Inspectors warn of new building quality crisis

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#3396634 23-Jul-2025 19:44

tweake:

that first problem is not really caused by lack of eves. the 2nd it has a bit to do with it.

first one is internal gutters. thats why it leaks or overflows into walls. even with eves the leaks/overflow can still end up in the wall with some types. if you overflow an external gutter it overflows outside the wall or eve.

the bigger the eves the less rain the door/windows get and the less problems occur. there is an Canadian study on that. but doors and windows are never perfectly sealed, so they always leak. the trick is to allow that water to drain out and dry.

Cladding cavities do largely solve this, so if water does get through it will drain. NZ didn't used to use cladding cavities.

tweake

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#3396638 23-Jul-2025 19:54

mattwnz:

They should video it and report that sort of thing. Anyone doing that sort of thing should never be allowed in the building industry again. The problem is that the building industry in NZ relies on a lot of trust and there are still far too many cowboys. Someone down the track could end up with a nightmare.

yeah but the problem there is they are often all mates. plus, who do you report it to that is not in on it? i've mentioned before with issues with inspectors being mates with the builders and letting things slide. nz is really small.

and yes it absolutely does end up a nitemare for someone. i recall the red beach(?) one where owner went to do an extension and found the original builder had short cut the foundations. they demolished the house and found a message written in the wall about it.

tweake

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#3396641 23-Jul-2025 20:00

mattwnz:

Cladding cavities do largely solve this, so if water does get through it will drain. NZ didn't used to use cladding cavities.

yes. quite correct.

the issue is not the lack if knowledge, its the lack of using it or wanting to use it. eg there is still builders out there who want to go build like its 1960. others just want to build the cheapest crap possible because people want cheap crap that looks perfect that doubles in value every ten years. they are not interested in building houses to live in.

k1w1k1d

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#3396668 23-Jul-2025 21:14

I believe after the Christchurch earthquakes they found that many concrete slabs didn't have the reinforcing they were supposed to have. Also, much of the reinforcing that was there wasn't installed correctly.

Bung

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#3396675 23-Jul-2025 21:31

This was news in 2019. If it is still an issue in residential construction you may as well give up on council inspection providing any value.

https://www.interest.co.nz/property/102136/ministry-business-innovation-employment-requests-evidence-concrete-structure

gzt

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#3396690 23-Jul-2025 22:08

Handsomedan: It's incredible what you hear/see when it comes to large scale build areas, like Long Bay and Hobsonville Point. We have frineds who live in both areas and they've seen building companies lay reinforcing steel/mesh, get their pre-pour sign-off and immediately remove it prior to pouring concrete, to be used at the next site.

If true - that is not rushing a job or anything like it - that is exceptional conduct and criminal fraud with intent. If it is as widespread in those areas as your comment indicates it should be trivial to capture on video.

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#3396693 23-Jul-2025 22:24

tweake: its not a training issue, or even licensing issue. its simply that they are shortcutting everything they can to stay afloat. that will still happen regardless if training or certification etc. only thing you can do is inspect the work constantly.

Your view is fatalistic. No, there is a big difference between a trained and experienced person rushing things a bit compared to an untrained person operating on inadequate instructions.

tweake

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#3396755 24-Jul-2025 10:19

gzt:
..... there is a big difference between a trained and experienced person rushing things a bit compared to an untrained person operating on inadequate instructions.

that would be absolutely true in normal situations. but in a falling market where companies are going bust every week, then no. the only difference between the two is one knows they are being dodgy and the other doesn't.

blackjack17

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#3396797 24-Jul-2025 12:48

Handsomedan:

It's incredible what you hear/see when it comes to large scale build areas, like Long Bay and Hobsonville Point.
We have frineds who live in both areas and they've seen building companies lay reinforcing steel/mesh, get their pre-pour sign-off and immediately remove it prior to pouring concrete, to be used at the next site.

It's mad that this is such an obvious one - I hate to think how many houses are being signed off with much worse shortcuts.

This seems like one of those old wives tales. I remember hearing this one back in 90s when flat bush was being developed.

The risks of getting caught are high
The labour costs of doing so are high
The cost of steel is cheap (as a proportion of the total slab)

They would be much better using cheaper non-compliant steel.

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#3408613 29-Aug-2025 16:11

tweake:

gzt: Inspector concerns and negative buyer experience:

OneRoof: Building inspectors are warning of a new leaky home scandal coming down the pipeline. As the country attempts to solve its housing crisis, many have noticed an increase in low-quality and non-compliant work. The OneRoof reporting team investigates.

Looks like it is not a new technology or technique required problem like the 90's. Personally I read this one as a general failure of the training pipeline. Imo there does need to be easily deliverable practical in-work trade training and technique qualification that does not require constant tech attendance.

The LBPs involved are no doubt using whatever labour they can get. There needs to be a practical way to qualify and standardize that labour base in the expected practices.

its not surprising. building co's are going broke. the largest group of liquidations etc is building industry. which is much the norm as the building industry booms/busts following the housing market.

its not a training issue, or even licensing issue. its simply that they are shortcutting everything they can to stay afloat. that will still happen regardless if training or certification etc. only thing you can do is inspect the work constantly. kiwis don't seam to want a consistent housing or building market, which would fix most of these issues.

on a side note i see building industry has conned northland into lowering insulation standards. govt sucking up to the building industry (isn't that one of the root causes of leaky homes in the first place?).

There are some good points here around the root causes of these recurring building quality crises in NZ. It’s not only a matter of training or licensing—though both are important—but also reflects the boom-bust cycle of the industry, where firms are forced to cut corners to keep afloat.

Relaxing standards, like dropping insulation requirements, just continues the cycle. The pattern isn’t new—remember the leaky homes saga? If we want a long-term solution, we need a mix of proper regulation, consistent independent inspections at key build stages, and a mature market that actually rewards good workmanship rather than the lowest quote.

At Auckland Waterproofing Experts, that’s exactly why we always keep an eye on regulations, industry innovation, and the market—and make sure to keep our licences up to date. We’ve also started sharing loads of helpful information and practical tips (waterproofing) on our waterproofing blog.

Kiwis (clients and the industry) need to push for change, not just react after the fact. Focusing on quality now means avoiding another costly cleanup in the future.

mattwnz

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#3408646 29-Aug-2025 17:26

The problem is people actually checking that things have been done properly and to the building code. If building a new home, having someone knowledgeable in building and construction could be a good idea, so they can regularly check on the house during the build to make sure it is all being done properly.

To see some of the building standards in Australia, people should look up The Tiktok Inspector on Tiktok.

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tweake

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#3408754 30-Aug-2025 14:00

mattwnz:

The problem is people actually checking that things have been done properly and to the building code. If building a new home, having someone knowledgeable in building and construction could be a good idea, so they can regularly check on the house during the build to make sure it is all being done properly.

To see some of the building standards in Australia, people should look up The Tiktok Inspector on Tiktok.

the tiktok inspector is also on utube, siteinspections i think hes called. he has a LOT of horror stories. he really shows the outcome of what the govt is heading towards.

lowering regulation and reducing liability (which they are pushing for at the mo) means your going to get a badly made house and the home owner at some point will have to foot the bill. for those who like to make money from housing, its going to make your investment worthless.

tweake

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#3434134 13-Nov-2025 16:21

Shoddy window products being passed off as compliant

The Government's been warned substandard windows and doors are being sold to unsuspecting consumers - and no one's policing the issue.

Tinkerisk

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#3434138 13-Nov-2025 16:26

From what I can see, the construction industry has become one thing above all else: quick and dirty. 😁😇😎

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#3434159 13-Nov-2025 17:41

Just an aside, off topic, to all of this. IMO, Australasia needs the housing prefab industry that Europe has. You yourself design your home online, a factory builds it in modules and a TRAINED team install/erect it after the slab and base plumbing has been laid. Plus, we need more solar. Australia are now manufacturing integrated solar roof tiles and solar cells integrated directly into metal sheets that are used as the primary roofing material. These are all no-brainers as far as I am concerned.

Anyway, just my thoughts.

Whilst the difficult we can do immediately, the impossible takes a bit longer. However, miracles you will have to wait for.

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