PARKSIDE PERFECTION

This stunning Merivale home overlooking Hagley Park is designed with serious space in mind.

The creation from Hoogervorst Architectural Builders is a reflection of the diversity in building design, style and techniques now found in homes up and down the country. Acknowledgement of the craftsmanship and design inherent in this home saw it nominated as a national finalist in the Resene New Home over $2 million category in the Registered Master Builders’ 2019 House of the Year competition. These awards epitomise building excellence and have been setting the standard in residential construction for nearly 30 years, with national finalists consistently demonstrating impeccable craftmanship and attention to detail. the custodians of quality and innovation in New Zealand residential construction,” says Registered Master Builders chief executive, David Kelly. “These Top 100 homes showcase everything from sustainability and innovation to skilled workmanship. The quality builds reflect the evolving values and needs of New Zealand’s homeowners.”

As seen here, one evident trend is indoor-outdoor flow, with spaces cleverly designed to provide covered areas.

“Year after year we are seeing new and innovative building and interior design trends emerge,” says competition judge, Eric Dally. “This year (2019) we have seen outdoor living spaces become more sophisticated with homeowners prioritising their indoor-outdoor flow.”

Also seen in this Merivale creation is the use of timber to provide softness.

The leaky home crisis… help is here!

Sadly most of us know of someone who has had the unfortunate experience of owning a leaky home.

It’s a very stressful and expensive curse that descended down upon the country over three decades ago, and we are still dealing with it today, costing families and home owners hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The cost of repair and re-cladding of homes and apartments has crippled and even bankrupt many unsuspecting home owners.

Many don’t even know they are living in a leaking home until they try to sell the home and the potential new buyer gets a building inspection that reveals all. Suddenly their beloved home is worth not much more than land value.

The knee jerk reaction by most in the building industry is to not to attempt a repair, but rather to protect themselves and insist on a full re-clad costing anywhere between $300,000 - $1m. That is until SoundHomes was Developed in 2014 - with a Directorship heralding from the very beginning of the re-clad industry and an innovative approach to solving the expensive issue of leaky homes with a pragmatic practical and affordable solution.

Managing director Danny Wright says, “It’s very simple, if a home doesn’t leak, it won’t rot… Rot is the costly effect of a leak, stop the leak and stop the problem”.

It may sound very simple but he says a large number of the contractors working today just don’t understand how to fix a leak effectively or stop it from leaking in the first place.

“We are in the business of adding or reinstating value back into these homes, at an affordable Price.”

SoundHomes has repaired and proactively protected over one thousand homes in Auckland alone.

With a full service from invasively determining the condition, repairing all aspects, implementing new solutions to areas that may not yet be leaking but are inherently a weak point, SoundHomes has a full ‘From Gutters to Ground’ approach to every home.

“Most home owners don’t understand that the first line of defence is actually the paint, but not if just any old painter applies it,” says Danny.

“That’s the difference between SoundHomes and a painter. All our staff are trained in the identification of weathertight issues and many of these expensive leaks could have been fixed early, at a fraction of the cost, but instead they were just naively painted over.”

In asking Danny what to do if I know someone with a home suffering from weathertight issues, he Says, “Absolutely get them to give us a call or enquire on our website. I can guarantee we will make their home a ‘SoundHome’ in no time.”

Until relatively recently Asbestos flew under the radar in New Zealand, regulations existed but they were brief and vague in comparison to the rest of the world. This all changed in 2016 with the introduction of the new asbestos regulations which toughened up the requirements around managing, identifying and removing asbestos and bought New Zealand more in line with other developed countries in its approach to managing this potentially deadly mineral.

How can you be sure you are selecting a competent Asbestos Surveyor or Asbestos Assessor?

When selecting an Asbestos Surveyor, it’s important they have the correct level of training and experience, however it’s also the quality of experience that really matters, not just the length of experience. There are many Asbestos Surveyors that have 3 or 4 years’ experience but have never been mentored by a Senior Surveyor and are self-taught. There are also many that have the P402 certificate of training for Asbestos Surveying and Sampling and use this to claim competence. The P402 whilst a great starting point doesn‘t on its own prove competency, much like an apprenticeship Asbestos Surveyors should also have considerable time shadowing and being overseen and mentored by a Senior Asbestos Surveyor. I’d always recommend when trying to select an Asbestos Surveyor that you insist on P402 trained Asbestos Surveyors but that you also request details of ongoing training and mentoring and who that has been provided by. Good companies will also audit their staff and we’d also recommend asking for evidence of this.

Independence is very important when selecting an Asbestos Assessor, we’d always recommend sourcing an Asbestos Assessor independently and not relying on recommendations by those undertaking the asbestos removal. A good Asbestos Assessor will carry out adequate checks during works and ensure the area is handed back in a safe condition, this isn’t necessarily a quick process and some asbestos removal contractors prefer the path of least resistance which doesn’t always align with a safe approach and quality work. This isn’t to say that there aren’t some good honest asbestos removal contractors out there who want to do a great job safely, however there are definitely a number who don’t have these standards and independent selection of your Asbestos Assessor will safe guard against an unsafe outcome. Lastly whilst not mandatory at present, IANZ accreditation to ISO17020 for Asbestos Surveying and ISO17020/ ISO17025 Asbestos Assessing activities is available and some companies have chosen to voluntarily gain this accreditation to prove that they have the systems in place to provide adequate training, mentoring and auditing of Asbestos Surveyors / Assessors so it’s worth looking for companies that carry this accreditation as extra peace of mind.

It is also worth noting that a good Asbestos Surveyor does not necessarily make a good Asbestos Assessor although they can do if they have a good level of training and experience in both disciplines. Surveying and Assessing are two different disciplines with different training requirements and skill sets, many Asbestos Assessors will claim that their Licensed Asbestos Assessor status proves competency for asbestos surveying – it doesn’t, this is a common misconception. In summary, do your due diligence properly in this area prior to engaging the services of an Asbestos Surveyor or an Asbestos Assessor, poor selection can lead to bad workmanship, unnecessary exposure to asbestos and large unnecessary costs for repeated work.

By Dan Scott, Managing Director of Accurate Consulting Ltd