[TonyOne]

Whenever browsing websites like trademe, I sometimes see New Houses or One Year Old Houses for rent. Surely these new houses would have good insulation and no problem with leaks or the other problems mentioned in previous posts?

Also, would it be difficults to heat a new 3 bedroom house in Auckland?

thanks.

[Oregonkiwi]

Surely these new houses would have good insulation and no problem with leaks or the other problems mentioned in previous posts?
well, you would think so, but...
http://www.lhag.org.nz/
http://www.leakyhomeshelp.co.nz/aboutus.php
http://www.consumer.org.nz/topic.asp?category=Home%20%26%20DIY&subcategory=Building&docid=1153&topic=Leaky%20buildings%20crisis&title=Introduction&contenttype=summary&bhcp=1

[Marie P]

We rented a brand new house in Auckland for a year ,for the coldest few weeks we had one portable gas heater for the lounge when we sat and watched TV.

Marie x

[jo-and-jeff]

Something to remember about newly-built homes – especially those built specifically to be rental properties – is that to save money, Kiwis will often specify "no insulation, no double-glazing (double-paned vacuum insulated windows), no central HVAC system".

So don't count on those things being there unless you check for yourself (and I wouldn't necessarily take the landlord's word on it).

Jo

[stu70]

Something to remember about newly-built homes – especially those built specifically to be rental properties – is that to save money, Kiwis will often specify "no insulation, no double-glazing (double-paned vacuum insulated windows), no central HVAC system".

So don't count on those things being there unless you check for yourself (and I wouldn't necessarily take the landlord's word on it).

Jo



How interesting. When you go for new homes in Canada, that means they are probably R2000 compliant (energy efficient). I guess if you can get away with low costs (and low comforts) then why would an investor bother making ROI lower? I am surprised there are no govt regulations on how the buildings should be constructed.

[dean1968]

Caveat emptor. Latin for "Let the buyer beware." The idea that buyers take responsibility. Rule of thumb - The further North you are the wamer the climate.
So if you live in Auckland you are far better off than living further South in say Dunedin.

The minimum building code for wall insulation and ceiling insulation in general doesn't give you enough warmth.

There was a recent building report done by the govt and the guy overseeing the whole report came from Scotland now residing in NZ and he reckons with NZ's milder climate compared to Scotland the houses in NZ were still far colder especially in winter. It was a daming report. Bascially saying what people have known all along the review stated the obvious; NZ houses are not warm enough, damp cold etc. So they the govt is going to regulate and increase the minimum building code for wall and ceiling insulation. I would be wary of 1 year old built houses on the market the person is out to make a quick buck so you can assume the house has the minimum build standard in it. There is a minimum build standard so take your chances. I am not worry about the building code more interested in the tradesman that they used.

I rented a Fawlty towers house in a prestigous area and "my god" it was a disaster. Nothing worked. Draughts were constants. Doors, hinges, walls lighting fixtures were crap. You name it was either crooked or shoddy. I couldn't believe how bad the workmanship was and obviously I didn;t or couldn't see what was hidden inside the walls and ceilings. It was goofy job.
I am going to build my own house. Get this, when I said to the people that I am building to live in it, they said "oh well I wuuld recommend this" there is a different mentality / standard. One example the lighting guy said don't get downlights only if you are planning to flick it off to sell. Otherwise if you plan to live there go and get halogens etc.

There is no pride in workmanship nor apprentice ships here in NZ and anyone who is anyone a real tradesmen has gone to Aussie and making a fortune. There is a housing boom going on in Aussie and they want tradesmen. The stats showed that Aussie has taken a lot of Kiwis and weaken the building industry here in NZ. The building industry in NZ has said the same thing they will be short of people and need trademens not just builders, electricians, plumbers etc.


The analogy is buying the car people seldom look underneath the hood. When you buy the house you are buying the wow factor (what people can see impresses them more)but iit is hard to know what's inside the walls and ceiling. So just grit your teeth and bare it and wear more jerseys in the winter and eventually you will acclimatise and you can say that you are a real kiwi :-)

I know someone who had there bathroom refurnished at the tune of $17,000 he turn up when they were sealing the walls and no Pink Batts or wall insulation. The tradesman reponded we ran out. The owner was distraught but he couldn't do anything it ws too late. It would cost more money to tear the walls down to fix it. That is a real cowboy a fly by nighter tradesmen who couldn't be bother to purchase some pink batts. Time is money.

The govt is getting involved onlsybecause of all the fiasco's going on. The leaky building syndrome has everyone ducking for cover. The only protection govt is thinking about having it written on the LIM report your house has qualified for leaking building syndrome - "Let the buyer beware." Present owners not enthusiastic about this law change.

The govt is also steping in again to regulate the builders. You are gonna have to be qualify to build homes - registered should happen in another decade.


Someone was buying a home and they were going to get the minimum thermal / wall insulation and they were going to live in the South Island. I think it is not enough. The govt is already saying they are going to increase it.

There is suppose to be global warming but I have not expereinced it yet and have not had a real summer in 6 years. Now in December and it is cold and raining cats and dogs; 8C outside and will probably drop lower overnight as usual; they predict snow down to 700 metres. Loving it... Make sure you stock up on your hot water bottles. The only think I hate worse is my grass outside grows and grows quickly and it is green as green, cutting the lawns all the time is tiresome.

At the end of the day it comes down to cost / economics. People have a hard time just buying a house. $300K average to buy a house in NZ more like $500k in places like Auckland. You are talking big money so the govt will only do enough to keep the building code regulated to the minimum standard. To keep costs down.

[dean1968]

I have to respond to the above "portable gas heater should be a big no-no but it is cheap and affordable. It is not desirable and the govt report wants to ban them completely but most people use them to heat the home. There is no way you should have it in the bedrooms and it is desirable to vent the room.

"We rented a brand new house" there is something wrong here when you require a portable gas heater" and the gas is turning into moisture and needs to be vented which aren't gonna happen when people are freezing to heat their brand new house.
People don't see the logic to heat house you must vent then house and breathing gas / moisture is not desirable.

[ruthyroo]

At the end of the day it comes down to cost / economics. People have a hard time just buying a house. $300K average to buy a house in NZ more like $500k in places like Auckland. You are talking big money so the govt will only do enough to keep the building code regulated to the minimum standard. To keep costs down.

You are very right on this Dean. The govt in NZ will not regulate to substantially increase the minimum build standards for houses for the same reason that it wont properly enforce WOF requirements, or raise the driving age, or introduce and emforce emissions standards on cars, or introduce compulsory pension schemes etc - because NZ is a low wage country and Joe Kiwi could not afford the increased costs that the above would entail on his lowly NZ salary. For many people in NZ (and not necessarily for those whofrequent these boards) life in NZ can only be afforded by living in cheap, poor quality houses, driving knackered old cars and surviving on veggies from the garden and super payments in old age.