Lately there has been a huge amount of publicity about leaky buildings here in New Zealand. These buildings are ones that were built for the most part in the early 1970’s through the mid 1990’s. One classic example of a leaky building from this era would be monolithic clad buildings. However any building using untreated pine for external structure is particularly susceptible to what has come to be known as the Leaky Building Syndrome.
What is Leaky Building Syndrome?
Unfortunately many properties in Auckland are affected by this problem. This is when moisture is trapped or has access to untreated structural timbers without adequate ventilation to permit quick drying. The process begins once untreated pine is damp. Various black fungi begin to grow. At this point, even if the water egress is fixed, the black fungi that have set up in the wood will attract moisture from the atmosphere themselves and the rotting will continue. This ultimately will lead to an extreme negative impact on the structural integrity of the building. The adverse affects of this problem aren’t limited to the buildings alone as the black fungus spores can also lead to respiratory diseases to the inhabitants as well.
Individuals looking at property for sale in Auckland or any other part of New Zealand need to be aware of this problem. Purchasers should obtain a report from a reputable company familiar with leaky buildings before making a purchase. A standard builder doing a normal building check is likely to miss dampness behind a gib board. Thus, to be 100% positive, specific testing may need to be conducted using infrared monitors. In some cases core sampling of structural members may need to be taken. It sounds like a hassle, but it is well worth it to be sure your potential home or investment is not affected by this costly problem.
A monolithic building may not leak for many years, so a test showing no evidence of water ingress may not mean, in itself, that the building is immune to the problem occurring in the future.
What should a purchaser look for?
There are four major things to look for when purchasing a property for sale in New Zealand:
1) Any multi-storey building with plaster over some form of board requires an expansion/movement joint and flashing between stories. Without these expansion joints, hair cracking will occur at some point which will allow moisture access into the structure. This moisture can then travel through capillary action and cause large amounts of damage.
2) The base of a plastered board should never go to ground level. If gardens have been built against such buildings then moisture, through soil via capillary action, will gain access into the walls.
3) Many of the buildings built in the aforementioned era previously did not have sloping iron roofs with deep eaves. Flashings then had to be very extensive to ensure that moisture was not driven into walls by the wind.
4) Many of the buildings described have flat, “inverted” roofs with some form of rubberised membrane. Again, if the plastering is inadequate or the membrane itself is damaged then moisture will enter leading to further problems
Any reputable company specializing in surveying leaky buildings should be able to identify any current problems and will be able to predict possible(and probable) issues for the future.
The potential costs of a leaky building are immense. My advice to any purchaser looking to buy property in New Zealand that was built in the time frame mentioned with any of the above characteristics is to do a thorough check, whatever the cost. Better to spend a little now in order to avoid a leaky home and costly repairs in the future.
I wanted to see the Hilton Auckland after their suite refurbishment, and it was well worth the visit. The popular Bow Suites, so named because they are shaped like the bow of a ship, overlooking the Waitemata Harbour, have had quite the face lift.
The interior, designed by Catherine Stormont of HBO&EMTD, is contemporary in feel, blending in with the overall design of the hotel which has been dubbed the “New Hilton” in its embrace of sleek lines and minimalist decor, interspersed with traditional Mauri artistic accents. There is a sense of being in the Presidential cabin of a luxury international cruise liner, and its proximity in the harbor, with cruise ships arriving and departing below your terrace, adds to that feeling.
Furnishings and fabrics are muted tones, “decked” out with Italian leather furniture. The Presidential suite has two plasma televisions, dining for four, a work desk and credenza, a chaise and side table over looking the wrap around deck, wrap around couch with chaise angle, an outdoor lounge area and eating area, huge bathroom with separate bath, rain shower, and toilet, floor to ceiling glass doors with water views from every single angle, electronic shades, and wispy white transparent curtains to mute the suns raise, but allow in the reflections of the sea.
The artists’ glass sculpture and vases that graced my room, included locals Simon Kaan, Graham Fletcher, and Heather Straka. Part of the upgrade included the concept that every space should have a touch of authenticity. Amenities have also been upgraded to the Crabtree & Evelyn “la Source” range, an improvement over past choices.
Hilton Auckland stands 300 meters from the city center adjacent to the Viaduct Harbor. It was officially opened by the Prime Minister, Helen Clark, in June 2001 and is situated on the northeast corner of Princes Wharf. There are 160 deluxe rooms and six suites. Not a “small” hotel, but it does have the feel of a boutique hotel. In 2005 it was named the Top New Zealand CBD Hotel of the Year.
White Restaurant, and Bellini, the lobby lounge bar, have been created by Dan Kwan of Tribeca, the design firm based in Singapore. His intent was to provide an environment that would be a white canvas for Executive Chef Bernard Bernabe to paint his culinary palate, and to be a minimalist setting for the hues of blue and green of the bay reflecting through the floor to ceiling windows.
Bernard Bernabe, even the name is a mouthful, was born in the Philippines. His family immigrated to New Zealand when he was nine years old. Now, at the ripe age of 28, he was the driving force behind the award winning team when white was honored with the Restaurant of the Year award in 2004.
General Manager, John Ingram is a soft-spoken gentle man with a lot to say. He treated me to details about the local cultural community and life in Auckland, as well as his the importance for the global hospitality community to see this Hilton in its rightful light, a “new Hilton” as he called it. With 160 deluxe rooms and six suites, one can hardly call this a boutique hotel, yet I agree with him that it has that feel. Staff is very professional and ingratiating, food is superb, and the atmosphere modern and light.
My favorite feature of the hotel is a glass-fronted swimming pool that juts out in such a way that with goggles under water, you have the illusion of swimming out to sea.
Auckland is of course a very large city, and hence if you require some plumbing repairs then surely with a little research you would be able to find number of reputable plumbing companies. And, if you are looking for a best plumbing company in Auckland then the most important thing is to make sure you have researched for all the plumbing companies and found the required one. Penrose Plumber is the one who is basically trained to battle all those nasty clogged areas, those leaking pipes and the busted pipes that have been known to destroy whole rooms and places within your home. Some people believe that one should call the professionals only when there is truly an emergency but, the opposite is true in real sense. Calling a professional at the time of real emergency could result in the property damage and extra expenses in overall repair.
Mostly people tries to fix the superficial and minor plumbing problems through known practices. But a minor problem appears to go more complicated without the help of a professional plumber. For instance, when plumbing problems such as a clogged sink would arise then surely you will try to grab the nearest plumber and will soon unclog the problem. However, surely you must have realized that a lot of times it may seem like it fixes the problem. But on the other hand, it can only make the problem more badly. So calling a good plumbing professional whether your plumbing problem is big or small is considered as the wise decision.
Why one should think of Penrose Plumber only? This might be a question that you can have in your mind while reading this article. Anyhow to clear your all the doubts, following are some of the fascinating features of the Penrose Plumbers
One of the most amazing advantages that you can have is that they can be hired for the given period of time.
They are trained to solve just about any plumbing problem no matter how big or how small the job may be.
Moreover, they not only come with loads of experience but they also come equipped with all the right tools that you may of never thought of using to fix your problem.
Also in many areas within the state you actually need to be licensed to perform any type of plumbing problems in your home.
And they provide you all the licensing facilities also on the basis of which one could easily rely on this firm. Infact such guarantees will assure you that if anything should go wrong during the plumbing repairs you will have all damages fixed at the plumber’s expense.
On the other hand if you will try to do the plumbing repairs on your own then obviously after some time, you will discover you as spending more on repairs due to damages. So now, when you know all the benefits and why it is so important to hire a professional plumber like Penrose plumber, each time a problem occurs you need to know the best way to find one in your own area.
Yes, its right that Plumber services don’t comes under the largest part of the economy but no doubt it’s the fact that our society requires a number of licensed and reliable plumbers
Herne Bay, like other north facing regions of Auckland on the southern side of the Waitemata Harbour, was predominantly settled by the early merchant families, building large Victorian and Edwardian timber villas.
Unlike more modern constructions, it was difficult to say that these homes were designed to take advantage of the sun or expansive harbour views, as they were often simply a “pick and mix” with elements chosen from a catalogue and with a central corridor acting as component foundation and backbone of the dwelling.
The welcoming verandas give a human scale as well as a practical answer to keeping off both rain and sun.
Those searching for property for sale in Herne Bay are usually those who value the uniformity of design in the area along with the tranquillity afforded by the fact there are no non-residential or arterial transport developments disrupting the uniformity, contact with the harbour’s edge or safety of the streets.
What some do not realise when searching for property for sale in Herne Bay is that the suburb is not bounded by the harbour’s edge running to the transport route of Jervois Road on the ridge, but includes streets running to the south, often assumed to be part of the connected suburb of Ponsonby.
A couple of frustrations often faced by those searching for property for sale in Herne Bay are firstly, there are seldom a large number of properties available to choose from as people tend to settle for longer periods than the surrounding areas of Grey Lynn or Ponsonby.
Secondly, particularly in a “soft” or declining market, those living in the suburbs tend to be well healed and can often afford to hold off selling if they do not achieve the price they expect, waiting until the market moves to a level acceptable to the seller.
In summary, those searching for property for sale in Herne Bay are a very select group, but also, often need to be patient, to find the ideal property.
Home Staging business is growing in Auckland. More and more vendors realizing the value of home staging service. Real estate agents started implementing staging in their property selling service.
Some bought property because they feared that they wouldn’t be able to enter the market otherwise. Others bought properties that did not suit their needs simply because they could afford it.The real estate market was booming. Property values were doubling every 2-3 years rather than the usual 7-10, the trend that has persisted for the past 150 years.
These conditions continued until the end of 2007 and into 2008. It was during the early months of 2008 when New Zealand and international financial institutions began to collapse. Along with the collapse of these major institutions came the collapse in the market for property in Auckland, New Zealand as well as in the world abroad.
How did this happen?
Immediately upon receiving news of the collapse of these major institutions, purchasers reacted. However, vendors did not. They were reluctant to believe that their property’s value had been negatively affected in any way. Because of this discrepancy, during the first six months of 2008, purchasers were prepared to offer far less than the inflated expectations that vendors were still clinging to. The volume of real estate sales dropped dramatically.
By the second half of 2008 vendors had finally realized the seriousness of the financial situation and accepted that their real estate / property values had decreased. With this realization, vendors and buyers were again in agreement (roughly) with regards to the price of properties. The volume of sales of property in Auckland, New Zealand increased. As we entered 2009 a change occurred yet again as expectations of sharply declining mortgage interest rates developed. With summer coming around and expectations of 3-4% mortgages, buyer optimism increased. The volume and the total value of sales in March was greater than it had been in the preceding 18 months.
And now, here we are in April. Interest rates are showing upward movements, winter is coming and daylight savings is about to end. Early trends appear to indicate, for these reasons, that buyer confidence has taken a hit. Due to the fragile nature of the market, it is reasonable to expect there will be a future decline in the volume and the value of property in Auckland, New Zealand in the winter months to come. Prepare for the worst but lets hope for the best.
This testimonial is given by property owner, susie Kasza, after the sale of her Auckland property, about the service and result she received from Real Estate agent Ariel Levin.
Today’s housing environment has been affected by the erosion of confidence following international banking and finance house collapses. Conflicting ‘expert’ advice as to the best way forward or the wisdom of entering or exiting the housing market has tended to erode confidence further.
For many, the Auckland rental property market has, for the first time, become of interest as an alternative to buying.
There have always been identifiable groups occupying rental properties, whether it’s the younger ‘student’ population grouping to reduce costs as they establish themselves; young families unable to meet deposit or mortgage requirements; older residents never having accumulated sufficient capital to become part of the owner/occupier class or those in transit, not feeling they wish to own for their brief period of residence.
There are now two growing groups entering the accommodation market.
Firstly, the unfortunate group who, for whatever reason, are the sad human face of the world wide recession, having lost all or a large portion of their capital assets, finding themselves shut out of home ownership.
The second group are those who agree with those advocating that the recession has not yet affected property to the full extent and that values will decline substantially yet, and remain flat for up to a decade.
This group are selling the family home and entering the Auckland rental property market, investing their capital and waiting to benefit from the predicted decline in prices. I worry greatly for this group as they are, in effect, gambling with the family home.
Lets look at two scenarios:
Scenario 1 Firstly lets assume they are right and that the value of homes will decline over a period. To benefit from this decline, this group must accurately predict the bottom of the market and must purchase before the usual rapid swing upwards which historically occurs.
This is almost impossible to predict accurately and this group may very quickly find values rise to the point where they no longer have the ability to own and they must remain in the Auckland rental property market, or must move, beyond the city confines to less expensive real estate.
Scenario 2 The second possibility, and in my view the most likely scenario, is that we are already seeing an upswing in both prices and confidence and that the dire consequences of the recession, predicted by many, simply haven’t occurred. If this is correct, this group may have already placed their families in a situation where they will need to re enter at a level of ownership, substantially lesser than that at which they chose to leave, or may even find themselves locked into the Auckland residential property market for the long term.
