Full Show Podcast: 11 January 2026

Listen to The Resident Builder Podcast for Sunday 11 January.
Get The Resident Builder Podcast every Sunday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to The Resident Builder podcast with Peter wolf
Camp from US talk sid By, sums out, tools out
Your summer DIY starts here. The Resident Builder with Peter
wolf Camp call eight hundred eighty eight US talk zid.

Speaker 2 (00:23):
By in the yard.

Speaker 3 (00:27):
Even when a dog is too old to barn and
when you're sitting at the table trying not to start,
says a home live when we are ben leaving, when
you're there alone, houses a home even when those ghost

(01:00):
even when you got around from the ones you love your.

Speaker 4 (01:03):
Most scream broken pans.

Speaker 3 (01:07):
Pan and fund locals westall when they're leaving, never has,
even when will and even when you're in there alone.

Speaker 4 (01:48):
Well, a very very good morning and welcome along to
the Resident Builder on Sunday here at News Talk c
B with me Peter wolf Camp, The Resident Builder. Your
opportunity to have a chat about building, about homes, about
any form of accommodation or structure that you might dwell
within all of those rules regulations we can talk about that.

(02:12):
I'm kind of debating with myself whether or not to
dive into one kind of tangential thing around building construction,
house ownership, rentals, bonds and that sort of thing. There
was an interesting story yesterday that I wouldn't mind commenting
on that appeared online. But whatever it is that's related
to building construction or whether like like me. This week

(02:35):
it was a kind of a not quite a rush job,
but it was one of those urgent repair things where
you go, if I leave it any longer, it's likely
to cause damage or upset or something like that. So
can't put it off any longer. Needs to be repaired.
Let's get stuck into it. In this case, it was
a bit of broken concrete on an old driveway that

(02:56):
I think was at the point where it was going
to sort of flip up and it gets stuck in
a car or someone a trip over it or something
like that. So out there concrete saw up the edges,
remove the old concrete, excavate it down. I'm suspecting that
in the nineteen sixties anything more than about seventy mili
of concrete or three inches was considered excessive. So get

(03:18):
that out, a little bit of reinforcing. Good old fashioned mixer.
Some builders mix some cement six to one ratio in done,
cleaned up half a ton five hundred and twenty kilos
of concrete and rubble down to the local Resource Recovery center,

(03:38):
exposed aggregate on the top, kept all the sediment on site.
Job done right. So if that was one of your jobs,
or you've got some jobs that you'd like to discuss,
we can talk about all of these things on the
show this morning. So eight hundred and eighty ten eighty
is the number to call. The lines are open, looking
forward to chatting with you today about all things building
and construction. You can text, of course, it's nine two,

(04:02):
nine to two from your mobile phone which is ZBZB.
If you're looking at the letters, and if you'd like
to email me, it's up and running. Eight hundred, eight hundred,
eight hundred eighty ten eighty is the telephone number. The
email is Pete at NEWSTALKSEB dot co dot nz. So
p e t E Pete at Newstalk SEDB dot co

(04:22):
dot Nz. Trust you've had a good week. I tell
you what I'm looking at the forecast for Auckland. Twenty
nine degrees or twenty eight degrees is the expected high today.
I don't know what it was during the course of
the week, but on Wednesday, when I was out doing
this little concreting job. It would have been I don't know,
twenty five degrees. So it's warm. I know in other

(04:44):
parts of the country it will be warmer. You're probably
into the thirties in the Hawks Bay area. But one
of the things was I had a sort of big
old steel wrecking bar there to leave the concrete out
that was sitting on the ground. Went to pick that up.
Almost too hot to pack up. You know, gear gets hot.
It gets incredibly difficult to work indirects at the height

(05:07):
of the day just because your gear gets so hot.
So I think there's got to be ways of managing that.
And I was actually doing the job thinking shits. Imagine
if you're doing roofing or something like that at this
time of year. Roofers must go right through winter thinking
I just wish it was summer and it was not
raining or blowing or something like that, and then you
get to the middle of summer and go jeep, as

(05:27):
I wish it was a bit cooler. Anyway, we're funny folk.
It's either too hot too cold. It's never that Goldilocks moment,
is it, where it's just right, Oh, eight hundred and
eighty ten eighty let's get into it. We've got root
climb passed of course. On the show at about eight thirty,
I've already got a question for him because I had
dinner with some friends last night, wonderful dinner at their house,

(05:49):
and they went, look, by the way, could you sneak
in a question for Rud about me plump? So I'll
do that today on the show. But your opportunity as
well as always on a Sunday morning to have a
chat with Rud. From eight thirty, we'll touch base with
Mike Colds from Razine Construction. The some interesting things going
on there, and we'll catch up with him on that
as well. But really this is your show. What's on

(06:12):
your mind, what do you need to do, what are
you thinking about doing? What have you tried to do?
And maybe it hasn't worked out quite as well as
you expected it to go. We can talk about all
things building and construction this morning on the show. Oh
eight hundred eighty ten eighty the number to call.

Speaker 5 (06:27):
John.

Speaker 4 (06:27):
Let's start with you.

Speaker 2 (06:28):
Good morning, good morning, greetings, good thank you. The the
last couple of weeks you've been talking about a product.
It's crystals that you can seal our concrete cracked with. Yes,
I just wanted to know the name of it and
where to get it from.

Speaker 4 (06:48):
Yeah, okay, sorry, excuse me. There's probably a couple of them,
but the one that I've been using is actually from Semix,
which is ce m I x An. Yes, Semics is
the brand. So they do a number of you know,
concrete repairs, concrete additives, et cetera, et cetera. And it's
crystal proof, that's what it's called. So it's very good,

(07:14):
but you have to It's like with most really technical things,
there's very specific requirements around its use and then what
you can do with it afterwards. So, for example, where
I used it quite successfully was I had a little
floor slab with like a six inch or one hundred
and fifty milimeters high nib wall around it that my

(07:35):
framing sat on. It was waterproofed on the outside, but
just as a kind of extra protection for my lining
on the inside, I applied this crystal proof to it.
And it's so it's like a sementitious paste almost. You
mix it up, it's a slurry and then you apply
it and what happens at a microscopic level is the

(07:56):
crystals go into the mortar or into the masonry, and
then they literally go looking for water and when they
encounter water, they expand and block off that pathway, let's
say for moisture coming through blockwork or masonry products. So
I just did that as a preventative thing. I've applied

(08:16):
it on floors, for example, to seal moisture into a floor.
But one of the things you can't do afterwards is
you can't then paint over the top of it. So
the surface that you're or the finish that you're left
with with the crystal proof is how it remains. And
the other thing is it needs to be bear concrete
as well.

Speaker 2 (08:37):
Is it like, is it possible use it on a
water pat.

Speaker 4 (08:43):
Yeah, I think so, and I think there's probably other
you just have to check off the top of my head.
I don't know whether it's suitable for pottible water, which
is if you're going to use that you know you
rain water harvesting. Otherwise, I guess if you're selling an
existing concrete water tank, there may also be brush on

(09:04):
epoxy finishes that you could use. Who's on the inside as.

Speaker 2 (09:07):
Well from the same.

Speaker 4 (09:11):
Yeah, either them will seek I tend to have the
two of the bigger sort of waterproofing cement additive type companies.
But is and is that this the use that you're
looking for your tank? It's not coming out through a
crack in the tank, Yeah.

Speaker 6 (09:28):
It is.

Speaker 2 (09:29):
I thought it had gone down to the bottom of
the tank, right down to the bottom, and I found
the crack, so I popsteed it with a two pop
mixer and and then when we filled the tank up,
it was leaking half way up the tank. I never
never noticed it. But right, I don't suppose you do

(09:51):
in the middle of the one down with rain all
the time.

Speaker 4 (09:54):
No, And it's it's pretty hard conditions inside the water tank,
trying to think, you know, have I got every bit
and so on? Have you thought about a bladder for
the team?

Speaker 2 (10:07):
Yeah, well that's the other thing I think I will
do this time, because I know it's going to be
it's going to be a final solution.

Speaker 7 (10:15):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (10:16):
Yeah, that it was good.

Speaker 4 (10:20):
Yeah, looks so there's there's some options there, but just
check as to whether or not it's suitable for a
plottable situation. Most likely LaaS, but just check.

Speaker 2 (10:29):
Yep.

Speaker 4 (10:30):
I can understand the frustration and appreciate that if you're
trying to get. I mean, concre is still concrete water
taks around, quite a few of them, obviously. You know,
PVC ones have become much more common, but they're still
out there, I guess, and the old ones are still around.
Oh eight hundred and eighty ten eighty is the number
to call. It is seventeen minutes after six. If you've

(10:51):
got a question about anything to do with building construction
rules and regulations as well. I think we're going to
have a fairly strong focus on that this year, just
because there have been so many changes that were introduced,
let's say, in legislation last year, which will become law
this year, including I think one of the more fascinating

(11:14):
things is going to be around this whole mandatory warranties
for new builds and for renovations that are over one
hundred thousand dollars. So something to keep an eye on. Right,
the lines are open. Oh eight hundred eighty ten eighty
is the number to call back after the break. Call
us now we'll get things sorted out. It is seventeen
minutes after six.

Speaker 1 (11:35):
From summer backyard jobs to big Rennolds.

Speaker 6 (11:38):
Let's talk it through.

Speaker 1 (11:39):
Call Oh eight hundred eighty ten eighty the Resident Builder
with Peterwilcab News Talks.

Speaker 4 (11:44):
Be you're with us talks. Heb Indeed it is twenty
one minutes after six eight hundred eighty ten eighty is
the number to call. We can talk all things building construction,
and it's it's all of the other stuff that goes
with either living in or owning or renting properties and
what you can do, what products, what materials, what tools
you might need to get. And actually it's that interesting

(12:08):
thing too around you know, hiring versus buying. If you're
a keen di wire, at what point do you go, Actually,
you know what, I really need that specific tool to
undertake a task, but I might only do it once
or twice a year. Is it worth investing in the
tool or do I hire? At the same time, I'd

(12:28):
say that because I wanted on down to high Pool
this week to pick up a mixer. It was not
a big job, and typically for smaller jobs, I'll just
get some builders, mix some cement in the mix in
the wheelbarrow and mix by hand if it's a couple
of fence posts or something like that. But in this
one where you want to do something reasonably quickly, if

(12:49):
you're pouring like a patch and a driveway. Ended up
getting a mixer from Highpool. It made the job so
much easier. I think you get a slightly better mix
than just doing it by hand in a wheelbarrow. In
job done and I'm like, ah, should I get a
mix And then it's like, well, for I don't know,
three hundred days of the year will probably just sit
there doing nothing. I guess I'm better off hiring it

(13:10):
in that instance. But interested in your thoughts on that too. Oh,
eight hundred eighty ten eighty is the number to call
quick text. That probably deserves more attention than we can
give it on the show because it's quite calm morning.
Peek the apartment towers with the flammable cladding that went
up on fire in England. Can you find out from
the construction minister is that cladding band in New Zealand?

(13:33):
My understanding is that we don't have a lot of
We actually have none of that specific type of cladding
in New Zealand. I know that after the Grenfell Taals
fire in London there was an immediate sort of investigation
do we have those sorts of panels here? And I

(13:56):
think from memory but i'd have to go back and
have a look. It sounds like we've got similar types
of products but not exactly the same, and unless they're
exactly the same, they won't respond in the same way.
And of course part of the issue there was the
fact that the cladding was effectively on a cavity, and

(14:18):
so it became it sort of supercharges it because you've
got this hot air rushing through the cavity as well,
which just accelerates the rate of fire. So I think
in general we don't have many more residential towers, but
not with that material. So I think you're okay. Oh

(14:38):
eight one hundred eighty eighty is the number to call
and Robin, good morning. Hi, Hey, how you doing good?

Speaker 8 (14:48):
Thank you. I just had w heard you say about
possible a bladder to put into a concrete house water tank.
I've got a year old concrete one that I've tried
over the years, and I've grounded out the POxy in
and somebody into two. I entered it out and got

(15:13):
somebody into properly seal it on the inside, but it's
still leaking. But I'm very interested in it. How does
the bladder work? They put it in and.

Speaker 4 (15:24):
Essentially it's a plastic liner or a plastic rubber.

Speaker 9 (15:30):
Well.

Speaker 4 (15:30):
It's a flexible liner that's inserted. So I guess they
must be custom made because unless they fit really well,
you'd either have I guess if it's slightly too large,
it wouldn't matter, but if it was slightly too small,
it would have constant pressure on it. So the liner
goes inside I guess, adhered at the top surface, and

(15:53):
it just acts as well. It does what it says
on the tin. It's a liner, so it's impervious. Inserted
into the tank, water fills up and pushes it to
the outside and then it just remains in place. So
that's one option. Someone has text through a business in
Napier that cleans and restores concrete tanks uses a product

(16:16):
called mapo Elastic Smart Well tho've spelt it m A
P E l A S T I C meopolastic smart
to waterproof over the cracks and the leak joints. I
guess the hard thing is if you were trying to do,

(16:37):
like if you had done a specific crack, you know,
it's it's trying to get it's the bond.

Speaker 10 (16:48):
Yeah, challenging, but yeah, I've had, you know, I had
the people and that are meant to know, you know,
and do all that, and you know, the one that
seeks out the water and swells out and I've still
got now legs. So I would prefer like a fucking
put the bladder and then it's done, isn't it.

Speaker 4 (17:08):
Sure? It does feel like the bladder is a really
straightforward solution, and I guess the challenge is always, you know,
like I suppose the other solution is do you take
the tank away and put a new PVC one, which
is you know, but I can understand why that's quite

(17:28):
a challenge. Having just ripped up a relatively small piece
of concrete and by the time I've broken it up,
loaded on the trailer, loaded on some slurry and all
the rest of it. Like I said, it was just
a small job and it was five hundred kilos of
material that I had to go and tip and you know.

Speaker 10 (17:45):
Yeah, this is a very large on ground.

Speaker 4 (17:47):
Right, Okay, Yeah, I'm with you, yep, Right, it looks
I don't know who makes the bladders, it's one of
the and it will vary around the country as well,
but it does seem like there are solutions for it.
Or this one here where you know someone's got a
business where they do the cleaning, they do the restoration,

(18:07):
they apply a particular product and hopefully they'll offer you
a warranty or a guarantee on it as well.

Speaker 10 (18:13):
Man, I've been there, done that.

Speaker 9 (18:15):
Okay, all right, you know.

Speaker 10 (18:19):
A particular company that does the bladders or what.

Speaker 4 (18:22):
I don't it's not I know that they're out there,
but I've never had to use one. So yeah, it's
good luck. Thank you very much, all the very best.
You take care. See Robin eight hundred eighty ten eighty
the number to call someone who heard me mentioning the
semix crystal proof for sealing it. Is there a similar

(18:44):
product you could use for a crack in an aggregate
driveway just outside the front door to hide the crack
five hundred mill long, say two to three milimeter and
crack with Funnily enough, because the again, the job that
I've just done, where it's an old driveway right, used
to be two strips and then we filled in the

(19:04):
middle one years and years years ago. But you know
there's more than one crack in the driveway. I just went, look,
I'm just going to target this particular area, because I
think that's going to be a sort of a health
risk or a hazard of some description. And then looking
around now that I've patched this one, but that looks
great to be fair, and now I'm looking at the

(19:25):
other cracks, going, oh, maybe I should have cut that
bit out, and maybe I should have done this one.
Bloody blah. Anyway, I was actually out looking for us
thinking about like a powder a seminititious grout repair that
I could add into those other joints, just to stop
water getting in and saturating the ground below. So it

(19:45):
is out there, but I haven't found it yet. This
is to answer your question about the repairs the cracks.
The other thing too. Sometimes when you try and repair
cracks and concrete, particularly on like exposed aggregate and that
sort of thing, it can often become more obvious. So
you know, I've seen this where people have applied you know,

(20:06):
silicon bead or something like that, or tried to mix
up some slurry of plaster and then you end up
with a great big smear of repair across the joint.
The joint wasn't that obvious, but the repair makes it
incredibly obvious. So you're going to be a little bit
careful there, but no right now, I'm still on the
hunt for that particular semintitious powder. I know it's out there.
I just got to find it, which gives me another

(20:26):
excuse to go to a hardware store again, as I
did yesterday afternoon. Oh eight hundred eighty ten eighty is
the number to call and quickly on the water tanks.
I've got two twenty thousand concrete tags tanks used armor
Tech DPS oneh one sprayed on the outside and its
sealed all of the small cracks. That's interesting. I don't again,

(20:49):
it's an interesting suggestion. Haven't used the product, don't know
anything about it armor Tech DPS one oh one. But
interestingly enough from the outside that sealed all the cracks,
presuming you can get to all of the surfaces on
the outside, and obviously you can't get to the bottom.
I'm guessing a very good morning to you.

Speaker 11 (21:08):
Hello peee. Just a quick one. Sure, I've got a
vertical crack at the I've got a floor to ceiling window,
and the vertical crack starts on my hardy plank about
fifty millimeters up from the left hand corner of the
window and Vea's out to the left. It's been there

(21:32):
for a few years. But I was wondering what actually
causes it.

Speaker 4 (21:39):
This is and the cracker is in the hardy plank cladding.

Speaker 11 (21:43):
It's in the hardy plank itself.

Speaker 4 (21:46):
Yep, yep. I'm guessing that it's you know, like twenty
five thirty years old for the hardy plank.

Speaker 11 (21:54):
Yeah, it would be, I think, Yeah, I'm.

Speaker 4 (21:57):
Not sure about what causes it apart from you know,
there'll always be movement. Does the crack start from where
the nail goes through the cladding?

Speaker 11 (22:07):
It goes from where the overlap is from the plank
above it right the millimeters up at the edge of
the window, and now there is out the left.

Speaker 4 (22:21):
Yeah. Look, my experience has been that older or older
thirty forty year old houses with hardy plank, it does
get brittle and so it can get a bit fragile.
So it's not like I'm not surprised. Like typically you go, gosh,
fiber spent, how does that crack?

Speaker 5 (22:39):
Right?

Speaker 4 (22:39):
Because there's no there are fibers, but they're all cross
lemonade and so on, but there are you do get
cracking in it over time. Typically if you just is
it a wood grain texture smooth board. Yeah, you could
rake the joint out a little bit, so make it

(23:02):
a little bit bigger with a sharp knife or a
chisel or something like that. Use some sealant, Just fill
it with some good exterior quality sealants, some ub UV
stable sealant, and then just paint over it. In some
cases where those cracks have opened up larger, I've just
simply made myself like a little Soka flashing and just

(23:22):
installed that over the top of the hardy plank. And
while it's you know, it's it's a belt embraces approach, right.
It might not look that pretty because you don't expect
to see sokas on there, but it will completely seal that.
And then a bead of sealant on either side.

Speaker 11 (23:39):
Oh that's good.

Speaker 4 (23:39):
Yeah, don't too concerned. Ye, go for it.

Speaker 11 (23:44):
I've got a large branch slider in the back, and
I've got the usual doorhead crack above it. Yes, and
i put a reinforcing bedding tape in there and plasted
over it. Yeah, and then it cracked again, but not

(24:05):
the crack isn't this word?

Speaker 4 (24:07):
But yes, the really hard thing is let's you again
for an older house, right, the way in which you
would have assembled that structure at the time wouldn't be
like what we would do today. So you know, if
you're doing a connection between effectively your trimmer stud and

(24:28):
an understud and a beam, chance, today you'd have a
nail plate over there, there'll be more bracing in the wall,
all of those sorts of things. So what you're seeing
is two bits of plaster board with some tape over
it moving because the building is moving slightly. So I

(24:50):
think inevitably, no matter what you do to the crack,
if there's some movement in the building, or like in
the good old days, you know it was a couple
of four inch nails that were holding all of that
together versus like a nail plate or some straps and
all of those sorts of things, you will continue to
get a little bit of movement there. So I think
it's just going to be a case of just touching

(25:10):
it up and redoing it.

Speaker 11 (25:15):
If it was extreme, could you take the jib board
off and put two screws into the doorhead studd and
the main stud, yeah.

Speaker 4 (25:24):
Or if you really wanted to. I mean the other
thing too, is and again I'm thinking about how let's
say we would have done plasterboard lining. Then is the
jam rebated or does the window have an architrave around it?

Speaker 7 (25:39):
No, it's rebaited, okay.

Speaker 4 (25:41):
And again, typically what you would do if you're the
guy doing the plasterboard fixing at the time, you'd cut
the side sheet and that would go all the way
to the top, and then you'd cut another piece that
you dropped into the rebate at the top, so you've
got a join right at the point where everything moves.
Whereas ideally, if you're doing plasterboard lining, you don't want

(26:04):
rebated jams. You want to cut your sheet horizontally and
so you don't have any joins there. But because that's
how we used to do it, a lot, you know,
butt them together over the head because you have to
try and get it into the rebate, and then you're
putting a joint at exactly the point where it's going
to move, and then we're surprised later on that we've
got cracks. Well, yeah, it's a combination of things. But yes,

(26:29):
if you really wanted to the other thing, you if
you really really wanted to get stuck into it, you
could cut out that entire section of plasterboard and put
a longer piece that runs all the way across, or
a bit of a dog leg, or like you say,
if you wanted to peel that plasterboard off, try and
get some extra screws in to lock that junction together,
or even a nail plate. Rebate a nail plate in there,

(26:50):
and then do the jib board repair. But I think
for all of that effort, I think I'd just be
going whenever the crack appears, I'm going to get a
little bit of filler, a little bit of a touch
up paint job done. I'll go with exactly.

Speaker 9 (27:06):
Eggs.

Speaker 4 (27:06):
Yeah, yeah, all right, all the best, All right, take
care Jim eight hundred eighty ten eighty. We'll talk to
Craig after the break if you've got some questions that
you would like answered about building, construction, renovating, just looking
after your place. And you know, Jim's is the classic.
If at the time that it was built, it was
it was assembled put together slightly differently, you probably even

(27:30):
if there was a little bit of movement in the house,
you wouldn't get the crack appearing. But if you've got
movement at that junction, and then you bring two pieces
of plasterboard together at that junction. It's not surprising that
you're getting cracks there, so there are Yeah, I find
it quite fascinating. Oh eight hundred eighty ten eighty. The
number to call it is six thirty.

Speaker 1 (27:49):
Seven Sawdust, Sunshine and Solid Advice. The Resident Builder with
Peter Wolfcab call oh eight hundred eighty ten eighty News
Talk ZEBBI.

Speaker 4 (27:59):
Just doing the break had a quick look at the
products that a couple of people have text through. So
that map Elastic Smart is waterproofing membrane and it's Marpe,
so they're well known for their particularly waterproofing solutions for
under tiles, for example, So that looks like an interesting option.

(28:20):
And then the Armor Tech GPS one oh one is
a concrete seiler that has no VOCs water born interesting that, Yeah,
you could use that on the inside. So and does
the other one does a bit of a repair to
over small areas. So both of them look like quite
interesting products. I eight hundred eighty ten eighty is the

(28:43):
number to call. I just saw the Grenfeld towers because
this popped up out of kind of nowhere, as these
things do. Yeah, thanks Michael, have a look at that
I eight hundred eighty ten eighty the number to call Craig.
Good morning.

Speaker 12 (29:04):
He's so good morning. I have a house in christ Church.
It's had extensive earthquake repairs, like seven hundred and fifty thousand.
They've spent on a sofa. And the problem is it
still leaks when it when it rains, the water water

(29:26):
comes in through the step in the foundation of the house.
And it only happens when it's really wet. And the
found that the subdivision, which is on a slope and
the houses sit on clay, and the subdivision basically oozes

(29:47):
with water and and and when it when it oozes
with water, it comes down and that hits the step
in the foundation and and comes in inside. And what
has happened is when they in the earthquakes, the bottom
of the foundation of the house sunk into the ground

(30:11):
by eighty millimeters and the upper story tilted eighty milimeters.
And so their earthquake repairs they lifted the bottom downstairs
eighty milimeters evenly and took the slope upstairs and level again.

(30:39):
So does that make sense?

Speaker 4 (30:42):
Yep, sure does.

Speaker 12 (30:44):
And they were specifically warned in an engineer's report that
they had to do it very carefully and evenly, so
it's not to crack the foundation wall in the middle
of the house. And they didn't, and they broke the

(31:05):
cell in the on the back of that wall in
the middle of the house. And now and there it leaks.
And so when it rains heavily in the middle of
the winter, water comes in throught through it into the house.

Speaker 4 (31:25):
And when you say water comes through, is it like
you know, pulling on the floor or is it just
evidenced by some general dampness.

Speaker 12 (31:35):
No, No, it runs into the house and it's it's
it's like the carpet cleaners have to come in with
big struction machines and clean up marted water off the carpet.
So it's quite an insurance came and if you see,

(31:58):
has to wear it.

Speaker 4 (31:59):
So so from from the first time that you know
this is probably happened a couple of times since the
repairs were completed. What's the response from the contractor who's
done the work.

Speaker 12 (32:18):
They don't want to know about it. They've repaired the
house and and and it's been signed off and they
just say go back to EQUC. EQUC says we'll pay
for the cleanup and that and we want to see

(32:40):
it happen again, And so.

Speaker 4 (32:42):
They want to see it happen again again.

Speaker 12 (32:48):
Right, So now nine years later and everything's been cleaned
up and repaired, but this one one wall in the
house is still left open with no jib on it.
And and what we're waiting for it to happen again.

Speaker 4 (33:07):
Has it happened again in the last nine years.

Speaker 12 (33:10):
No, No, But we're waiting for the really bad weather
and the subdivision to be oozen with water for this
type of situation to happen again.

Speaker 4 (33:22):
Just so I'm absolutely clear. Obviously, the earthquake happened, the
repairs happened, the repairs were done. There was a failure
nine years ago. But in the intervening nine years, have
you ever had any water through.

Speaker 12 (33:38):
Not again, No, but but we're waiting for it.

Speaker 4 (33:42):
What makes you think that it's going to happen though,
If it hasn't happened in the last nine years, why
do you think it's going to happen again?

Speaker 12 (33:48):
Because I didn't, they haven't haven't repaired that all in
that time has happened. It's happened once, but it could
happen again.

Speaker 4 (34:00):
But if it with a great respect I'm sort of
thinking that if it hasn't happened nine years since, I'm
not sure. I'm not sure what you're waiting for. And
if it's left exposed, I mean, could you get a
contractor to come and do a bandage over that junction?

(34:22):
And I can understand the dynamics of the slabs moving,
tearing the waterproofing. You've got groundwater coming up, hydraulicing up
and forcing its way through there. But I just wonder
whether at a certain stage, would you, for your own wellbeing,
stop waiting, get someone in do a bandage over that,
replace the jib, kind of get on with things.

Speaker 12 (34:44):
So when they built that wall, they will have melt
shaled behind it here on the back of the wall.
And then so now we're looking at the face of
the wall, which is on the inside of the house. Now,
so how do your waterproof again?

Speaker 4 (35:01):
You know, products like that seminititious material, that crystalline solution
or in a POxy bandage or something like that, and
then just go because you know, even with the mole
seal on the back, it wouldn't have been underneath the
foundations and all the rest of it. Not because that's
just not how we built back then. I just wonder
whether if you targeted that repair, got that done, and

(35:24):
then you get it lined and kind of move not
move on, but I would you know, if you said
to me, look, it's leaked a number of times over
the last couple of years, you'd probably take a different approach.
But I just wonder whether if it was me, I
would get it repaired with a semititious bandage of some
description and then get it religned and carry on and

(35:46):
if it photograph it gets some evidence of it, and
then if it does fail you could always go back
to the insurer again. After that, Good luck with all
of that. Oh eight hundred eighty ten eighty. You will
take short break and then we'll talk to Kate after
the break.

Speaker 1 (36:02):
Sorting those sum effectses before the barbecue crowd arrives. Called
the Resident Builder with Peter Wolfcab. Call Oh eight hundred
eighty to eighty News Talk ZEBBI.

Speaker 4 (36:13):
Rightio your news talks. You'd be coming up news time,
of course, about nine minutes away. But before then we'll
talk to Kate and we'll probably have time for one
more call as well. Oh eight hundred eighty ten eighty
is that number to call? Kate, Good morning, Good.

Speaker 13 (36:26):
Morning, Pete. I hope this is a more straightforward question
for you, but it may not be. This problem I
have is about a quider deck which is about nineteen
years old. It was well built at the time. It
got some torture under it. It's fine. There's no daking here.

Speaker 4 (36:45):
Okay, yep, thought in good.

Speaker 13 (36:46):
It's in pretty good condition. I think I've replaced one board.
I may need to do more at some stage soon.
And for a few years I oiled it with some
penetrating oil and its great. And then unfortunately someone talked
me into putting some aqua deck down, which I'm not
happy about. So I repeated that a few times. And

(37:10):
the aqua dec actually has lasted quite well, and I'm
ready to put something else on. I haven't probably put
anything on in about five years. I've used a little
bit of oxalic acid on it recently, but I'll do more.
I would like to stain it with oil again, and

(37:30):
I've heard you say many times that's not possible, but
I've looked into sanding it. And then I spoke with
Cabots the other day and they said I could put
something on which is a stripper and it's intragrain, a
sort of paint stripper. So I thought about doing that,

(37:51):
and I spoke with someone and he said, oh, no,
don't do that because it will damage the wood. You're
better off to stand it. And at nineteen years old,
I don't know if it's worth investing much for a
standing it.

Speaker 4 (38:07):
I don't mind putting it right, yes.

Speaker 13 (38:08):
Elbow grease in, but if I have someone stand it,
which could be you know, thousand dollars, it's about twenty
five or thirty square meters, Am I going to just
be replacing it in a couple of years because it's
so old? And I know that's hard for you to
say because you can't see the condition of it red,
But or I could just put aquedec on it a
few more times than hope for the best.

Speaker 4 (38:29):
Just looking online, it sounds like the product that you're
talking about is able to be applied over existing coatings.
Because one of the things that it's a bit of
a mantra, you know, when we're talking to the Razine
guys and that sort of thing here, is that, broadly
speaking for decks, for like a natural finish over existing
timber decks, once you've chosen our system which is either

(38:54):
going to be a penetrating oil stain of some description
which soaks in sits inside the timber, or a film
forming type one. You then can't interchange the two, is
the typical rule. So if you've started with oil, stick
with oils. If you started with a coating, then stick
with that, because obviously, if you put oil over the

(39:15):
top of a coating, that will just sit on the surface,
it won't get to the timber, and then you'll get
like a sticky residue that you won't be it'll take
a lot of effort to remove. I guess, just reading
through the literature, if let's say there was an oil
on there before and you've applied this particular film forming
product over the top, as long as it's bonded, it

(39:38):
might have decayed or worn a little bit. But I'm
wondering whether the most straightforward thing to do would be
just to keep with that system and apply more of that.
Once you've given the deck a thorough clean, which is
a proprietary sort of deck clean, apply it, give it
a scrub with a broom, rinse it off, let that
dry go over the top. In terms of longevity, I

(39:59):
mean I would expect that you'll get another five to
ten years out of those boards before they might need replacing.
I think, you know, thirty years is not would be
a good run. More than that unlikely. I think typically
you know they're being ripped up and replaced by then.

(40:20):
I'm just trying to think about I mean, actually I
replaced a deck it's five years ago now that I
built in nineteen ninety one. Now that was pine and
it just reached the end of its life. Right, some
boards had started to rot. It's one of those things
like not everything rots all at the same time or
decays all at the same time, but enough of it

(40:43):
to mean that if you were to do a target
to repair, it would look a bit patchwork. So in
this instance, it was just the option of well, striple
the decking off the joys were actually still in reasonable condition,
and just laid new decking over the top. And maybe
you'd look at your deck at twenty five square meters,
it's not you know, it's not tiny, but it's also
not massive. You just go, okay, well, if I give

(41:04):
it a coat, that'll give me a couple more years,
and in a few years time, if I'm still here,
I'll just remove the dicking and relay it with new dicking.

Speaker 13 (41:13):
Yeah, that was certainly a thought I had. Do you
think it might be worth standing it? Would it survive sounding?

Speaker 5 (41:20):
Yeah?

Speaker 4 (41:20):
Well, and I you know, I don't know that I'd
sort of get the big Oh, I've got a run
for news. I'll be back with you in a moment.

Speaker 1 (41:27):
No worries if it creaks, leaks, cracks or squeaks, some
is the time to get it, sort of call oh,
eight hundred and eighty to eighty the Resident Builder with
Peter Wolf cavee us talk.

Speaker 4 (41:37):
Zebbie didn't know what time.

Speaker 2 (41:40):
It was that swill.

Speaker 12 (41:44):
I lean back on my rage deal.

Speaker 4 (41:48):
Some catwardly and down rock and roll, lot of sol.

Speaker 12 (41:56):
Then the loud sound that seemed.

Speaker 4 (41:58):
To they I came back like a little vie naa wave.

Speaker 14 (42:03):
Of the oh.

Speaker 5 (42:06):
D jed that.

Speaker 4 (42:11):
Alrighty, oh, welcome back to the show. My name's pet
Wolf Kempt, the resident Builder, and this is the resident
Builder on Sunday a little bit David Bowie there. I
was listening to the radiosteray and someone said it's ten
years since he passed away at like age sixty eight
or something like that. So I'm terribly old man at
that stage. Anyway, one of my favorites, David Bowie, there

(42:31):
we go. Seven oh seven is the time if you've
got a question of a building nature. Oh, eight hundred
and eighty ten eighty is the number to call. We
kind of charged into the news cake just before the break.
So decking wise, I think to wrap up our conversation,
I reckon, if the deck's already twenty years old, I
think you'll get a couple more years out of it,

(42:53):
in which case another coating over the top should be fine.
What do you reckon?

Speaker 13 (42:58):
Well, I was planning to do another coating, but it
was whether it was worse trying to get down to
the natural wood again start reoiling it, which would spot
thousand dollars to stand it, or manually stripping it with
a chemical or just carrying on with the aqueduc because
it's only you know, the age of it, which is

(43:19):
it is? But if I do that and I think, oh,
next year I've got more energy and you've got more,
have I have I?

Speaker 3 (43:29):
Well?

Speaker 4 (43:29):
Effectively, yeah, I mean some of the strippers are quite
you know, the products are quite good and reasonably easy
to use and not as kind of aggressive in terms
of how they attack your skin and that sort of
things in the year's gone by, so you could, But
then you've also got surfaces that are not regular, lots
of gaps in between, and you've got a waterproofing membrane

(43:53):
below it. Yeah, the torch on see, I'd be a
little bit concerned around putting some form of stripper onto timber,
which is inevitably some of it's going to land on
that waterproofing. And do you take the risk that it's
going to deteriorate the waterproofing.

Speaker 13 (44:13):
Well, I asked that questions. Well, when I phoned up
Cabots and they recommended integrined, she said, no, no, it's
a water based it'll be fine. But I agree with you, Pete,
it is a bit of a Oh you don't want
to do anything to upset the waterproofing. No, not really
respectful of.

Speaker 4 (44:29):
It's the waterproofing that's doing the work. Yeah, good luck
with your decision. Would this be someone just with a
belt sander or would you look at getting like a
floor sander and with one of those big drums enders.
I don't know.

Speaker 5 (44:48):
If I.

Speaker 13 (44:51):
Don't know, do you think I'm better with a belt center?

Speaker 4 (44:55):
Well, it's a lot more work. But then you're talking
to a person that quite a long time ago, when
we couldn't afford to get a belt sander sanded an
entire fifty square meter unit with a belt sander on
his hands and knees, still be all the I know,
I know, I know, I've still got a photograph of
myself doing that sometime nearly nineteen nineties. Anyway, don't be

(45:19):
like me. Get someone to do it alright, all the
very mess you with all your decision making you take
care a lovely chat, take care. Yes, Somewhere along the line,
I think I was still in like short studies and
the jandles with the mus to be fair using a
belt sander, four inch belt sander to sand the entire house. Oh,

(45:43):
eight hundred eighty ten eighty, that was back in the day.
Right eleven minutes after seven lines are open, the number
to call. Eight hundred eighty ten eighty is the number
to call. A little bit more information. That's quite interesting.
This smart plastic smart is from Marpe, which is a
well known brand a cement based liquid membrane. So there's

(46:07):
obviously a binder can be used under tiles and for
swimming pool waterproofing, so it forms like a bladder a line.
So there is a process for corner bandages and mesh reinforcing.
And I love this the optimism of this text. The
only problem area could be the inlet in the outlet points.
But there's a solution for everything, well increasingly these days

(46:30):
there absolutely is. So if you'd like some help finding
the solution for you, Oh, eight hundred eighty ten eighty
is that number to call? It's eleven, just gone twelve
minutes after seven. Lines are open for your texts as well,
nine two nine two or ZBZB and if you would
like to seend me an email, it's Pete ATNEWSTALKZB dot
co dot nz. And in fact, just on the email

(46:52):
I've got this interesting one earlier this morning from Allen going, Hey, look,
we're considering getting this blowing wall insulation for our weatherboard home.
Do you have any advice on the project, on the process,
is it cost effective, long term effect on the weather
boards from the plugs, hoping the house will be warmer

(47:12):
and winter We do intend to do a repaint this year. Alan.
I think one of the things that's really important to
note is that if you do if you retrofit insulation
into an existing into an exterior wall, it triggers a
requirement for a building consent or an official note from

(47:34):
the council giving an exemption for a building consent. So
most of the companies that I'm aware of that are
sort of reputable doing this sort of blow and insulation
have a process where they can go to council and
go this is the system we use, this is how
we prove compliance. Therefore we're exempt from getting a building
consent because you already know that our systems are building

(47:57):
consent compliant in a sense. So make sure that whoever
you're dealing with allan gives you that information. The other
thing that has always been a concern is that when
you fill that space, that cavity, so all of those
spaces between the back of your plaster board lining between
the studs and knogs, and the back of the weather board,

(48:18):
particularly if the weather boards don't have a building wrap
or building paper on them, is there the potential for
moisture to be then drawn into the insulation material and
will you know, potentially you end up with a saturated
material which is just going to make things worse and
will cause mold, so hydrophobic products, those sorts of things

(48:41):
are really important. And then what system do they use
for plugging the holes as well? And you know what
you don't want, I guess is let's say in a
couple of years time that all of that shrinks and moves,
and then when you look at your painted surface on
the exterior weatherboards, you can see all of those penetrations
because you know it's still a twenty mil hole that

(49:01):
they're going to draw through the weatherboard. The other option
is they draw through the lining on the inside. Of course,
you've got to patch and repaint all of that, so
I think most people do end up opting to come
in from the outside. So look, it's worth considering. I've
spoken with people who have said I've had it done
and my house is warmer the next day, So you
can't argue with that. Oh wait, one hundred and eighty

(49:23):
ten eighty is number to call. Someone's just text through
as well. Paint stripper if it does get onto the
torch on it will damage us as it does contain
some aggressive solvents. So that's probably why I would be
reluctant to suggest using paint stripper on timber. Decking over
a torch on membrane or any membrane at all, so

(49:45):
I'd stay away from the strippers in that instance. Fifteen
minutes after seven, Carl, good morning.

Speaker 9 (49:55):
Very well. I just had a question about I've got
a leaking shell. I was saying, a shower and the
tack was turned on and in the room next door
to it, the water started filling out and coming coming
out into the into the room next door. And there

(50:17):
was probably about six six months ago because I got
to pumb around and you said, you can probably have
to replace the whole wall and reline it. It all
conspective in green, and I was sort of thinking is
because you see, it only leaks when the when the
taps actually turned on. So I was thinking that, does

(50:39):
it indicate that it's coming from the pipe or does
it indicate as the showers just turned on when it's
leaking and it's not when it's it's it's not leaking
when it's turned off. Does it indicate that it's coming
from the shower.

Speaker 4 (50:57):
Yeah, I see where you're coming from. And I'm plase
you've identified. So there's there's always the potential with a
leak like that that it's so when the mix when
the shower is turned off, when the mixer is closed,
you're not getting a leak, right, So it's not the
pipe coming into the mixer that's leaking, because that would
leak all the time. So then then two things can

(51:21):
potentially happen. When you turn the mixer on and have
a shower, that potentially that from the mixer to the
rose is where it's leaking in the wall and the
water is coming out of the pipe. But of course
that will happen. Then water will come out of the
rose land in the bottom of the shower tray, and
if the shower tray is leaking, you'll also have a leak.

(51:43):
But so what you don't know is, I suppose the
only way to test it would be if you've got
a really big bucket and you turn the shower on
but captured all of the water and it's still leaked,
then you know that the leak is coming from the
plumbing as opposed from the shower tray.

Speaker 9 (52:03):
Sure, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 4 (52:06):
Does that mean that every time you've had a shower
in the intervening months it's there's water on the floor
next door.

Speaker 9 (52:12):
No, we've got two showers in the house, yeah.

Speaker 4 (52:21):
I mean the other thing to do is to fill
the shower tray with water not from the shower and
see whether it leaks. Then, So and what type of
shower is it. Is it a like a PVC liner
or is it a fully tiled shower.

Speaker 9 (52:37):
It's a fully child and it's like you just walk
into it.

Speaker 4 (52:40):
So yeah, I'm with you. Yeah, right, you know, I
tell you what I would probably do is the waste, right,
if you can unscrew the little grill that sits over
the top of that, get yourself a balloon, put the
balloon in there, blow it up. That'll plug the waste,
and then put as much water into the shower tray

(53:03):
as you can before it is level entry where there's
no upstand at all.

Speaker 9 (53:11):
There's probably about maybe two centimeters.

Speaker 4 (53:14):
Fill it up to that threshold and wait and see
if it leaks. So if it does leak, then you
know that the problem's there. If it doesn't leak, then
you could go, Okay, well it might leak, but further
up and then the other option is to try and
capture that water and see whether the leak appears quite quickly.
If the water from the shower is not going to

(53:36):
the shower tray, then you know it's a plumbing issue.
And if it's a plumbing issue and you can get
to the wall behind it, you could just remove the
jib board from there, have a look at that, and
possibly do the repair without having to go through your
waterproofing and your tiles.

Speaker 9 (53:53):
Right, yes, I go through from the other room.

Speaker 4 (53:55):
You mean, yeah, absolutely, because in the end, pulling all
of the tiles off means that you know, you've ruined
the tiles, You've ruined the substraate, you've ruined the waterproofing.
Whereas if you cut a hole in the plaster board
behind it, if it's accessible, then repairing that's a lot
easier than repairing your tiles.

Speaker 9 (54:12):
Yeah, yeah, it is accessible. Yeah, if you go through
the other room kind of, then just take the jib
board off.

Speaker 4 (54:18):
Yeah yeah, I mean doing a repair there is so
much easier.

Speaker 9 (54:23):
Yeah, I see, I see exactly what you mean me. Yeah, yeah,
they might mean not Actually it might save teen green.

Speaker 4 (54:31):
The invoices in the mail all the best for that.
You take care of this, Carl Oh eight hundred eighty
ten eighty. If you've got a question of building nature,
if I can save you a bit of money, I'm
happy to do that as well. I just I wonder
if I should tell that story. I had a moment yesterday.

(54:54):
I'm very proud of my Dutch heritage, and if you
know anything about Dutch people, if you can save a dollar,
you will. I'm not trying to be stereotypical or anything
like that. So as it happened yesterday, I was down
at my local resource recovery center and I on my
list of things to buy, had been to get a
new handcart because the last one I had it's of
packed a sad Anyway, there was one there looking slightly

(55:17):
disheveled and worn out, with a wobbly tire a wobbley
wheel on it. But it was eight bucks, and I'm like,
eight bucks, that's not bad. Anyway, paid the eight dollars,
and then as I was driving aw hours me Gee,
I went past a site the other day and there
was an old one had been discarded into a skip
and it had just one wheel on it. So I

(55:38):
went past there, talked to the person and said, can
I have the wheel please? Yes, took the wheel, put
that on the eight dollar handcart that i'd bought. Job done.

Speaker 6 (55:50):
I stoked.

Speaker 4 (55:51):
See that's where the old resource recovery centers are fantastic.
I wondered they're as popular as they are. I wait,
hundred eighty ten eighty is the number to call. Twenty
one minutes after seven. Will take a break. We've got
some time for your calls right now. I eight hundred
eighty ten eighty give us a call.

Speaker 1 (56:05):
Suns out Tools Out. Your summer DIY starts here the
resident builder with Peterwolfcare. Call eight hundred and eighty ten
eighty news Talk ZB.

Speaker 4 (56:15):
Your news Talk ZB. The lines are open for you.
It is seven to twenty five oh, eight hundred eighty
ten eighties number to call. A couple of great texts
as well. Good morning. We're working on a nineteen sixty statehouse.
It has been completely gutted. The framing is ninety mili
rough sor so the effect of true depth is about
ninety five mil. It's good old fashioned four to two right.

(56:38):
We've been using pre hung doors with a ninety mil frame.
So when you install that and you've got designed for
a ninety mil frame, so typically they the jam will
be one hundred and ten hundred and twelve milimeters something
like that, but in this instance, by the time you
put plaster board on both sides, you're at about ninety

(56:59):
five hundred and twenty five mil. Any advice on fitting
the arch trace so that they are flush, fit the
door in the center so the jib sits proud on
both sides, or skim the jib behind thanks from Ben,
I guess this is where hindsight's always twenty twenty. Like

(57:19):
you could have ordered doors with a wider jam exactly
the right side, but that's okay. A couple of options.
One would be to do to choose which side it's
going to be most obvious from and hang the door
flush with that surface, or flush so that the jib,
the plaster board and the edge of your jam are flush,

(57:43):
and then you can just do an architrave. And on
the other side, where maybe it's less obvious, you actually
rip some beads, add a bead to it, and then
an architrave. Not a great solution, but it is one solution.
The other option is to do what you're thinking about doing.
Hang the door so that the jam is equidistant from
both sides of the plasterboard. But then I would use

(58:06):
a I'd use a slightly thicker architrave and rebate out
the back of the architrave so that it's flush. The
only problem with that is when you get to the
junction between the skirting and your architrave. Let's say your
architrave was a bit of nineteen mel and you've taken
two to three mil out of it, Then when it
comes and butts into your skirting, you're going to see

(58:28):
the join there. So cutting back the plasterboards not a
great option. I wonder whether and the jams will be
rounded off slightly, so if you add a bead to them,
you'll either have a little groove or you'll have to
add the bead with a quirk and then another quirk

(58:51):
onto your architraves, which might not look that great either.
If you've got the time and the energy, I would
probably be inclined to plane down one side of the
jam so that it's square and straight, and glue a
bead to that side so that you're at the right depth,

(59:11):
and then do your architraves. And if you do a
neat job with that, chances are known I'd ever see it. Yikes,
or take all the doors apart, make jams that are
the right size or criiky, what a big job. Anyway,
there are solutions, but there's a little bit of work

(59:33):
involved in all of that. Other quick text that comes
through as well. We've got a seven year old house.
The concrete driveway has been crumbling around the concrete cuts
in the edges. There's also a patch in the middle
that is crumbling and exposing a lot of stones. What's
the issue here? Is there affects or is there a claim?
I think that if it's obviously a failure of either

(59:55):
the batching at the time, so it's been poorly batched
and it's weaker, or there's been a problem with the
laying where maybe there was too much water in the
mix and so it hasn't It would have cured, but
it hasn't got the strength and that's why it's starting
to crumble. And if it's seven years old and crumbling

(01:00:19):
there in many ways, there's actually no other fix than
just replacing it. But crikey, what a big job that is.
So I at seven years old, I would probably be
going back to the contractor who supervised the job, maybe
the contractor that did the placement, if they supplied the concrete,
and if at all possible, you'd go back to the

(01:00:40):
supplier of the concrete and ask one of their reps
to come out and inspect it and figure out what's
going on. But it shouldn't be happenings. I suspect it
is actually a fault with the actual concrete mix. And
like I say, that's not an easy repair. Oh wait,
one hundred and eighty ten eighty. If you've got questions,
dilemmas or products that you're wondering about in terms of

(01:01:04):
you know, can I use this to solve that particular job? Yeah?
How do you solve these issues? And look, I think
a large part of building and doing maintenance repairs to
some degree, even new builds, is always just about problem solving. Hence,
like this one where timber jams that are good old

(01:01:26):
fashioned four to two so it's about ninety five mil,
might even be one hundred mil. Add some plasterbot on
there you end up with a jam. Actually someone has
just text through and gone. You could do it the
old fashioned way, where walls were often of varying thickness.
So if you look at older villas, particularly a lot
of bungalows, they did this where they hung the door
with a door jam flushed to one side. Typically the

(01:01:49):
hinge side and then the door stop on the other
side extends all the way through, so instead of a
planted door stop that sits on a jam like a
little bit of thirty x ten like you might use today,
or older doors might have been a bit of tuber
one something like that, or one by half two or
one something like that. Then your door jam is scribed

(01:02:14):
to the to be flush with the plasterboard on the
other side. That's quite a nice simple solution too. And
then you don't see any variation in the thickness of
the frame or you don't see any packing little filets
in that that are being glued on, and you don't

(01:02:34):
have to muck around with trying to rebate out the
back of the architrave as well, So thank you for that.
That's a good idea. So do a door stop all
the way around the side of the door that you
extend the jam so you can't see the joint, So
flush on one side which is where the hinges are,
and then put the sort of scribed door jam on
the other side. Job done, awesome idea, Thank you very much, Paul,

(01:02:57):
much appreciated. Eight hundred eighty ten eighty is the number
to call seven thirty one. We've got time for your
calls right now. Lines are open eight hundred eighty ten eighty.

Speaker 1 (01:03:06):
From summer backyard jobs to Big Rennolds. Let's talk it
through call Oh eight hundred and eighty ten eighty the
resident builder with peterwilcab News talksbi.

Speaker 4 (01:03:16):
Your news talks'b seven thirty five and lines are open
for your calls. So mu's just texture as well. Hey,
I've got a tiled area that's been painted. What's best
way to get the paint off? It's chipping off now
in areas? Should I use paint stripper? To be fair,
I don't know that I've got a lot of good
news for you in the sense that if someone's chosen

(01:03:38):
to paint the tiles, it's probably because the tiles are
in poor condition, or there are particularly spectacularly ugly color,
or something like that, in which case, if you strip
the paint off, you're just going to end up with
the original problem that someone tried to solve by putting
the paint over the top of it. So a word

(01:04:00):
of caution there, But yeah, if you were going to
do it, I don't think you've got any options other
than paint stripper, but he will always be a bit
of residue. So you know, what do you deal with?
You know, if you've got paint that's seeped into that
tiny little microscopic joins between the tile and the grout,
you know you're really never going to get that off.

(01:04:21):
So you could have a go with tiles stripping, but
I don't know that you're ever going to be super
happy with the results unfortunately.

Speaker 5 (01:04:32):
Right Yo.

Speaker 4 (01:04:32):
Seven thirty six Michael, good morning to you.

Speaker 6 (01:04:35):
Morning Peter.

Speaker 4 (01:04:36):
How he is very well?

Speaker 6 (01:04:37):
I don't, I don't. I don't think it's a Dutch thing.
I think the skip diving is a de import thing.

Speaker 4 (01:04:42):
To be honest with you, it may well be.

Speaker 6 (01:04:45):
I've been doing it for years mate.

Speaker 4 (01:04:47):
Yeah, yeah, look I figure that it's it's all part
of recycling. Yeah, I know.

Speaker 6 (01:04:52):
I've got a yard full of it. Yeah, I got
a question for you, suppose this early. I've got I
live in the Shinasol bungalow. You probably know this and Perimrimo,
which is going to get demolished eventually eventually when it
get onto it. I've got a room which has got
quite a bit of black mold in the ceiling.

Speaker 9 (01:05:11):
And that's my.

Speaker 6 (01:05:11):
Question for you. I've got someone staying in from Brazil
fully soon and they'll be going into that room. Can
I just directly paint over that and would the paint
adhere or do I have to use a mold solution
prior to painting, bearing in mind the house is being demolished.

Speaker 4 (01:05:27):
Yeah, sure, So you're not looking for a long term solution.
No painting over the mold will just mean that the
mold will come back and it will stop the painted
hearing properly. So I would be looking at you like
a basic mold treatment, proprietary one you get them in
all the hardware stores, get some from Razine color shop,
treat it, try and remove as much of that as possible.

(01:05:50):
Use ideally like a stained blocking seala, so pigmented seala
in some case, just to encapsulate it and then carry on.
Do you painting there? And I mean we could go
into you know why you've got the mold and should
you put insulation and do you have leaks and all
the rest of it. But if the house is going
to get bold, I guess you're just looking for a
cosmetic facts, but no painting straight over it not a

(01:06:13):
great option.

Speaker 6 (01:06:14):
Yeah, be coming through the roof and every second year
ago and paint the lead head zoner.

Speaker 4 (01:06:21):
Oh yeah, yeah, fair enough too, fair enough too, all right,
good luck with that. You take care of eight hundred
and eighty ten eighty the number to call, Bob, greetings to.

Speaker 14 (01:06:31):
You, Hello peete, how are you this morning?

Speaker 4 (01:06:35):
Very well, Bob?

Speaker 5 (01:06:37):
Thank you?

Speaker 14 (01:06:38):
Good that good year. Look looking at the pointil purchase
of a home built in the early nineteen nineties, Yes,
using the exterior playing is a solid plast over triple
S type substruction, Just wondering what the risk of asbestos
might be in that clearing.

Speaker 4 (01:06:59):
Um I would say, well, I tell you what where
I'm coming from is back in the day. I can
remember doing a job where we use that triple S
as a substrate for solid plaster, and so, out of
enlightened self interest, I'm hoping there's no issues with asbestos

(01:07:23):
in that because it was my job to cut all
the sheets, right, So I'm going to say that I
don't think there's a great risk of it's it's not
a semititious type material. It is still quite surprising how
much asbestos came into the like I had always had
this sort of impression that you know, when we're talking

(01:07:44):
on site and that sort of thing, that asbestos was
a nineteen fifties, nineteen sixties, nineteen seventies issue, But when
you start reading through the literature, asbestos containing materials was
still coming into the country right up to around two thousand,
possibly even a little bit later, in different types of
building materials. But if you have a genuine concern about it,

(01:08:08):
it's a little bit difficult because you don't own the
house yet. You could have it tested. But like I'm
speaking as someone who used to install that particular product
a head of solid plastering, and I'm sort of going, gee,
I really hope that it didn't. Hope it's not the
best way, But yeah, I think it's it's unlikely.

Speaker 14 (01:08:31):
Okay, In hypothetically the same five years time, we wanted
to demolish this property and rebuild on the section. There
could be some considerable cost involved if there was, if
it was proven to be there was asbestos in that

(01:08:51):
exterior clearing, the process would be quite expensive to demolish
and remove the total building.

Speaker 4 (01:08:59):
Yeah, And like I say, I think it's unlikely. I
can't sort of hat on heart say there isn't but
I think it's it is unlikely, But yes, you're right,
and I'm basing that in part on a project that
I was aware of, where, let's say, a roof that
had the you know, it's the metal tiles with the

(01:09:20):
imprinted pebble on it. Now, there was a note from
work Safe a couple of years ago that hey, some
of that type of material may contain asbestos that was
tested found to be in the roofing. So instead of
you know, spending a thousand bucks stripping the roof, it
was a sixteen thousand dollar project. Right, So yes, potential,

(01:09:40):
But again I think that it's unlikely, but I can't
tell you without having it tested obviously.

Speaker 14 (01:09:47):
Yeah, now that's fine, that's reassuring. And it's just a
quick question about moisture levels. Stay tested with using a
reach Master pro tested all the buildings for moisture. The
highest reading was one twenty four. Does that mean what
I'm unfamiliar with done well those meters or anything in

(01:10:09):
relation to the moisture levels?

Speaker 5 (01:10:11):
Does that?

Speaker 14 (01:10:12):
Would that be acceptable?

Speaker 4 (01:10:14):
The hard thing is you don't know what the Yeah,
but you don't know what the baseline is. And I
don't know what the baseline is, so you know, is
bone dry one or is bone dry sixty, in which case,
if it's one and you're reading one hundred and twenty,
that doesn't sound good. If the baseline is sixty or
eighty or one hundred, then one twenty is okay, So

(01:10:38):
I'd go back to whoever undertook the testing. I think
one of the really good questions to ask people who
are actually doing moisture testing is what's your training?

Speaker 2 (01:10:49):
Okay?

Speaker 4 (01:10:50):
Yeah, sure, sure, because I think unfortunately there have been
instances where people have got the gear but they don't
actually know how to use it properly or how to
interpret the results, and you might get either a false
positive or a false negative, and either way it doesn't
give you the insight that you really want.

Speaker 14 (01:11:12):
Yeah, these readings could be pretty, pretty, meaningless pretty, and
at least we establish your baseline.

Speaker 4 (01:11:18):
They're meaningful when you understand what the baseline is, So
you know what is what's what number gives you a
dry house or with an acceptable limits, and then what
number gives you something that indicates that these moisture and
gress and without knowing what the baseline is, you just
don't know. Yeah, good luck with that, right, But a
due diligence to do all the very best you Bob,

(01:11:38):
much appreciated. Oh, eight hundred eighty ten eighty. We're going
to catch up with Mike Colds from Razine Construction in
just a moment.

Speaker 1 (01:11:46):
Saw does Sunshine and Solid Advice, the resident builder with
Peterwolfcare Call eight hundred eighty eight News Talks.

Speaker 11 (01:11:54):
Be well.

Speaker 4 (01:11:55):
The timing couldn't be better, especially that little intro going
Solid Advice. Let's talk a little bit about plastering. Mike
Holds from Razine Construction. Very good morning, and just quickly, Mike,
thanks very much for your text so you can help
us with this whole triple is thing because it was
used as a substrate for renders for many many years.

(01:12:19):
Your your thoughts on the tripolis, Yes.

Speaker 7 (01:12:23):
It was, it was. It was generally a like I say,
it was a rigid sheathing for for solid plaster. Yeah,
and back in the day, so it was probably from
sort of the early eighties through to sort of mid nineties.
It was traditionally used for the solid plaster. Was a
back back in pride and metric and were and whatnot
on and it was a it was a it was
a fine it was a wood. It was a compressed

(01:12:44):
wood fiber, and to the best of my knowledge, there
was never any best dosing corporated. And the color of
it when it was it was it was like a
wood fiber, so it was a brownie sort of tan color.
But then it had it was actually coated with a
I'm not quite sure what the coating was on it,
but it was pitruminous or it was an oil based,

(01:13:04):
but it had some waterproofing to what they call a
water precator. So it was more known as as an
external sponge than anything else, particularly if anything got through
in terms of any movement or cracking in the actual plaster,
and then it used to swell. That was pretty one
of its problem biggest issues was that it swelled if

(01:13:25):
it did get in contact with moisture, particularly around ground
levels and bottom plate lines. And of course when it
swelled to put pressure on the plaster work and then
it get ultimately cracking and deterioration or whatever was supporting
the plaster.

Speaker 4 (01:13:36):
So I mean, look, we can actually talk about that
in an interesting way in the sense that you know
what we did, and I can remember installing it. I
was working for another carpenter back then. I was a
young fella. You know, we did a big garage lined
at all with the triple s ready for solid plaster,
which we did ourselves as well. And that was back

(01:13:57):
when you basically used a bottle cap and a galve
clout and some chicken mesh and stretched that out and
then you did your scratch coats and so on. But
it also that sort of snapshot of the industry at
that time also indicates just how far we've come in
terms of cavities and cavity closes and making sure that
substrates are impervious to all of these sorts of things,

(01:14:20):
how far we've come, and flashing details around windows and
complex junctions and all the rest of it, none of
which we were going to talk about today. But because
your experience is as vast as it is, you're the
perfect person to chat. So I don't think Bob's got
too many questions or concerns around the asbestos. But there
it might be other issues around the clouding, so let's
put that aside, and.

Speaker 7 (01:14:41):
I think, yeah, so just I mean just thinking about
in terms of how far we've come there never look
at with that particular type of system and the builders
engagement with the external clodding. Back in the day, I mean, yeah,
you used to put on a substrate for whereas today
the plaster is the substrate and stare then most situations

(01:15:04):
and that could be installing tegra lightweight concrete, it's going
to be installing an insulation board. The contractors also do
all the flashing work, like you said, the cavity closures,
the finishing beads, the corners, and then they do then
they start all the plastering. So it's it's a one
responsibility trade and that's and that's really important, so particularly

(01:15:27):
around openings and windows and doors. The contract we have
complete flashing suitees these days that are supplied and installed
by the contractors. So if there ever is an issue
into the future, A, we know what's been done in
terms of a specification, and B you've got one point
of contact in terms of supply of materials and system
specifications such ourselves and the contractors installed it. So and

(01:15:52):
they're all LBP now so they so it's it's very
much a one stop solution, you know. And as much
as things have changed, that's definitely for the better of
the industry and for the end of it.

Speaker 4 (01:16:07):
Yeah, absolutely, and I guess, especially in terms of razine
construction rock coat.

Speaker 5 (01:16:12):
You know.

Speaker 4 (01:16:12):
I remember last year someone rang me and said, hey,
look on looking at a property and it turned out
to be in christ Church. It's such and such an address.
I think it's got the razine construction plaster on it.
I could ring you you had all the details, including
photographs of how the flashings were installed. That's all part
of the system too with razine construction.

Speaker 7 (01:16:32):
Yeah, absolutely so. I mean we even as a supplier
into the market, we need to know where our products
are being used and we're being installed and most importantly,
but there's no guesswork. When we come to have a
look at the project in fifteen or twenty or twenty
five years, we've got this historical information. Very much like
the information files held by Council. We can actually look

(01:16:54):
it back up and we know yet what we actually
did back then as well, because things do subtly change
over time, just sue modern technology. It could be flashing
suites for example, we're just you know, adding new componentry
into the flashing suites to make them more adaptable to
modern construction methods, you know, but the essence of the

(01:17:18):
system doesn't change. You know, the cavity that has the
requirement for the flashings. Yeah, coding system specification, those sorts
of things can change just subtly, but not to any
massive impact. But we do have the ability to look
back in time and go, this is who did it,
which is always an important important part. Who the original

(01:17:38):
owners were, what the maintenance was achieved on the project? Yes,
and then follow through so we actually can provide the
new homeowners greater accuracy in terms of what information they
need on that system and those products.

Speaker 4 (01:17:53):
And I tell you what in terms of, you know,
the confidence in a system going forward, if you've got
all of that information there is, you can have so
much more confidence in the system. And you know, I
suppose when I've become involved in maybe some disputes or
some questions around workmanship and so on, and then you

(01:18:13):
go and you go, who was the contract I'm not
really sure what systems did they use? Don't really know.
Do you have any photographs of the work while it
was happening, No, we don't, or no one can find it.
And again, within that complete suite of systems that you've got,
you can go, we know everything that happened, and we
can find it five years, ten years, fifteen years later.

Speaker 7 (01:18:32):
Yeah, and we do get those same phone calls from
clients that know what and even if they because I've
been in the industry so long now, I mean we're
heading our fortieth anniversary year this year, so we've been
around a while and we've seen a lot of systems
come and go, and the knowledge that we have across
the business in terms of personnel and also in terms
of technical information we have internally in the business. We

(01:18:56):
can go to a project, we can actually identify what
almost ninety percent of the time identify what was actually
done and by what company, and have some historical sort
of evidence to prove that, so that we sort of
have a baseline, you know. Most of the stuff that
we probably have a nos yet would be generally relating
to projects completed pre cavity, so pre t thousand and

(01:19:17):
five to three two thousand and three, two thousand and five,
where people are just not sure, you know, and just
want a little bit of surety around what they need
to do. So we generally we've talked to a lot
a lot of clients around that space as well. But
that tail is that tale of that pre cavity projects
is we're nearly at the end of it, so to speak,

(01:19:38):
most with some from twenty twenty one years past non
cavity based clotting systems in this country, you know, so
we're a long long way down the road in terms
of performance and compliance. And I think surety for the
for the homeowners when they are selecting and external clouding

(01:19:59):
be a plastered a bit weatherboard and be a cement sheet.
There's a lot more surety there, I tell you what.

Speaker 4 (01:20:06):
That's going to become more and more important given the
announcements from the government last year in terms of compulsory
warranties on new builds and renovations over one hundred thousand,
Because if you're going to go to someone to look
for a warranty, you're going to have to prove what
you did and how well you've done it. And you're
already twenty years into that process.

Speaker 7 (01:20:27):
Yeah. Absolutely, and it is really it is really important
that I mean, I mean, there's got to be so
much trust there from for a consumer and building a home.
They need to trust every trade that's on that side
that they're doing it right. And I don't want us
to go down to the old lowest price section to

(01:20:48):
sort of make sure that people, you know, they get
what they pay for, because yeah, sure, you know, the
fairest taste is a low price after failure.

Speaker 6 (01:20:57):
And.

Speaker 7 (01:20:59):
And it tars every one in the industry, those one
percent decisions. So for the critical aspects of construction there
plotting anything to protect the structure, particularly waterproofing, those sorts
of things don't compromise in terms of the systems and

(01:21:21):
solutions that are specified. And then you need to trush
all the way back to the architects who've made the
decision on the specifications, you know.

Speaker 4 (01:21:28):
And in this instance, the contract also needs to prove
that trust and so it's evidence based, right, this is
what I did. This is how I did it. Here
are the systems, and he's photographs to back it up.
And this is going to be the way we're all
going to have to operate going forward. If we're going
to have warranties. It's going to be fascinating. Mike, I've
got to run for the news again. I completely ambushed

(01:21:49):
you on that. We're going to talk about something else,
but perfect timing, folks, If you want to know, it's
always the way you take care of Mike. If you
want to know more about anti YouTube Mike cap in
New Year. Indeed, if you want to know more, check
it out online. Razineconstruction dot co dot NZ. We're back
straight after news and sport, top of there at eight.

Speaker 1 (01:22:07):
O'clock sorting those summer fixes before the barbecue crowd arrives.
The resident builder with Peter wolfcab. Call Oh, eight hundred
eighty ten eighty News Talk ZB.

Speaker 4 (01:22:20):
Your news Talk ZB It is six minutes after eight.
Welcome back to the show. Oh, eight hundred eighty ten eighty.
The number to call if you would like to text,
and lots of you have taken that opportunity, it is
nine two nine two is zbzbef membobile phone and if
you'd like to email me, it's Pete at newstalksb dot
co dot In said, righty oh, So we're taking your

(01:22:41):
calls on all things building and construction right through till
eight thirty. Then we're into the garden with Red Clin
passed from eight thirty this morning and again just wrapping
up the conversation with Mike prior to the news. So,
Mike from Razen Construction been in the game for a
long long time and so we were talking about I

(01:23:03):
guess the triple s which we used to use as
a substrate, and quite interesting to get his insights and
then also to hear this is going to become, i
think quite a big issue this year for builders, people
like myself and others. You know, if we're going to
do new builds, then it's going we're going to have

(01:23:23):
to be able to provide a warranty. This is the
proposed new legislation, so every single new build will require
a warranty. Compulsory warranty schemes for new builds and builds
over one hundred thousand or renovations over one hundred thousand dollars,
which is still a lot of money. But if you've
done a renovation and it's been you know, pushing the

(01:23:46):
house out or making some significant alterations that sort of thing,
you're going to get to one hundred thousand dollars pretty
quickly these days. But it's the ability of let's say,
smaller independent contractors to be able to offer up that
warranty that's going to be really interesting and within sort

(01:24:07):
of let's say, you know, building groups, people are starting
to talk about, you know, how am I going to
be able to comply with this? One pathway is to
be part of associations I Certified Builders, master Builders, and
so on. Another pathway is to go to the one
ensurer that I'm aware of at the moment that might
offer that, but they have quite strictriterior about who they

(01:24:32):
engage with and what types of what types of contractors,
and what types of builds they would be interested in
offering an insurance backed scheme warranty for. And then for
those who are let's say, operating license building practitioners but
operating without being part of either of those memberships, there's

(01:24:54):
going to be a lot of scrutiny about how you
run your business, sort of scrutiny that we've probably never
experienced before. I think it's going to change the landscape
quite a lot. So I pick my little bit of
crystal ball gazing at this point in time in the
year is we're going to see some significant changes to
how people run their businesses in terms of construction and

(01:25:17):
so on to be able to offer those warranties going forward.
It's going to be very very interesting. And this is
just another quick text that's come in because the part
of this started with Bob's question around, Hey, look, I'm
looking at a building, it's got solid plaster on it.
The substraight for the solid plaster, the backing for it

(01:25:40):
is a product called tripleles, which was a sort of
modified wood fiber sheeting that used to apply fix on
to the timber framing, then put the building paper over
the top of it, and then we would then do
the mesh and the solid plaster over the top of that.

(01:26:01):
So those sorts of products, and the concern was is
there aspsus? And someone had just text me through an
interesting question, Pete. You being of the generation where asbestos
was freely used, well not quite to be fair, but anyway,
do you worry about your health getting into the later
stage of life? Again? Thank you. I was a track

(01:26:23):
mechanic started my working life got out after nine years
because I could see the older mechanics getting serious health
problems because of the environment, the chemicals and the fumes
they've been exposed to for many years. So now I
get baked by the sun out on the farm, which
I guess brings with it its own Asard's look. I
think it's a good serious question. I appreciate you asking it, Nick,

(01:26:45):
and I guess, like for myself next year, it'll be
forty years since I started building, And in that time,
I guess there's been times, if you think back to
attitudes towards health and safety almost forty years ago, not
quite as aware or not quite as stringent as they

(01:27:06):
are today. And there were jobs that I do years
ago where massive amounts of dust and all sorts of material.
And did I wear a mask, No, probably not. Did
I always wear hearing protection? No, not always, although I
think I've been pretty diligent with that in general. And
so there is that concern. Well, okay, what happens to
you later on? So to answer your question, and I

(01:27:27):
say this in part for other people of sort of
my vintage and other people in the trades, is I
guess you do need to be aware of what impact
that early activity and behavior had on you or might
have on you going forward. And at one stage I
did actually go and ask my GP to arrange an
X ray, for example, on my lungs, because I thought,

(01:27:48):
all those years of breathing and all sorts of dust
and stuff like that, is there anything that I should
be concerned about? So I thought responsible thing to do,
go and get it checked out. Turns out it was Okay,
I'm still sure that breathing and all that concrete dust
from grinding years and years ago is probably not the
best thing in the world, but at the stage doesn't
seem to have had any long term implications. But yeah,

(01:28:11):
it's that thing that and even work Safe a couple
of years ago they kind of went through and did
a review of if we have about sixty to seventy
workplace deaths a year in New Zealand, which is still
a high number and that needs to be taken very seriously.
Analysis of people later on in their life is that

(01:28:34):
we think that there's probably between five to seven hundred
deaths or a shorter life as a result of workplace
exposure to hazardous materials, whether that's dust or chemicals and
so on. So it's like, yes, we can look at
the immediate harm or the immediate injuries that happen as
a result of falling or cutting or whatever, but we

(01:28:56):
should also be concerned about those long term health impacts
of being an environment where you're breathing in lots of
dust or exposed to certain chemicals. You got to be careful,
I guess thirteen minutes after eight here at News Talks
he'd be let's talk building, Let's talk construction, let's talk maintenance, rules, regulations,
whatever's on your mind this morning. We've talked about decking,

(01:29:19):
We've talked about water, We've talked about cracking. We've talked
about leaky showers, We've talked about moldy ceilings. We talked
a little bit about asbestos on the show, so feel
free to add to the mix. Eight hundred eighty ten
eighty is the number to call. Take short break, be
back with your calls in just a moment. We've got
a spear line. Grab us now. Remember rood at eight

(01:29:40):
thirty this morning.

Speaker 1 (01:29:41):
If it creaks, leaks, cracks or squeaks some is the
time to get a sort of call. Oh, eight hundred
and eighty ten eighty the resident builder with Peter Wolfcab
News talks that be yes, if it.

Speaker 4 (01:29:52):
Leaks like my place did while we're away on holiday,
it was a nice way to get home and go okay.
First job, sort out why the internal valley has sprung
a leak, which it had and last year on the
show we talked with a guy Murray who has injuris

(01:30:13):
as a waterproofing compound. It's a one coat application anyway,
I had, I'd used some last year. I still had
the bucket and the shed, so it meant that when
I got home from the trip, after sort of slightly
recovering and unpacking, it was straight up onto the roof,
clean out that little patch of rust and the gutter
and apply the enjurers and fingers crossed at this stage anyway,

(01:30:36):
job done. That was awesome. Eighteen minutes after eight. If
you've got a question of a building nature, give us
a call now, David. Good morning to.

Speaker 5 (01:30:43):
You sir, and to you right very quickly. I'm in
Auckland and my wife and i have a Crossley's property,
one of two. It's built mid seventies brick and tile
block base and it's kind of stepped now. Awpen. Council

(01:31:03):
of Hairs insisted on any windows which are in within
one meter of the boundary have to be fire rated.

Speaker 9 (01:31:11):
What yep?

Speaker 4 (01:31:15):
How did they get to tell you that? Have you
applied for a building consent? Yes, yes we have.

Speaker 5 (01:31:20):
Yes, it's over one hundred k. It's quite quite a
significant one.

Speaker 6 (01:31:24):
Yep.

Speaker 5 (01:31:24):
We're not altering the footprint of the cost lease, yes,
which is the first thing. And there's thirty rated windows,
which I'm told they are. That means that it's fire
resistant for thirty minutes.

Speaker 4 (01:31:40):
Yes, correct, yep.

Speaker 5 (01:31:42):
And so there's four four windows, two of which are
fixed their garage windows, and two which are opening. And boy,
oh boy, are we having problems trying to find a
joinery outfit that will supply these fire rated windows in
which are opening. Discussions I've had with some people have said, well,

(01:32:04):
it's why would you want to find rated in the
window opening at the same time, which is probably a
fair question, yes.

Speaker 4 (01:32:11):
Because yeah, yeah, just for people listening, let's just back
it up just a little bit. So in this instance here,
the building has been there since the nineteen seventies, it's
obviously got some windows that are closer than a meter,
or the building is closer than a meter to the boundary. Typically,

(01:32:32):
anything that's closer than a meter to the boundary has
to be fire rated. So they're not fire rated windows
their typical timber joinery I'm guessing right now. But because
you're undertaking this renovation, the building needs to comply with
the current building code, which requires you to have fire
rated within one meter of the boundary. That's what's triggered
the requirement for this new joinery. And then yeah, I'm

(01:32:56):
slightly amused. I have done one like that. It was
quite a number of years ago, but it was just
one window. So I can imagine the cost of how
many four f four right, two of which are closed
fixed and then two with an opening sash. And you
do wonder about the logic of having a fire rated
surface that you can.

Speaker 5 (01:33:17):
Open absolutely absolutely and trying to find somewhere that can
is willing to supply, and the costs. You know, so
what the framing apparently has to be steel. It can't
be an aluminium. The current ordinary is aluminium. I'm waiting

(01:33:38):
to hear from council. I've gone, I've gone back to
them and I've basically said, look the two upper windows,
the opening single jewelry there, and I said the two
lower ones which are bound ones and number smaller, and

(01:34:00):
I've asked, I've asked them if they would consider doing
this normal double blazed. You know, I'm happy to do
the fire rated jib on that wall, yep, which I
think is in the plans, but it just seems overkilled.
And I've said it's been without problem fifty years and
now all of a sudden. That's a problem enough, we

(01:34:21):
haven't had a fire such would yeah, just any advice
on dealing with counsel and trying to get the sense
of logic.

Speaker 4 (01:34:31):
I mean, if you wanted through your designer to appeal it,
you could go for a ruling from Mby, but it
might take eight to twelve months, right and right. The
hard thing is that there is very good reason for
fire rating within a meter of the boundary, because what
it's all about is prevention of safety of life and

(01:34:54):
prevention of fire right and fire spread. So unfortunately your building,
which to be fair, is a little bit unusual because
it's like, how is it that your building's that close
to the boundary.

Speaker 5 (01:35:09):
Well, and there is one part where we're actually physically joined.

Speaker 4 (01:35:14):
Yes, I'll tell you what. Would there be an option
of doing a fire rated wall that extended out from
your building a meter, which meant that if there was
fire spread from either your side or the neighbor's side,
that wall would intersect it. And therefore, so what I'm

(01:35:36):
thinking is that the wall the boundary issue is parallel
to your building. It must be parallel to it, as
opposed to perpendicular ninety degrees.

Speaker 5 (01:35:49):
It's physically adjoined, and so we couldn't put a.

Speaker 4 (01:35:52):
Wall wall in between.

Speaker 5 (01:35:54):
It wouldn't see with their roofline.

Speaker 4 (01:35:56):
Yeah yeah, okay, all right. Steel joiner is not your
only option. That's the other thing. And this again will
come back to your designer being able to source or
being able to specify the correct material. Typically, fire doors
and fire windows are made from a modified wood product,

(01:36:22):
so still doesn't make them eye wateringly expensive, but you
don't necessarily have to go down the steel route. And
I guess right, it would be interesting to get a
response from counsel as to how is it that an
opening fire rated window is acceptable? And I know there's
fire rated doors, but if you look at the detail

(01:36:45):
about how those doors operate, they have to be self closing, right,
So yes, you can open it to go through, but
it's not like you would have an opening window that's
self closing because you're going to open it for ventilation.
So you've got a requirement for ventilation in that space
because it's got to be five percent of the floor area.

(01:37:05):
So you've got an opening window to comply with one
part of the building code, but then that has to
be fire rated to comply with another part. Of the
building code. But that's not going to work if the
window is.

Speaker 5 (01:37:14):
Open, understand. And to complicate, man, it's this whole area
is a kitchen area and dining area, kitchen dining and
kind of the living room hell shaped. Yes, so we're
three months behind that. My wife is not happy. We're

(01:37:35):
living in our garage below while this is happening, and
it's just been yea delay after delay, and you know,
and I've said to counsel, I've said, you know, trying
to find someone that will do these So I do
have a quarian with council and if you're interested, I
can get you know in due course.

Speaker 4 (01:37:52):
Please do please do was any of this flag before
you actually started building?

Speaker 5 (01:38:02):
The architect did say the council is going to have
an issue with this because you know you've physically joined.

Speaker 6 (01:38:13):
Yeah.

Speaker 5 (01:38:13):
So anyway, as I say, I've gone back to them saying, hey,
what I've said, what are my options?

Speaker 4 (01:38:19):
Yes?

Speaker 5 (01:38:20):
So the hard thing is that they will come back
with something.

Speaker 4 (01:38:26):
And I don't say this uncount kindly of counsel, but
it's kind of not their job to solve your problems.
Is probably you know, they'll try and sound helpful, but
ultimately Their attitude is, you know, we're here to administer
the building code. We're not here to tell you how
to comply with the building code. That's up to you
and your designer to work out. So it kind of

(01:38:49):
becomes the designer's issue that as part of their experience,
it would be, Hey, you know, can I tell you now,
David that because you're within a meter, these are the
sorts of things that you're going to have to do.
This is what the expectation from counsel is going to be.
Counsel are just going to go, well, you knew what
the rules are, you have to tell us how you're

(01:39:10):
going to comply. We're not going to tell you how
to comply because they don't want to put their name
to anything either. Yeah, it just helped change your thinking
around that. But my own experience was a number of
years ago we were doing a garage that was right
on the boundary. They wanted a window on one side
and it ended up being thermally modified timber type material

(01:39:34):
so it looked compatible to the rest of the building,
but it was fire rated, right, Yeah, because.

Speaker 5 (01:39:42):
I suppose timber would last longer.

Speaker 4 (01:39:44):
It'll get to the thirty minutes. Yeah, with the right
treatment and impregnated with a fire resistant material and all
the rest of it. It'll get you to that thirty minutes. Yeah,
good luck for it, all right, mate, hope, thank you
at least at summertime and you're not in the garage
in winter.

Speaker 5 (01:40:04):
Get before winter, all right, good luck that all the.

Speaker 4 (01:40:07):
Very best you take care just before we jump into
the garden. Another quick text that came through whatever. I'm
in a new five story complex and have noticed the
concrete floors are cracked on every floor. Is this a
serious structural damage? I've informed management it's a major concern.
Do you think we would be moved on? Thank you
very much. Look, I wouldn't dismiss that either. And I'm

(01:40:30):
curious as to how you might know that the floors
are cracking, like, have they moved to the extent that
Let's say, if you've got a floor covering, you can
feel the unevenness below the floor coverings, in which case,
if it's moved that much, then yes, that is a
big concern. I mean concrete cracks, right, all concrete wall crack.

(01:40:51):
But it's if it's dislocating or if you can feel
it through floor coverings, then yes, it's an issue, so
your management, your body, corporate, they'd want to be going
back to the structural engineers fairly promptly, I would think, righty, oh,
if you've got a gardening question or a question about
the wonderful world of bugs, well ridd is standing by.
We'll crack into this in just a moment. Lines are open, cleared,

(01:41:14):
all of the lines, first and first, what is it?
First up, best dressed, that sort of thing, And you've
got to get in before me, because I've already got
a question on behalf of our good friends that we
had dinner with last night. Phones are ringing. Rd's on
the line. Eight hundred eighty ten eighty back after the break.

Speaker 1 (01:41:30):
Suns Out, Tools Out, Your summer DIY starts here The
Resident Builder with Peter Wolfcamp. Call eight hundred eighty ten
eighty News Talk ZEDB for more from The Resident Builder
with Peter Wolfcamp. Listen live to News Talk SEDB on
Sunday mornings from Sex, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio