JayADee:

mdf:

 

JayADee: Slightly off topic does anyone know in what year consent started to be required to retrofit insulation to external walls?

 

 

 

Looks like late 2010. The current exemption (exemption 13, you do not need building consent to install insulation unless it's an external wall or firewall) was made then. While its an exemption, I suspect in practice people didn't consider retrofitting insulation before then to be building work. That's certainly the tenor of the official guidance in that link.

 

Thanks, we did it in 2002 and I thought remember it didn't require it then.
Rayonline, I think houses have required insulation of some kind since the late 70s?

Depends what you mean by that our house is from the 70s if not 80s.  From all the water pipe leaks with the interior walls we have opened up and when we have fixed a few exterior wall side power sockets.  We also ran some network cabling to some rooms behind wardrobes and into the lounge and when did some television cables.  There is absolutely no insulation.  Underfloor and ceiling there was none also.  We went under there and up there and checked before we got the contractors in.  Unless if you count insulation in the ceiling cavity as a silver foil layer.