RECLADDING FAQ

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You may see the following signs:

Inside

  • Soft spongy / rotten window jambs
  • Swollen skirting boards
  • Cracks or softness in the gib board
  • Sagging gib board ceilings
  • Smell of damp
  • Mould on walls/ceilings, carpet
  • Timber floors softening or swelling and becoming spongy

You could be unaware that the building is decaying until after significant damage has occurred.

Outside

  • Cracks in cladding material – along sheet/inter-storey/expansion joints.
  • Cracks to cladding around windows and doors and at roof/wall junctions.
  • Excessive mould or lichen in exterior areas can also be an indicator.
  • Excessive movement of walls/joinery.

We can provide a comprehensive investigation service using both non-invasive (using an infrared camera) and invasive testing to find out the extent of the damage.

See Fixing a Leaky Home about what to do if you discover a leak in your home.

A cladding system refers to the external layer of the building which (in conjunction with the roof) provides a “weathertight exterior envelope.”   Different cladding systems can vary the overall aesthetic appearance of the building.It is a weather protection system and is one of the biggest design decisions to be made as it can fundamentally alter the way a property appears.

When recladding a home you can reclad in a plaster system or change to something different such as weatherboard.

The cladding system should be sympathetic to the design of the property.

Weatherboard is a popular choice, although there are other options such as panels which can be used to give different looks and finishes including textured or smooth. There is also masonry, fibre cement, brick, plywood panelling and even fibreglass, metal and aluminium.

Each option has different installation and maintenance requirements. The location of the building should also be taken into account – for example brick is not the best option in earthquake prone areas.

See The Cost of Recladding. For more information specific to your house, please contact us at Platinum Pacific Reclad.

Most building work that needs building consent from your council will include work that is restricted.

If it involves work to the home’s primary structure, weathertightness or design of fire safety systems, it is designated as restricted building work. If you are the homeowner it is your responsibility to make certain that the people you are using are licensed to do this work.

By law, a non-licensed person:

  • can’t carry out Restricted Building Work (RBW) unless they’re supervised by a LBP.
  • can’t supervise RBW.

A licensed building practitioner (LBP) can be identified by their photo ID licence card and by checking their details against the public register.

The LBP public register will help you find a licensed building practitioner (LBP) as well as provide details on their licence history such as any complaints and license class details.

Dampness in buildings can cause elevated levels of mould.

This may cause:

  • Breathlessness
  • Wheezing
  • Blocked nose
  • Skin rashes
  • Nausea.

Children may suffer more than usual from:

  • Diarrhoea
  • Vomiting
  • Headaches
  • Sore throats
  • Respiratory problems
  • Coughing
  • Fever.

Apart from the health risks, as above, there can be many structural, safety and sanitary issues with a leaky home. Load bearing and bracing walls, if weakened from rot, can become extremely unsafe.

You can sell the house.  Careful consideration should be taken to ensure that full disclosure of any problems known to you are made aware to any prospective purchaser. Speak with your real estate agent and lawyer before placing the property on the market. The property may be worth considerably less than a similar property with no leaking issues. In extreme cases the property may be worth little more than land value.

Contact us at Platinum Pacific Reclad for an assessment of repair costs so you know what your options are.

Absolutely – if the problems are isolated. Careful consideration is required, accurate assessments of the causes of the damage and the amount of damage to various building elements before any remedial work is undertaken.  We can provide expert advice in this area, with both non invasive and invasive testing to ascertain any issues of water ingress and timber frame damage.

Depending on the size of the property, between 8-20 weeks. For example a house 160-200m2 usually takes 12-14 weeks.

The issues that impact on the timeline are size of the house, complexity of the design, the number of building element failures and the amount of timber frame damage there is.

Yes, as of March 2008, any building work carried out to repair water ingress problems require a Building Consent. Auckland Council also have extra inspection steps for recladding building projects that are designed to give property owners greater peace of mind.

Depending on the timber frame damage it may be better to move out.

There are a number of reasons for this…

  • Health / Noise – as your home does become a building site, there are safety issues, as well as dirt and dust.
  • Speed – living on site may slow the construction timeline.
  • Security – when windows are removed there is a security risk to both you and your property.

See the step by step Recladding Process for a summary of what would happen. We also offer a ‘turn-key’ service:

  • Consultation
  • Plans
  • Building Consents
  • Furniture removal
  • Construction and recladding
  • Cleaning
  • Furniture reinstatement

We are members of New Zealand Certified Builders. This is an organisation set up to promote excellence in building standards and to protect homeowners from unqualified builders and unethical practices.

To ensure their high standards are maintained, they take into account a builder’s history of stability and success, continued solvency, absence of complaints by customers and suppliers, a good untarnished reputation, and consistently high standards.

An industry leader, NZCB now has more than 1,700 trade qualified builders throughout New Zealand proudly carrying the NZCB stamp of approval.

Our Site Managers are all Licenced Building Practitioners with almost 20 years recladding experience and trade qualified for a minimum of 30 years.

We have references for completed projects from homeowners available on request.