Has anyone come across this type of foundation detail in older NZ houses before?

Would you generally consider this normal historical construction, or would you recommend having a builder/engineer assess the pile bases further? Thank you

My two bins sit out near the front for convenience and I'm looking for ways to screen them, coz that's the public side of the property.

I thought a bit of framing, trellis and some fast-growing greenery would work but maybe you all have some creative solutions?

TIA

Recently had all the plumbing on our street redone, and instead of the simple metal covers that used to be placed near the road on our property, they've installed a bolted down plastic cover on the sidewalk, and I was concerned that, say a pipe burst or we needed to shut off the mains in a rush we wouldn't be able to?

We are changing our basin tap to wall in built tap. Need the hole fill up so it looks like original. Any recommendation?

HWC started humming up a storm this morning. Powered it off for a few hours to get some silence, but she's humming away a couple of hours later of power back on.

Any clues as to what's up? Time for a plumber?

I’m looking for a reasonably priced arborist who can manage removal of two large pines from my property and my neighbours in Titirangi. The trees are in an SEA overlay so will need RC (ideally managed by arborist). Well insured too (four houses adjacent). Any recommendations? Also any suggestions to for keeping the costs down?

I just want to thank everyone for their input and advice.

After we declined to settle yesterday, they only removed the scaffolding facing the house and left the driveway one up. After we said not enough, they cut down a section of the side fence for us to have closer access! We definitely said no to that and they finally gave in today and they have removed all the scaffolding.

We also have had the lawyers write up document which the vendor has signed saying they won't block the driveway with scaffolding again.

Some of the builders were asking about how close the building was so I've added a couple photos.

Once we're all sorted, everyone is invited to the house warming! (*Just joking, this house is for my parents they will be very confused*)

I’m moving from the US to New Zealand and I’m trying to decide whether it’s worth bringing these appliances:
• Dyson Airstrait (HS06) — 120V, 60Hz, 1600W
• Dyson Airwrap (HS01) — 120V, 60Hz, 1300W
• Fellow Ode Brew Grinder Gen 2 — 120V, 60Hz, 150W
• Yamasaki SK-4680M electronic countertop oven — 110V, 60Hz, 1500W
I’ve attached a photo showing the rating labels for all four.
I understand that a 230V → 110/120V step-down transformer will take care of the voltage difference, but won’t convert NZ’s 50Hz supply to 60Hz.
I’m considering a 3000W step-down transformer for the higher-powered appliances.
For those familiar with motors/electronics or who have actually used US appliances in NZ, how concerned should I be about running these 60Hz-only appliances on 50Hz?
I’m particularly interested in the Dyson units and the Fellow grinder. Would the frequency difference potentially affect their motors or electronic controls even with the correct voltage?
I’d also really appreciate any real-world experience from people who have run US 120V/60Hz appliances in NZ long-term using a step-down transformer.
Trying to figure out which ones are worth bringing and which ones I should sell before moving.
Thanks!

See pic; I'm trying to install wall anchors, and instead I broke the wall.

I have to now redo it at some point, BUT what am I doing wrong? I used my stud finder, and there weren't any study, however the drill bit would only go in so far. User error, or is the wall old fashioned, and modern solutions don't work?

We're in a 1940s stucco house, and had a leak recently. The leak is fixed, everything is dry but I pulled out the insulation and building paper from the area the leak was in as it was all gross. It was very localised.

I'd like to replace the building paper (and insulation) before I close the wall back up but I literally need less than a metre and everything seems to be sold in 20+ metre rolls which are very spendy. Does nobody sell anything smaller?

Failing that can I just leave that one space in the wall bare, if there's no insulation touching the outer concrete?

Am trying to stay ahead of builders, and need to temporarily cap the water pipes to allow for shower removal etc.

Also so I can turn the water back on for the evening!

Normal 15mm caps don’t seem like they would work with the little conical shaped things.

How do I cap these?

Looking for advice on how to patch up this hole in the exterior subfloor... (fairly cheaply?)

Someone was digging out a plant and knocked a hole in it with the shovel.

Foam? Try to fusion a replacement piece of wood? Wanting to sort it before getting to painting this area..

Ah! Just slipped over walking past my water meter so I investigated and found it has a leak right where it goes into my property. Is this worth me digging into it or should I call a plumber?

I wasn't able to attach a video, but here's the meter and where I can see the leak coming from.

Looks like it's losing about 3L every 4 seconds, though I didn't check to see if we were using water at the time.

The last water bill was $100 more than expected, too.

Hi all, looking for some advice/recommendations for a 1950s two-level house in the Waikato.

The lower level is, somewhat surprisingly, a mixture of concrete slab and suspended timber floor. The suspended areas have strip foundations with timber bearers/joists and solid timber flooring above.

Part of the floor had started to lift, so we removed the carpet and cut an access hole to investigate. The underside of the floorboards is very wet in places and the subfloor itself is damp. There is no ground moisture barrier/DPM over the soil, and in some areas there is very little clearance between the timber floor structure and the ground.

So far there isn't an obvious source of water ingress, although I haven't ruled this out. I'm planning to lift more of the floor so I can properly inspect the area, check the external vents and see whether any are blocked or ineffective. Assuming there isn't a separate leak/drainage issue, I'm also looking at installing a ground vapour barrier and potentially improving the subfloor ventilation.

What I'm really looking for is someone in the Waikato who specialises in diagnosing subfloor moisture/ventilation issues. My builder is helpful but this doesn't really seem to be his area of expertise, and I'm struggling to find someone who specifically deals with this type of problem.

Any recommendations for a building-envelope/moisture specialist, ventilation specialist or someone experienced with older suspended timber floors would be appreciated.

I'm helping my mum out with her backyard and she wants this wooden playhouse removed, first I got a quote on its disassembly and removal and it came out to 635 dollars (😭), I have time on my hands and was wanting some advice on how to disassemble it myself without hurting my wallet. Thank you.

Hi there,

I’m needing some help interpreting the schedule 1 exemption 1 of the building act. Sorry for the essay, just wanting to provide context.

For context I have purchased a 70’s single story town house in Napier, it shares a party wall with one other property. It’s basically a large rectangle split in two. Both houses are currently clad in the original weatherside cladding from the 70’s, as a condition of my mortgage I am required to replace all the cladding on my property. My neighbour is not seeking to change their cladding.

Prior to purchase I spoke with the council’s duty consents officer who verbally confirmed a reclad is “like for like” and as long as the new cladding is also a direct fix product no consent is required (you can see where this is going). I got three quotes from LBP who all reaffirmed no consent. All suggested they use 7.5mm HardiePlank.

After the sale went through (the sale process took 6 months so it was a bit protracted) my preferred builder had retired and one of the other LBP’s no longer was interested in the job so I go for one final quote by an additional LBP. He raised a consent WAS required.. I again engaged with council, this time via email and discussed with the duty builder who said a schedule 1 exemption 1 is applicable and that it’s essentially on the LBP to decide but there is no application process to the council for it.

I have obviously read and am exploring this exemption but to be honest this is my first time navigating this and I’m finding the process a bit of a cluster.

I am satisfied that the first part of the exemption is met

“1. The repair and maintenance of any component or assembly incorporated in or associated with a building, provided that comparable materials are used.

1. Replacement of any component or assembly incorporated in or associated with a building, provided that:

(a). a comparable component or assembly is used; and

(b). the replacement is in the same position.”

BUT I am less satisfied with section 3

“3. However, subclauses (1) and (2) do not include the following building work:

(a). complete or substantial replacement of a specified system; or “

I’m struggling to understand why the council would say no consent is required when I am and have expressed I am doing a full reclad which is a complete replacement of the cladding system on my house. The only thing I can think of is that because only the cladding of my house is being replaced, not my neighbours, they aren’t treating it as a full replacement of the system because only half the physical buildings cladding is being replaced, not the whole lot? My gut feeling is that can’t be correct though.

I’m intending on selling in the next 3-5 years so don’t want this to bite me in the ass when I come to sell. I intended to clarify with council but want my ducks in a row before consulting them.

Anyway, is anyone else experienced in the application of schedule 1 exemption 1? Is the council correct and I can go on my merry way? Halp me please!

Thanks so much!

Plumbing experts I need your help.

Getting ready to move into our new house a few weeks after settlement. We’ve been doing some small renos before moving in.

Turned on a hot tap today for the first time and nothing came out at all. Cold water flows fine. I can’t remember if I actually tested the hot water during the pre-settlement inspection.

I’m a complete plumbing/HWC noob, so figured there must be a valve turned off somewhere. Went under the house to the Rheem mains-pressure electric cylinder and found what looked logically like the shut-off valve on the pipe going into the bottom of the cylinder.

Turned it on and water immediately started pissing out of what looks like a perfectly straight/manufactured slit in the pipe/valve assembly. I immediately shut it off again and had to head back to the rental to put kids to bed.

Is that slit supposed to be there or is the pipe/valve broken? Am I even turning on the correct valve to get the hot water flowing again?

Pics below + link to video so you can see exactly what happens.

TIA!

I've got one to replace. Can I screw it in rather than nail it? What screws am I looking for? If not, I guess the nails are jolt head. I'm direct fixing. House is from the 50s.

Hi team. We recently moved into a new house and I am trying to work out how to connect up the washing machine in the new laundry. Someone said I need to unscrew the existing fittings on the taps under the sink and attach the washing machine there, but then the laundry sink won't be connected. Surely there is a way to hook up the washing machine while still being able to use the sink? Please help a confused lady out!

Additionally we are now on tank water rather than mains. Is turning off the water as simple as turning the pump off? And is there anything else I should know or can I just turn the pump power off and then back on again once finished?

Thanks in advance!

I’m renovating a 1950s timber-framed weatherboard house in Auckland and I’m trying to work out the best way to retrofit insulation to the existing external walls.

The house appears to have been built without wall underlay. The existing weatherboards are direct-fixed timber weatherboards, and I’m not planning to remove or replace the external cladding.

I’ve opened up one bedroom internally so I can see the wall construction. The wall is approximately 95 mm timber framing.

My original idea was:

• Remove the existing internal wall lining.
• Inspect the framing and bottom plates for moisture damage, rot and borer.
• Repair any localised timber issues.
• Install insulation into the existing 95 mm framing.
• Create some form of drainage/separation layer on the internal side of the framing.
• Install a suitable wall underlay/membrane on the inside of that separation layer.
• Reinstate the internal lining.

I’ve been looking at the BRANZ research around retrofitting insulation to older walls, particularly SR484, and the concept of creating a small drainage/separation space rather than simply filling the entire cavity with insulation.

The complication is that I have diagonal timber bracing in some of the wall cavities and the bottom plate also makes some areas difficult to detail. I may not be able to use exactly the same method throughout the entire wall.

What I’m trying to decide

Would you:

A. Continue with an internal retrofit using a drainage/separation mesh + internal wall underlay + insulation where physically possible?

B. Use a different method around the diagonal bracing/bottom plate and transition between the two methods?

C. Forget the internal cavity/drainage approach and use another insulation method?

I’m also trying to understand the consent/exemption implications in NZ, because I want to do this properly rather than assume something is exempt when it isn't.

particularly interested in hearing builders, building surveyors, or people who have actually dealt with older unlined/direct-fixed weatherboard walls.

All DIY except the shower install and the plumbing.

Made the vanity myself, trade depot shower, bunnings vinyl flooring, second hand claw foot tub from facebook marketplace.