If you saw somebody using a mobile phone whilst driving their car, or crossing the centre line, would you think it was fair and just that they received an infringement notice? Damn right you would, because it’s against the law and it’s dangerous.
 
Even the humble parking ticket issued at a local territorial authority level is there for a reason; by issuing these infringements parking wardens are simply doing their job and trying to keep the streets safe by allowing traffic to flow.
 
Local councils also have a process with rules and regulations for building works. The Building Act and Regulations exist for a very important reason… Safety! And yet it seems to me that local authorities often more readily issue parking tickets than building infringements.
 
What draws me to this conclusion? Well I’ve been educating professionals within the building industry, by translating building law for over twenty years now, and during that time I’ve heard a tale or two.
 
It’s been fourteen years since the Hunn report (commissioned to review the leaky homes crisis) said we had a systemic failure in the building industry; and we need to ask ourselves whether this has changed, or whether there is a new crisis on the horizon. Some of the scenarios I’ve come across lead me to believe the next crisis could stem from:

• Passive fire
• HVAC
• Legionella
• Foundation issues
• Facades 
• Seismic restraints

 
In New Zealand we are kidding ourselves if we believe that our buildings are one hundred per cent safe, there is plenty of room for improvement! Commercial buildings are built fast with slim margins and contractors have been known to cut corners.
 
I recently heard of a sprinkler system being installed in a building without consent; it's a major piece of work and I’m astounded that due process wasn’t followed. How do we know it was installed correctly?
 
This serves as a reminder for the reasons that the rules and processes are in place.
 
If you have questions about the safety in your building  I am available for an independent, neutral opinion, and happy to have a conversation with you.
Email: rosie@buildingnetworks.co.nz

If you’ve ever had to grapple with the building consent, and I suspect if you’re reading my blog you have, you’ll know that the process can often be fraught with frustration. But well known for our No.8 wire mentality, it seems the systems in place haven’t yet deterred us Kiwis.  Indeed, as an example, Auckland's housing boom shows no signs of slowing, with a record 23,220 building consent applications received in the last year, up by 12 per cent. The Auckland City Council also completed 175,000 inspections and issued 18,000 Code Compliance Certificates.

But just how many pieces of paper does it take to build a house?
 
Well in case you are unfamiliar with the process, the steps go something like this.
 

• Plan well – Find out whether the work you wish to do (building or renovating) needs a consent. Some basic building work, may not require a building consent, but most building work will.
• Refer to this handy Government booklet about what does and does not need consent. If in doubt ASK the Council. Many a homeowner has got caught short by the tradie giving bad advice in this regard.
• There will be contracts to sign, disclosure forms and checklists let alone several iterations of plans, specs, as well as the actual building consent form.

• Get your consent – You won’t be able to start any actual work until you have building consent, this is the time to consult your professionals, and making a good application will help avoid unnecessary delays. Will you be the applicant or allow the designer or building company to be your agent. I would recommend that you get yourself copied into all correspondence between the Council and your agent as sometimes you get a nasty surprise you may not be expecting (eg more consent fees). There are items called "RFIs" or requests for further information from the Council to your designer asking for more detailed information or a correction to drawings. You'd be surprised to know that every job has these!

 

• Starting the build – Once you have your building consent, you also have a green light to get going; but the paperwork doesn’t end there. I don’t think I’ve ever known a building project that doesn’t change (even slightly) along the way. These need to be dealt with by an application to amend the consent. If you want to substitute a building product originally specified in your building consent application, you need to show the council how it meets the Building Code requirements. You’ll also need to submit as-builts for minor variations… Guess what? More paperwork! PS3s and PS4s are important documents to help the council decide whether your intended work complies with the Building Code.
  Council inspectors will have their own records too either paper form or digital over the numerous occasions they inspect work.

 

• You have a building – Before you can get sign off, and your code of compliance certificate is issued, you’ll need to make sure that your contractor has supplied you with warranties and manufacturer’s literature that relate to your building, amended plans, Other items you’ll need to include in your application are energy certificates, LBP records, plumbing and drainage as-builts. You will likely need them for your code compliance certificate application, as well as for management and maintenance of your building.

 
So as you can see, it takes many pieces of paper to build a house. That’s not a bad thing the process is there for a reason. Like all law, it also has a tendency to change… To stay abreast with any changes to the consent process, visit my website and sign up to BuildNet; it’s your One Stop Shop for building compliance training and advice. Join HERE.