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Everything You Need To Know About Your Builders Report

When you are buying a house there is nothing more important than making sure that the property is safe, and that you’re actually receiving what you’re being sold on. One of the best ways to make sure the property that you’re buying is a safe place for you to live (and is worth the money the seller is asking!) is to get a builders report.

Sellers also utilize builders inspection report as a way to assure prospective buyers, shorten the close time on their property, and as a part of the valuation process.

There is significant value in getting an inspection completed by someone who can do a builders report, NZ homebuyers are under increasing pressure to buy homes without contingencies to speed the process along. While a quick close might be desirable, we don’t think it’s more important than protecting yourself and your investment.

So, with that in mind, let’s take a look at the basics of builders reports in New Zealand.

What Is A Builders Report (NZ)?

A builder’s report is a detailed inspection of the structural aspects of the property you intend to buy. It will assess a range of areas and factors that play into the overall stability and adherence of the property under the NZS 4306:2005 Residential Property Inspection.

What’s Included In A Builders Report?

A lot! All jokes aside though, a detailed building report might seem like overkill but spotting that patch of damp in the far back corner might just save you from extensive structural work a few years down the line.

You can download an example builders report here to see the kind of things we look for during an inspection.

Why Should You Get A Builders Report?

Many people think of the costs and the time it can take to complete as disadvantages of a builders report, but is saving a relatively small amount of money worth going into one of the largest financial decisions you’ll ever make without knowing the state of the asset you’re purchasing?

We believe that knowledge is power and even if you receive an unsatisfactory builders report you can use that knowledge to your advantage. If you know the exact state of the property you can withdraw from a potentially damaging financial situation, renegotiate terms, or go ahead with the sale knowing exactly what you’re getting into.

How Much Does A Builders Report Cost?

The price of a builders report can very widely depending on your unique circumstances, and any quote should ask you:

– How big is the property? The number of bedrooms is important, but not as important as the overall size of the building. For example, a two bedroom house with ensuites, two guest bathrooms, a recreation room, TV room, a formal dining room, two offices, and a gym is likely to be far more work than a two bedroom house with one bathroom, living room, kitchen, and dining.

– What type of property is it? Apartments, freestanding houses, terraced houses, townhouses – they all have their unique aspects.

– How complex is your property? Multiple stories and alterations to original plans can impact your inspection.

– How old is the house? The age of the property and the materials used also need to be taken into account.

Getting a quote

Talk to us today about creating a free, no obligation quote – or just fill out the form below and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

Unexpected plumbing problems in your new home can really take the shine off that exciting purchase. That’s why a comprehensive property inspection is a must before you sign on the dotted line.

Plumbing issues can run the gamut from minor and fixable, right through to being expensive and incredibly disruptive. Because much of your home’s plumbing will be hidden in walls, under the ground, foundations, or  in your ceiling space, you may not even know there is a problem in the first place. So here are some things your property inspector will look for:

Reticulated plumbing and deteriorating pipework 

Reticulated plumbing refers to the water network or water pipes which service your home. The water is fed through large pipes from the public mains or pumped from water tanks to meet the pipes which supply water to your bathrooms, kitchen, toilets, taps etc. One of the first things your inspector will look for is the condition of your pipes (where visible) and the types of pipes used. 

There are some older types that are more problematic than newer ones, which some insurance companies will be reluctant to cover (if they fail and cause damage).  An example is a galvanized pipe – common to an older villa – which, while it might appear fine on the exterior, could be completely rusted out. This will mean water running through the pipes will move debris and gunk into your fittings, while your water quality might suffer too. 

If a bathroom or kitchen has been upgraded, it is likely that replumbing has also been carried out. While ‘replumbing’ might fill a purchaser with some confidence, new piping and plumbing doesn’t mean you can rest easy. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, a particular type of black plastic called Dux Quest piping was introduced into new houses as well as retrofitted into existing homes. However, it soon became clear that many of these new pipes were splitting, bursting and causing considerable damage, so Dux Quest was withdrawn from the market. If your property inspector spots black plastic piping from a renovation or home dating from this period, it may need replacing. And it’s another red flag for your insurance company, which might not cover you for leaks or other plumbing issues.

Looking for leaks

Turning on taps, running showers and flushing toilets are all on the list for your property inspector, who will be looking for leaks, wobbly fixtures, or loose fittings to be sure everything is operating well. If the pipes inside a wall aren’t fixed off (attached) properly, you might get a ‘water hammer’ which is a banging or clanging of the pipes against the wall or studs. Not just annoying, this can cause early damage to the fittings and pipes by helping them work loose. Toilet flushers not working, or the toilet ‘running’ can also be an annoying sound to hear in the night, while wasting water and contributing to a higher water bill. 

Moisture readings and bad smells

A moisture meter will pick up signs of moisture or leaks around the house, especially if there is mould present as well. Brown spots on the ceiling where there’s a bathroom above could also be a sign that there’s water leaking. If there is a significant leak – for example, under the shower – your property inspector should be able to pick this up when inspecting the sub floor. A persistent bad smell from a sink or drain could also indicate a blockage or break in the sewer line, or that the plumbing hasn’t been installed correctly. 

Are the pipes clipped up?

While under the house, an important thing your inspection will note is if pipes are well fitted to the sub-floor.  Are they clipped up to the timbers properly, or are they just lying on the ground? If they’re on the ground, there’s more risk of damage from pests, movement, floods or heavy rain, or from people going through there.  

Recap: When it comes to plumbing, forewarned is forearmed! So, the big two to keep in mind when thinking about your next home’s plumbing are:

1. The types of pipes used (and the era they were installed)
2. Making sure the plumbing pipes are installed properly and clipped up under the house.

Remember, if your property report highlights any plumbing issues, we recommend getting a plumber to check off if you need any imminent or future repairs. When you invest in a comprehensive property inspection from our friendly, professional team, you can rest easy that purchasing your next home is more than ‘a pipe dream’. 

When it comes to buying a home, making sure the roof over your head is sound is a very important – but often overlooked – consideration.

The integrity of your home, and the quality of life you have in it, relies on a roof that’s going to keep out the elements. And because replacing or repairing your roof could be one of the biggest costs you face as a homeowner, it’s necessary to give the roof of a new or potential home as much consideration as you would the kitchen, the subfloor and the walls.

(When you book a property inspection with us, if your building is over two-storeys high, we’ll use a drone to get a really clear picture of what is going on up there – so you know we take this seriously!)

In New Zealand, the commonly used roofing materials we see are clay and concrete tiles, metal tiles, metal (corrugated) long-run roofing, shingles in wood, bitumen or slate, and membrane roofs. Roofing can be broken down into ‘heavy gauge’ such as clay or concrete tiles and ‘light gauge’ like steel roofing. Let’s take a look at what that means.

Tile roofing

●       Clay/concrete tiles

Given the different ages of New Zealand’s housing stock, this is one of the most prevalent roofing materials we see. Commonly used in the 50s, 60s and 70s, the concrete tile (which came later than the clay tile) is heavy, durable and fire resistant. Little wonder it was used during our mid-century housing boom! However, it can also break if walked on, and if individual tiles need to be replaced, they can be hard to colour-match.

On this type of roof, we are looking for any sort of visible damage, or signs of leakage. Obvious signs of repair might be painting over a taped area, silicone or sealant use.

Your property inspector will take a close look at the ridges and barges for signs of breakage and wear of the tile, grout or mortar.

–         The ridge is where the roof planes meet or intersect and where a ridge tile would be used to keep out the rain.

–         The barge is at the edges where the outer tiles finish in a gutter.

Other things to look for on tiled roofs are tiles that have slipped, or moved out of place, creating gaps and opportunities for water ingress.

●       Metal tiles

Metal tiles are a more lightweight option and come in different profiles and patterns. Older style metal roof tiles may be steel coated with a bitumen overlay, known as ‘Decramastic’. The protected steel means it should last well, however metal tiles are also likely to lose coating over time which can lead to rust and poor performance. Lighter gauge metal can also dent when walked on.

Other things to be aware of with older metal tiles is the ‘chip’ coating. Some types, usually pre-80s, may contain asbestos in the glue, which will add significant cost to removal and disposal.

Corrugated iron/ metal long-run roofing

A corrugated iron or ‘long-run’ roof is a common sight in New Zealand and may be atop a century-old villa or a modern new build. Depending on age, we’re looking for signs of rust, rusted fixings, corrosion, flaking off, lifting and flapping.

Shingle roofing

The most commonly used shingle roofing in New Zealand is asphalt shingle, which is a base layer (usually wood or fibreglass) impregnated with asphalt. Over time, the tiles may shed their coating and water ingress could become a problem. Slate tiles are expensive but may offer greater longevity.

Membrane roofing

While membrane roofs are meant to create a watertight covering over a building, this is not always the case as demonstrated by the ‘leaky building’ crisis in NZ. Many membrane roofs were constructed on a flat surface, which meant little or no ‘fall’ for water to move off. Newer membrane roofs are more highly regulated – however issues with this type of roof can be expensive and difficult to remediate as the whole surface (not just a few tiles, or a sheet of metal) will need to be replaced.

Don’t forget the underside!

Of course, every roof has an underside, and where accessible, we’ll check inside the roof cavity for water leakage, condensation on the bottom side – especially on tiles – and if building paper is present (and what condition it’s in). We’ll also let you know if a bird, possum or other creature has made your roof cavity home, which might indicate gaps or openings from the roof.

We’ve got you covered

General roof issues might include bodge jobs, repairs and fix-ups. And because this part of a building can be hard to access, they can go unnoticed. We have seen ‘new’ roofs laid over the top of old, rusted corrugated iron, because the original surface has failed – something you’d want to be aware of before you buy. Other things we look for are ‘penetrations’ – wherever the roof surface has been punctured or penetrated (like where the satellite dish, or solar panels are), to make sure it’s been well sealed and weathertight.

Lastly, if our report highlights any roof issues, we recommend getting a roofer to check off if you need any imminent or future repairs.  When you invest in a comprehensive property inspection from our friendly, professional team, you can be sure – and not just when it comes to roofs – ‘We’ve got you covered’.

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Every building needs a stable foundation and it’s important to know what you’re getting before you buy. This is why your property inspector will be closely checking your foundations. Your house might be constructed with a conventional or a raft foundation – but what’s the difference, and why does it matter?

What’s a conventional foundation?

A conventional foundation is the ‘old way’ they used to do concrete floors – and one most builders are familiar with, as it’s been around for years. A conventional foundation is essentially concrete poured straight onto the ground at a shallow depth, into a (generally) 100-mm thick slab, reinforced with steel. Around the edges and where any load-bearing internal walls would go, the ground would be dug out with excavated footings. Here, the concrete pour would be thicker to allow the load of the structure to transfer properly. The house is then built on top of the slab.

Image: Seismic resilience

A concrete-poured conventional foundation is far less likely to be used these days, with raft foundations – which we’ll look next – taking over as the preferred method. A conventional foundation has its limitations and can be prone to cracking (especially in earthquake prone areas). Older, unreinforced slab-on-ground foundations performed poorly on marginal and poor ground in the Christchurch earthquakes^[1].

What’s a raft foundation?

A raft foundation, or mat foundation, is a type of slab-on-ground foundation used in both residential and commercial construction. Raft foundations generally don’t require excavated footings and are formed ‘on the ground’ rather than being dug in. The raft ‘floats’ over the ground, the way a raft floats on water. This type of foundation spreads the load of the building over a larger area than other foundations.

Image: Seismic resilience

Most commonly seen in new construction is a polystyrene ‘pod’ with hardfill, laid over an under-slab polythene ground sheet. This type of foundation is quicker and easier to construct, with less excavation and earthworks, while the polystyrene offers superior insulation. Raft slabs were proven in the Christchurch earthquakes^[2] to be seismically stronger than conventional slabs due to being on top of the ground as opposed to being in the ground.

Raft foundation vs conventional foundation
Image: Qpod

What is your property inspector looking for?

 Your property inspector will ascertain how much movement or cracking there has been in your foundation if it is visible. A good place to look at the concrete foundation is in the garage. Gaps of 2-3mm may mean there is ground movement under the slab, and it’s worth getting an engineer’s report.

Another place to check is the ground levels around the slab and how much these come up to your cladding. Ground levels close to concrete mean moisture is more likely to damage the cladding or the framing.

Everything worth doing well starts with a good foundation! Ensuring you know what you’re buying with a house inspection report means that you can sleep easy knowing you are on steady ground.

 

[1] http://www.seismicresilience.org.nz/topics/foundations/residential-foundations/shallow-foundations-residential/#slab

[2] https://www.qpod.nz/2019/12/10/qpod-raft-slab-or-conventional/

When you’re buying a house, it’s helpful to know some basic things to look for around the type of construction, to discover if there might be any issues. One of these building basics you might have heard of is the ‘drained cavity’ system. Whether a property has a drained cavity system or not can impact its weathertightness – which can have flow-on effects to the durability and longevity of the building structure itself. So what is a drained cavity, and how and why does it need to work?

Drained cavity basics

Since 2004, changes to the Building Act have meant an increase in the use of drained cavities behind exterior cladding – that’s the material on the outside of your dwelling. Your cladding might be brick, weatherboard, cedar, or plaster, for example.

Firstly, what are drained cavity systems? What we now know as ‘drained cavities’ allow drainage paths to take any water that penetrates the building envelope (exterior cladding) back to the outside face. Combined with openings in the building envelope that allow air into the cavity space, they assist in drying out moisture.

Prior to the new regulations, which were upgraded to provide an escape route for any water or moisture that penetrated the exterior cladding, a drained cavity as we know it today, was less standard. It was more likely for cladding to be fixed directly to the timber framing, with only a thin sheet of building paper providing any sort of barrier. Older brick houses were generally built with a type of cavity – but even those rules are different for brick construction today.

But don’t panic if you have a property built prior to the change in the building code. Drained cavities are also designed to work in conjunction with other features to aid in repelling water, such as flashing and roof eaves.  So, not everything constructed without a drain cavity is designed to fail.

Because different eras of homes were built under different building code regulations and rules, when we inspect properties, we consider the four Ds – deflection, drainage, drying and durability.

 

What to look for

Check under the cladding using a small mirror or your phone camera and see if the cladding has a vented strip underneath to allow air movement and moisture egress. For brick veneers check that there are weep and vent holes (gaps in the mortar between the bricks) every 3-4 bricks.

 

Follow the 4 Ds

Deflection – the more a surface or wall is exposed to water, the higher the risk of water getting inside the building. Deflection elements such as cladding, flashings, roof eaves and verandas can all aid in deflecting rain away from walls.

Drainage – walls should be built to allow water that may have penetrated the exterior cladding to drain down the back of the cladding and back to the outside. This might be through specially designed drainage gaps at a window head or sill, or at the bottom of the cladding.

Drying – the amount of drying that occurs in a wall cavity can depend on the cladding type, and how the cladding is installed. E.g., if it is ‘direct fixed’ to the framing, there is less chance for ventilation and therefore, drying.

Durability – some claddings, such as brick, simply last longer and are less water permeable.

 

The properties that people worry about most are plaster homes, as even with drain cavity systems in place post 2004, a cavity system is not a guarantee that moisture will not cause damage to framing and wall linings. At the same time as this new plaster cladding surged in popularity, the building architecture also changed. ‘Mediterranean style’ designs introducing different and more complicated junctions, flat roofs, parapets and a lack of eaves all contributed to weathertightness issues.

 

What questions should people ask when looking at a plaster home?

 

What year was it built?
This will determine if there is likely to be a drainage cavity in place. Between the late 80s and 2004, plaster homes were more likely to be ‘direct-fixed’ and more susceptible to weathertightness issues. So, a big part of what we do is to ascertain exactly what is behind the plaster.

What state is the cladding in?

Has it been well maintained without cracks? Does it have an exterior paint surface designed to stop moisture penetrating it? Maintenance plays an important role in keeping any home, especially a plaster one, weathertight.

Does it allow for drainage and drying?
Does it have the added assurance of a drain cavity? Not everything may be as it seems even in a more modern ‘monolithic’ clad home.

Is the cladding original or is it hiding something?

There might be a second cladding on top of an original cladding that is not correctly installed. Note: we come across recladding on properties of many eras, not just ‘newer’ plaster homes. There are plenty of old bungalows that have been recovered in a lower maintenance cladding, as people who owned them realised how much effort and time it took them to maintain timber weatherboards. Sometimes this took the form of faux brick or a fake brick-like plaster coating. This is not classed as a drained cavity. It’s what is called a rain screen system – which isn’t allowed nowadays. So definitely something to have on your watchlist.

While there are risks with any type of property you’re buying, it’s important to understand the building basics to ensure you’re able to make an informed choice about one of the biggest purchases of your life. Book a property inspector to do your home inspection report before making any commitments.