
> - Lack of detailed drawings for buildings was a contributing factor. Architects and building designers were allowed to specify weathertightness without drawing how it would be made so.
> For more detailed info Why homes leak


Hi NZ Cowboy,

You are obviously not affected hence your smug attitude.

Take a look at these websites

Leaky homes crisis - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Leakyhomeforum New Zealand Home
Auckland City Council - Search


I am NOT scaremongering but as a former resident of Auckland & a current Auckland City Ratepayer I know how big the problem is. My rates keep increasing BECAUSE Auckland City Council have to continue making payouts for mistakes of the past.
Our rates have constantly increased to fund these mistakes because of Auckland City Council Dept of Building ineptitude.

I have built several homes in Australia & I can tell you that local councils are a lot more vigilant about how you build. Every crucial stage of building (owner built or professionally built has to be inspected) failing to meet current council specifications means that a Certificate of Compliance is refused on completion until ALL outstanding issues are rectified. Without this Certificate of Compliance you cannot occupy or sell the home.
This was not the case in New Zealand. There was little or no building supervision!

Lack of investing in the building industry in New Zealand by way of apprenticeships with on site training & off site technical college training meant there were many unskilled workers involved in the building industry. 
Would you have a serious operation performed by a student doctor? I think not.


So why would you allow an untrained person to participate in the biggest expenditure of your life & a dwelling that is supposed to shelter you in all weathers?

And incidentally all this occurred whilst NZ was experiencing a huge influx of overseas arrivals with wads of money & there was so much hype & demand. Banks were awash with money & loans easy to obtain. Prior to 2001 the housing market had been stagnant for 12 years!


I think if you had personally been affected you would be adopting a different stance but for the innocent victim’s of these Leaky Homes I can only feel sympathy, I could have been one of them had I not read the article in The New Zealand Herald in May 2001.

Having lived in many countries I can put myself in their shoes. You arrive everything is new & exciting & you have little information. If you can afford to buy a house you are eager to do so, to help you feel part of the newly adopted country & it is such a comfortable feeling sleeping under your own roof. You inspect homes for sale they are usually a different style of architecture to what you are accustomed to but hey this is a new country & many things are different.
You fall in love with a particular house & move in adding your own furniture & buying new & it is so exciting. You write to family & friends telling them of your achievements a job, Fabulous house, new friends & lifestyle. 

Then one day it becomes like something from a horror movie. You have bought into a problem-Why because you did not know & the house looks lovely. Slowly the worries mount & it strains your relationship, you become sick & what do you do? No-one wants to buy your mistake; you are stuck with it or bail out at a much reduced price if you are lucky enough to find a buyer.
All very well telling people how to avoid it BUT what if they are already in that situation.

And furthermore it not only relates to your statement "Leaky Homes doesn't effect all homes in NZ, only some built in the 1990's and early 2000's" because I personally inspected some houses built prior to this but re-clad in Monolithic material in order to appear more attractive & these had problems!


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## topcat83

I think both NZCowboy and Anski have good points. Leaky Buildings are a small part of the housing stock - the majority do not have problems. So please don't come to New Zealand expecting every house to be leaky (or badly insulated or cold etc...) - they're not.

But I agree with Anski that it is really important that new immigrants know about the problem with leaky houses so they can avoid them. My cousin has a leaky home, and it has cost him and his wife their life's savings trying to put it right.


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## anski

topcat83 said:


> I think both NZCowboy and Anski have good points. Leaky Buildings are a small part of the housing stock - the majority do not have problems. So please don't come to New Zealand expecting every house to be leaky (or badly insulated or cold etc...) - they're not.
> 
> But I agree with Anski that it is really important that new immigrants know about the problem with leaky houses so they can avoid them. My cousin has a leaky home, and it has cost him and his wife their life's savings trying to put it right.



Topcat

So sorry to hear about your cousin & wife it must have been devastating for them & situations like this really put relationships to the test.


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## NZCowboy

anski said:


> Hi NZ Cowboy,
> 
> I am NOT scaremongering but as a former resident of *Auckland* & a current *Auckland* City Ratepayer I know how big the problem is. My rates keep increasing BECAUSE *Auckland* City Council have to continue making payouts for mistakes of the past.
> Our rates have constantly increased to fund these mistakes because of *Auckland* City Council Dept of Building ineptitude.


Auckland is *not* NZ. Most of the leaky homes are in the greater Auckland area.





> I have built several homes in Australia & I can tell you that local councils are a lot more vigilant about how you build. Every crucial stage of building (owner built or professionally built has to be inspected) failing to meet current council specifications means that a Certificate of Compliance is refused on completion until ALL outstanding issues are rectified. Without this Certificate of Compliance you cannot occupy or sell the home.
> This was not the case in *New Zealand*. There was little or no building supervision!.


Oh so you have lived and built houses outside Auckland ... you will then know a number of councils disagreed with the use of untreated timber for framing, and would only allow houses with treated timber. I also built a house during this period but the council for the area in which it was located, didn't allow the use of untreated timber(like I would be stupid enough to use untreated). We currently still own over a dozen houses in NZ, no leaky homes.





> And incidentally all this occurred whilst NZ was experiencing a huge influx of overseas arrivals with wads of money & there was so much hype & demand. Banks were awash with money & loans easy to obtain. Prior to 2001 the housing market had been stagnant for 12 years!.


Where do you get your info from .... 
Using auckland prices as you think auckland is NZ
Stagnant for 4 to 5 years prior to 2001 not 12 
93 to 97 Auckland house price index almost doubled
New Zealand Property Price Trends



> Having lived in many countries I can put myself in their shoes. You arrive everything is new & exciting & you have little information. If you can afford to buy a house you are eager to do so, to help you feel part of the newly adopted country & it is such a comfortable feeling sleeping under your own roof. You inspect homes for sale they are usually a different style of architecture to what you are accustomed to but hey this is a new country & many things are different.
> You fall in love with a particular house & move in adding your own furniture & buying new & it is so exciting. You write to family & friends telling them of your achievements a job, Fabulous house, new friends & lifestyle.


 You are talking to another global transient, we have owned homes in 3 other countries other than NZ, I'm very cautious about buying in a new country, usually lease for a year or more, so I can research, get a feel for the market and what suits us. But a market I know, such as certian areas of NZ, it is a different story, this year have made 3 trips back to NZ of about 2 weeks each and brought a house each trip.




> And furthermore it not only relates to your statement "Leaky Homes doesn't effect all homes in NZ, only some built in the 1990's and early 2000's" because I personally inspected some houses built prior to this but re-clad in Monolithic material in order to appear more attractive & these had problems!


Yes you are correct I probably should have said *built or revenovated* during this period.

*Numbers*
Numbers of leaky homes according to wiki is estimated to be between 42,000 and 89,000.
Total number of dwellings in NZ
There were 1,471,749 occupied private dwellings on census night in 2006
QuickStats About Housing - Statistics New Zealand


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## FrancisJames

Anski thanks for trying to tell people about the dangers of leaky homes. They are notoriously difficult to spot and I think you have to remove wall plaster to tell for sure if they leak? that's something that isn't going to happen on a routine pre-sale purchaser's inspection.

The other problem is that people are so wary about them now that even if your house is outwardly perfect now people won't buy it if they think it may have problems in the future.


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## FrancisJames

I know one family (he was a builder) who removed the plaster skin off of their house and replaced it with brick, even though it didn't leak, he was just worried that it would. Don't ask me how he tied it in to the frame work but he must have got consent to do it.

The problem with some of these houses isn't so much the lack of treatment to the wood but just the way they were built. So many went up very quickly, everyone it seemed was dividing up their sections in Auckland and building investment properties. So many went up with unskilled labour and little or no official inspection during the build. Even if they used the best materials in the world if they're not build properly then they're still going to fall apart eventually.

I'm so glad that my husband's work colleagues told us about this when we first arrived, as I believe it saved us a lot of grief later on.


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## anski

NZCowboy 


Oh so you have lived and built houses outside Auckland ... you will then know a number of councils disagreed with the use of untreated timber for framing, and would only allow houses with treated timber. I also built a house during this period but the council for the area in which it was located, didn't allow the use of untreated timber(like I would be stupid enough to use untreated). We currently still own over a dozen houses in NZ, no leaky homes.


No I never had the pleasure of building a house outside of Auckland, I bought a Master Builder (Scotland) that was 70 years old & constructed of double solid brick external wall with a gap between them & on the basis of Location, Location, Location & then renovated it internally. Incidentally I was the 3rd owner the original builder lived in it for 35 years & sold on to another family for 35 years before I bought it.
I know nothing of areas outside of Auckland & never professed to. All of my research for buying was directed at Auckland City as after all that is where the biggest population & hence employment is.


Where do you get your info from .... 
Using auckland prices as you think auckland is NZ
Stagnant for 4 to 5 years prior to 2001 not 12 
93 to 97 Auckland house price index almost doubled
New Zealand Property Price Trends

I got my information from on Auckland City Property Movements from 2 sources.

1) from a government real estate website
2) From Real estate agents & homeowners.


You are talking to another global transient, we have owned homes in 3 other countries other than NZ, I'm very cautious about buying in a new country, usually lease for a year or more, so I can research, get a feel for the market and what suits us. But a market I know, such as certian areas of NZ, it is a different story, this year have made 3 trips back to NZ of about 2 weeks each and brought a house each trip.

Great- You have supported the NZ economy!


Yes you are correct I probably should have said *built or revenovated* during this period.

*Numbers*
Numbers of leaky homes according to wiki is estimated to be between 42,000 and 89,000.
Total number of dwellings in NZ
There were 1,471,749 occupied private dwellings on census night in 2006
QuickStats About Housing - Statistics New Zealand[/QUOTE]

I don't know what these figures are or where the houses are located. I am only pleased I am not affected & I genuinely feel sorry for anyone that is.

AND I stand by my remarks that newcomer MUST be warned. Nothing worse than moving half way across the world that's stessful enough but to find you have sunk your money into a stinky leaky hole would be the last straw.

Finally if most of the affected homes are in the GREATER AUCKLAND AREA well sometimes migrants would not normally choose to settle there but it does offer the greatest Employment Opportunities. We are talking about migrants that have to live where they can obtain suitable positions, and there are many areas of New Zealand where these HIGHLY SKILLED & HIGHLY EDUCATED migrants could not obtain a job suitable to their qualifications. New Zealand should be honoured by the quality of these applicants.
Were are not talking about people who get off the plane to go lodge a form at WINZ.


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## anski

I found these 2 websites they may be of use to anyone who requires more information on the NZ property market. The first one I found very helpful when I first bought it did have more information on individual suburbs then for free now I believe you need to subscribe in order to access more in dept statistics.

www.reinz.co.nz

www.zoodle.co.nz


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## jenswaters

anski said:


> I found these 2 websites they may be of use to anyone who requires more information on the NZ property market. The first one I found very helpful when I first bought it did have more information on individual suburbs then for free now I believe you need to subscribe in order to access more in dept statistics.
> 
> www.reinz.co.nz
> 
> - zoodle, it's all about property.


This is a good set of links for providing extra help and advice when buying homes. Thank you


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## topcat83

FrancisJames said:


> Anski thanks for trying to tell people about the dangers of leaky homes. They are notoriously difficult to spot and I think you have to remove wall plaster to tell for sure if they leak? that's something that isn't going to happen on a routine pre-sale purchaser's inspection.
> 
> The other problem is that people are so wary about them now that even if your house is outwardly perfect now people won't buy it if they think it may have problems in the future.


When we bought our house the building inspector we hired had a gadget that tested the moisture level in every single external wall. Apparently this can highlight problems without the need to physically damage the surfaces. I haven't the foggiest how it works!


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## Guest

Probably similar to the Damp Meter used for testing whether or not a Motorhome
or Caravan has signs of the dreaded damp..


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## FrancisJames

topcat83 said:


> When we bought our house the building inspector we hired had a gadget that tested the moisture level in every single external wall. Apparently this can highlight problems without the need to physically damage the surfaces. I haven't the foggiest how it works!


I don't think that would have been the only method he used to find out if your home leaked. This is from one of the most highly regarded information sites about leaky homes in New Zealand and talks about the merits of different types of inspection techniques.

Leakyhomeforum New Zealand Blog Archive What is a moisture inspection?



> I wish I knew what I do now about moisture detection when I had my pre-purchase inspection carried out. And that is:
> 
> * A low moisture level does not necessarily mean your house is not leaking, just that the area tested was dry at the time. Completely rotten timber may have a lower than average moisture reading if given enough time to dry out.
> 
> * A high moisture reading does not necessarily mean your house is leaking. Moisture meters are susceptible to many influences that can skew their readings, one being the person using them.
> 
> The higher the weathertightness risk of your home, or the home you are intending purchasing, the more seriously you need to consider how you go about testing it for weathertightness. The four main types of moisture detection are:
> 
> 1. Moisture Meter (Non-invasive Mode)
> 2. Thermal Imaging (Non-invasive)
> 3. Moisture Meter (Invasive Mode)
> 4. Destructive Testing


This will tell you a bit about how moisture meters work Topcat


> 1) Moisture Meter (Non-invasive Mode)
> 
> Moisture meters are battery powered electronic devices, typically with two probes between which the density of the material they are placed on is measured. In other words, by placing the probes on the surface of a wall the density of the framing timber (actually, its electrical conductivity) behind can be measured, hence the name “non-invasive”.
> 
> The conductivity reading of the meter is compared to a chart which converts it to a moisture percentage. All very nice except for two minor complications:
> 
> * These meters were designed to be used directly on framing timber, like in a timber yard or the framing of a house under construction, before the interior walls go up. They were never designed to be used on gib or a variety of other materials, so interpretation of their readings is quite dependent on the experience of the operator.
> 
> * Readings can be skewed by many factors, including cables running inside walls (higher conductivity), reinforcing metal strips in corners and many more. Look at the photo above again, not a good example.
> 
> If an unusually high reading is recorded, the common practice among experts it to take a control reading of a ‘known’ good area, and use that as a comparison. You could then use thermal imaging to define better where the dampness starts, and where it ends, but you may still not know where it came from.


This may be useful for anyone considering buying a house in New Zealand, the 4 Ds of weathertightness.


> Knowing what constitutes a high risk or low risk construction building (from a weathertightness perspective), is a piece of knowledge I wish I had when I was buying my house. Perhaps this knowledge will help you understand better whether the house you are looking at has more, or less risks than the rest?
> 
> It turns out there are a few basic rules designers use now to determine the risk of a building, and thus the measures required to keep it weathertight according to E2/AS1 of the building code (which was revamped in 2005).
> 
> The risks are calculated using what is called the “Risk Matrix” (surprisingly). This determines how much the weathertightness of a design is going to be compromised by particular design features (such as lack of eaves/eaves width), environmental conditions (wind zones) and so on.
> 
> The key to weathertight design though is in four design principles known as “The Four D’s”. The Risk Matrix only calculates the impact on The Four D’s. The larger the impact on The Four D’s, the more detail will be required in the design and cladding to keep the building weathertight.
> 
> The Four D’s of Weathertightness
> 
> The Four D’s, in order of importance are:
> 
> 1. Deflection
> 2. Drainage
> 3. Drying
> 4. Durability


Plenty more information about what that means is here
Leakyhomeforum New Zealand Blog Archive Understanding the risks of a building

The NZ Institute of Building Surveyors has a list of members qualified to do pre-purchase surveys, not just in Auckland but around the country, who are also Certified Weathertightness surveyors - which is what I'd go for if I were thinking of buying.

New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors (inc.)


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## anski

I would not trust any of these gadgets or the companies that use them. They can mislead. As I stated before my real estate agent friend had to hand over $25,000 because she sold a couple a leaky home unknowingly. She said after wards they had paid for the most expensive company in Auckland to test this house before purchasing & it passed all clear. But it had problems, 
My friend also sold a leaky home recently for less than $600,000 It would normally have sold for in excess of $1,400,000 had it been 100% ok.
No such thing as a Free Lunch.
At any price I do not think these homes are worthwhile as you are buying into an unseen can of worms & you never know the full extent of the rectification under you start.
That is why there is a shift to older homes people are staying away from anything built within a certain time frame.


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