Dodgy decks latest disaster zone

By ANNE GIBSON

Many new Auckland houses and apartments have balconies that are dangerous because they are rotten, says a leaky buildings expert.

Philip O'Sullivan, of property consultants Prendos in Auckland, says cantilevered balconies can be lethal due to gradual internal rot, but home owners may be unaware of the danger.

Mr O'Sullivan - known as Dr Rot - has found balconies to be a central part of the leaky building syndrome, having collected data on 250 units - mainly in Auckland - spread over 50 sites. He found that 39 sites had units with balconies and in every case they had developed leaks.

This was leaving many balconies structurally unsafe but owners would usually need an expert to identify the problem because the rot was internal, he said.

There was also a potential risk if several people were on a suspect balcony.

A Herald investigation in April uncovered the scope of New Zealand's rotting buildings, where one new house in 10 may be vulnerable and a $1 billion repair bill is predicted.

Christchurch building expert Noel Casey found a rotten, potentially lethal balcony on a house only 10 years old.

Texture-coated fibre cement had been applied to the outside of the structure, hiding rot in the untreated wood of the balcony framing. A small patch of fungus was the only sign of a potentially fatal situation.

"If the homeowners had not called in investigators, they or their guests might have had a nasty fall," said an article in Build magazine this year, showing the extent of the rot in the framing.

In some places, the capping rail was so badly rotted that it broke apart while the cladding was being removed.

Mr O'Sullivan is a member of the Weathertight Buildings Steering Group of the Building Research Association, which is trying to formulate guidelines to identify the risks and factors contributing to leaky buildings syndrome.

Dr Bill Porteous, Chief Executive of the Building Industry Authority, said he was unaware that lives were at risk due to the leaky building problems, but said he expected Mr O'Sullivan to be feeding information directly to the association's overview group, which was visiting Auckland this week to investigate problems.

"We have not had cases reported back to us about this at the moment, but it's not to say there are no cases where lives have been placed at risk, just that we are unaware of that being the case."

David Halsey, general manager of Fletcher Residential, the country's largest house builder, said his company built conventional homes without balconies but with decks at ground level and the structures were protected from the weather by eaves and sloping roofs.

Mr O'Sullivan said many leaky building problems could be fixed only by recladding the entire unit or house and creating a ventilated wall cavity. This would cost about $100,000 for an average three-bedroom house.

Of the 39 sites Prendos analysed where balconies leaked, handrails were a major contributor to the problem. They were often clad in solid plaster, had a top like a small roof to rest objects such as wine glasses on, without any cover such as a veranda to protect them from the weather, and with structural faults.

Mr O'Sullivan is also critical of the untreated timber being used in new houses.

"A lot of timber is already decayed before it gets to the sites. Timber yards put it under plastic covers which are ripped or torn, so water is getting to it before it goes to the sites.

"Builders are not experienced in decay and anyway you'd need to put it under a microscope to recognise decay at that stage.

"But decay is so rapid with untreated timber - it only takes a few days."

The Building Research Association has published a document to help people with leaking houses. Finding Leaks details the steps taken to identify and remedy a problem, costs $6 a copy and is available from PO Box 50-908, Porirua City.

www.myproperty.co.nz

Weathertight Buildings Project

Building Industry Authority

Prendos