Is your house safe enough for your kids?
Imagine buying a house made with poor or substandard building material. Would you be willing to live in that house with your family and kids? Surely not.
With an increasing demand for housing in Auckland, the building boom is gaining momentum.
Auckland Council says that with this increase, traditional building materials are becoming harder to find when they’re needed, causing builders to turn to substitute products to get the work done faster. Not in all cases are these new products “up to code”.
Ian McCormick, General Manager of Auckland Council’s Building Control team, said the council building inspectors are seeing more substitutions than ever before and a cheaper price is the main reason for people opting for the substitute products.
The builders and their customers can lose thousands of dollars if they miss out on getting the proper signoffs before using substitutes.
“We’re seeing innovative new products and processes entering the market. That’s great news because it improves the whole industry. Auckland Council has a duty of care to Aucklanders to make sure those products meet our high standards and are fit for the intended use for the lifetime of the building,” Mr McCormic said.
He added that it is common for inspectors to discover a substitution on-site during an inspection.
“That may happen weeks after the decision to use the alternative product was made. The message is clear—notify us as early as possible to avoid delays in building.”
Recently, when the pre-cast concrete panel industry was struggling to keep up with the rising demand, some product suppliers took the opportunity to introduce new alternatives that could achieve the same outcome as a concrete panel.
“We encourage this type of innovation. Some of the substitutions were untested and a full fire and acoustic assessment was undertaken, after which they were able to be used,” he said.
“Less haste less waste” is what Mr McCormic suggests to the builders who are in a hurry and are worried about the time the council takes to assess the products as fit for purpose.
“While we recognise builders need to get on with their construction, we can’t cut corners on quality, durability, and suitability,” he said.
All building products must meet the New Zealand Building Code. If the deal looks too good to be true such as a cheap price and quick turnaround, builders and their customer should enquire well before falling into a trap.
Mr McCormic says due diligence can sometimes look like red tape when you’re in a hurry, but reputable builders recognise the importance of ensuring new products are up to code.
“While there are some great new products on the market, the boom has attracted a few cowboys trying to cut corners and some importers trying to bring in cheap, substandard products,” he said.
Some imported products may look like the local offering, but if they’re being quoted as 40%cheaper, then chances are they might not comply with the New Zealand Building Code or pass inspection.
He mentioned a few incidents where non-compliant products were being used.
In one of the incidents, an enterprising person was cold calling on sites offering an imported roofing product at 40% of the cost of the original. The substitutions were not disclosed to the house owners until the end when the roofer provided the certification. After research, the council had to issue a notice requiring the roofing to be replaced for being non-complying with the New Zealand Building Code.
In another example of hasty substitution, a decision to use non-compliant electrical wiring in multiple houses cost a developer thousands of dollars.
“We have zero tolerance for products that are not up to the New Zealand Building Code. The developer had to remove and replace the non-compliant wiring from all of the houses, some of which were nearly finished,” Mr McCormic said.
“A good building practice is a bit like the proverbial tortoise and hare. Sometimes it may seem to take a bit longer, but getting new building products signed off is cheaper and faster than having to re-work non-compliant construction, and in the end, Auckland consumers get reliable and sustainable buildings.”
Checklist for homeowners
- Owners should ask the designer or builder to provide confirmation that the product complies
- Ask the builder for the supplier and confirm that the product meets the New Zealand Building Code. The Building Act requires the supplier or manufacturer to confirm that products, if installed as per their instructions, will comply with the Building Code. They normally do this by quoting a New Zealand standard used to meet specific testing requirements, or if an international standard is used, they will need to demonstrate its alignment with the equivalent New Zealand standard.
- Check to see if the product has been independently appraised or certified in New Zealand. An example of this is the Building Research Association of NZ (BRANZ) appraisal website where they list products, which have been tested and certify compliance with the New Zealand Building Code.
- Ask the building inspector. They will provide advice on compliance matters.
- You should check compliance before buying particularly if the product price seems too good to be true
Imagine buying a house made with poor or substandard building material. Would you be willing to live in that house with your family and kids? Surely not.
With an increasing demand for housing in Auckland, the building boom is gaining momentum.
Auckland Council says that with this increase,...
Imagine buying a house made with poor or substandard building material. Would you be willing to live in that house with your family and kids? Surely not.
With an increasing demand for housing in Auckland, the building boom is gaining momentum.
Auckland Council says that with this increase, traditional building materials are becoming harder to find when they’re needed, causing builders to turn to substitute products to get the work done faster. Not in all cases are these new products “up to code”.
Ian McCormick, General Manager of Auckland Council’s Building Control team, said the council building inspectors are seeing more substitutions than ever before and a cheaper price is the main reason for people opting for the substitute products.
The builders and their customers can lose thousands of dollars if they miss out on getting the proper signoffs before using substitutes.
“We’re seeing innovative new products and processes entering the market. That’s great news because it improves the whole industry. Auckland Council has a duty of care to Aucklanders to make sure those products meet our high standards and are fit for the intended use for the lifetime of the building,” Mr McCormic said.
He added that it is common for inspectors to discover a substitution on-site during an inspection.
“That may happen weeks after the decision to use the alternative product was made. The message is clear—notify us as early as possible to avoid delays in building.”
Recently, when the pre-cast concrete panel industry was struggling to keep up with the rising demand, some product suppliers took the opportunity to introduce new alternatives that could achieve the same outcome as a concrete panel.
“We encourage this type of innovation. Some of the substitutions were untested and a full fire and acoustic assessment was undertaken, after which they were able to be used,” he said.
“Less haste less waste” is what Mr McCormic suggests to the builders who are in a hurry and are worried about the time the council takes to assess the products as fit for purpose.
“While we recognise builders need to get on with their construction, we can’t cut corners on quality, durability, and suitability,” he said.
All building products must meet the New Zealand Building Code. If the deal looks too good to be true such as a cheap price and quick turnaround, builders and their customer should enquire well before falling into a trap.
Mr McCormic says due diligence can sometimes look like red tape when you’re in a hurry, but reputable builders recognise the importance of ensuring new products are up to code.
“While there are some great new products on the market, the boom has attracted a few cowboys trying to cut corners and some importers trying to bring in cheap, substandard products,” he said.
Some imported products may look like the local offering, but if they’re being quoted as 40%cheaper, then chances are they might not comply with the New Zealand Building Code or pass inspection.
He mentioned a few incidents where non-compliant products were being used.
In one of the incidents, an enterprising person was cold calling on sites offering an imported roofing product at 40% of the cost of the original. The substitutions were not disclosed to the house owners until the end when the roofer provided the certification. After research, the council had to issue a notice requiring the roofing to be replaced for being non-complying with the New Zealand Building Code.
In another example of hasty substitution, a decision to use non-compliant electrical wiring in multiple houses cost a developer thousands of dollars.
“We have zero tolerance for products that are not up to the New Zealand Building Code. The developer had to remove and replace the non-compliant wiring from all of the houses, some of which were nearly finished,” Mr McCormic said.
“A good building practice is a bit like the proverbial tortoise and hare. Sometimes it may seem to take a bit longer, but getting new building products signed off is cheaper and faster than having to re-work non-compliant construction, and in the end, Auckland consumers get reliable and sustainable buildings.”
Checklist for homeowners
- Owners should ask the designer or builder to provide confirmation that the product complies
- Ask the builder for the supplier and confirm that the product meets the New Zealand Building Code. The Building Act requires the supplier or manufacturer to confirm that products, if installed as per their instructions, will comply with the Building Code. They normally do this by quoting a New Zealand standard used to meet specific testing requirements, or if an international standard is used, they will need to demonstrate its alignment with the equivalent New Zealand standard.
- Check to see if the product has been independently appraised or certified in New Zealand. An example of this is the Building Research Association of NZ (BRANZ) appraisal website where they list products, which have been tested and certify compliance with the New Zealand Building Code.
- Ask the building inspector. They will provide advice on compliance matters.
- You should check compliance before buying particularly if the product price seems too good to be true
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