Toxic rot crisis in new homes

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Toxic rot crisis in new homes

13.04.2002

By ANDREW LAXON and EUGENE BINGHAM

Thousands of new homes are now believed to contain serious leaks and rotting

timber frames, creating a national repair bill estimated at $1 billion and a

health threat from toxic mould.

Concern over the " leaky building crisis " - and its effect on property values

and confidence in the building industry - has already prompted the

Government-appointed Building Industry Authority to launch an inquiry into

how many homes are affected.

But the Weekend Herald has discovered that the problem is far bigger than

most homeowners realise.

Well-placed industry sources say one in 10 new homes - 2000 of the 20,000

built each year - are at risk of leaking and dozens of large-scale

developments built in the past five to 10 years, some with 100 units or

more, have serious problems that are only now becoming public.

Few industry experts were prepared to be quoted on the scale of the problem,

citing their commercial and legal obligations.

But one Auckland building repair specialist, Steve , said he was

investigating leaks at 560 units spread across 49 properties, including 10

multi-unit developments.

In the past few years he had dealt with at least as many cases again.

And a biodeterioration expert at the Forest Research Institute in Rotorua,

Robin Wakeling - who studies building materials affected by damp and rot -

said the scale of the damage in new houses was just starting to emerge.

" We are aware of hundreds of properties which have been affected and those

would be representative of many thousands that have been built in the past

five years.

" On that basis, we've only seen the very beginning of the problem. "

Scientists are also monitoring an increase in the growth of a potentially

lethal fungus, stachybotrys, and other toxic moulds believed to cause health

problems, including breathing difficulties and flu-like symptoms.

Microbiologist Dr Nick Waipara, who is studying the extent and health

implications of mould in homes, said poorly constructed modern homes were

providing the perfect breeding ground for stachybotrys, which thrived on

damp conditions.

Weekend Herald investigations have established:

* The company behind one of the country's biggest housing developments, the

153-home Sacramento at Botany Downs, has acknowledged that the units are not

waterproof only two years after they were built.

* Parts of a block of terraced houses in Rose Rd, Ponsonby, had rotted so

badly that a double bed and a washing Machine fell through the floorboards.

* n Square, a six-year-old, upmarket 40-unit apartment complex in

inner-city Wellington, was contaminated with stachybotrys and leaked so

badly that entire inside walls needed replacing.

Residents of n Square and Rose Rd are suing the builders. Rose Rd

owners are also suing the Auckland City Council, alleging that it failed to

properly oversee the building process.

The leaky building problem is caused by a combination of factors: design

changes, such as flat roofs and no eaves; the replacement of weatherboard

and brick by new claddings; untreated timber which rots more easily; and

declining building standards. Experts disagree over which is most important.

This week, building inspectors were told that the cost and frequency of leak

problems were rising.

A survey of 250 new housing units which needed repairs found the total bill

was $8 million - an average cost of $32,654 a unit.

The research by building repair specialists Prendos covered 50 sites built

since 1990, mainly in Auckland. The average house was five years old, two to

three storeys and worth $450,000.

Author Philip O'Sullivan found 1420 leaks - an average of 5.7 leaks in each

unit.

Buildings on four sites had had major repairs but still needed to be fixed

again.

Mr O'Sullivan, an industry crusader against leaky buildings, has predicted

in the trade press that the long-term repair bill for the country will

easily top $1 billion. Others believe it will be higher.

Some experienced observers fear New Zealand's problems could turn out to be

as bad as Canada's " leaky condo " scandal, which created a crisis of

confidence among homeowners and in the building industry.

In Vancouver, experts believe that close to 90 per cent of the 800-plus

three- to four-storey, wooden-frame condominiums built between 1980 and 1995

have serious leaks.

Owners, often retired people, who originally paid about C$150,000 ($213,000)

now face C$35,000 ($49,600) repair bills they cannot pay.

Property values there have plummeted by up to two-thirds and building

consents are still less than half their previous level.

A Vancouver commission of inquiry found that the units showed signs of decay

in as little as three years and buildings were being repaired twice for the

same problem - which many builders say is happening in New Zealand.

It is now compulsory in Vancouver to install " drainage planes " - a gap

between the cladding and timber frame allowing water to escape - in new

condominiums.

, chairman of the New Zealand building industry steering group

on the issue, said that the same measures might be introduced here.

If you have more information on leaking buildings, please contact us.

* Email: newsdesk@...

* Fax: 09 373 6421