PDA

View Full Version : Building experiences & knowledge?



yod
20th June 2013, 16:26
Just out for any and all advice, be it good, bad or otherwise.....the Yods are considering building so interested to hear from those in the trade or others who have gone through it....

good/bad products/materials? good/bad design decisions/options? let's have it.....

BMWST?
20th June 2013, 16:37
stick to a traditional house shape with a decent roof pitch and good overhangs and get the most insulation you can get.if you can afford some solar water heating or even some pv panels thats good,but even so get a house design that is as energy efficient as poss.I reckon this will be money in the bank in the future

yod
20th June 2013, 16:40
stick to a traditional house shape with a decent roof pitch and good overhangs and get the most insulation you can get.if you can afford some solar water heating or even some pv panels thats good,but even so get a house design that is as energy efficient as poss.I reckon this will be money in the bank in the future

yes, must look into solar and what we can achieve there, probably not too hard to retrofit if the budget doesn't stretch quite that far yet....i noticed the house on the section next to the one we're looking at has a panel on the roof

BMWST?
20th June 2013, 16:49
yes, must look into solar and what we can achieve there, probably not too hard to retrofit if the budget doesn't stretch quite that far yet....i noticed the house on the section next to the one we're looking at has a panel on the roof

it will always be cheaper to fit it when building but if careful can allow for retro fitting i guess.As i say careful design for energy effeicincy is a great start,minimize heating in winter and cooling for summer.obviously efficent floor plans can save floor area cos every sq metre costs money

scissorhands
20th June 2013, 17:27
Homes have not changed much like cars, bikes, education, everything

Do something different as the future will be upside down from now. But make it simple, no architects orgasms that are expensive to build. A sloping flat roof with high side to the north

Read up on passive solar design, make your south wall almost windowless, design a heat sink in your living area to collect the warmth of the day, a large conservatory with glasshouse attached to the living area, draw in heat from ceilings

With the cost of utilities maybe look to get off the grid and collect your own water

Maha
20th June 2013, 17:40
Don't buy any shit of TM and expect a tradesman to be happy about fitting it. :brick:

mashman
20th June 2013, 18:15
Just out for any and all advice, be it good, bad or otherwise.....the Yods are considering building so interested to hear from those in the trade or others who have gone through it....

good/bad products/materials? good/bad design decisions/options? let's have it.....

How big is yer plot? Got any hills you can build into for insulation? yadda yadda yadda

Edit: and Cat 5 the house with a port in each room.

Gremlin
20th June 2013, 18:28
Like any project, know and scope what you want from the outset. Altering along the way or retrofitting can be costly. Building from scratch is an excellent way to incorporate all the little things you want, and it's cheaper than trying to renovate an older house etc.

Touching on what Maha said, and just like motorbikes, you can get the good brands and then you get the cheap brands. Why do we avoid the cheap chinese bikes? They're crap. Same thing with building products (and everything else). Get a reputable builder, and find out what kind of warranty you can expect, should things go wrong. Document all communication (shouldn't need to be said, but there you go... make sure).

Don't try cutting corners, but you'd be surprised what some have found. Friends of my brother bought a house that turned out to be built by asian builders (not first owners). Found they'd used low grade wiring, overloaded the circuits instead of spreading the load out, so now things trip, and the network wiring was the bare minimum for connection, ie, not a whole cable to each port. Just mentioning this sort of stuff so you know it DOES happen... don't want to be one.

As others have said, don't go for some architects dream. Keep it simple and solid, and you shouldn't have too many issues. Remember to maintain...

Laava
20th June 2013, 18:29
Don't buy any shit of TM and expect a tradesman to be happy about fitting it. :brick:

Amen to that brother!
Look into going off grid, find out how expensive it is!
Be careful choosing claddings as well. I am currently helping a mate clad a house in No1 grade finger jointed pine 8" bevel back weatherboards. In this damp weather pattern they are turning to shit. Not impressed.
Double glazing will pay the biggest dividend in terms of keeping in the heat and keeping out the noise. It is now becoming much more mainstream and thus cost effective.

Hitcher
20th June 2013, 18:38
Hire somebody extremely dodgy, let them sodomise you every which way, and then sell your story to reality television for megabucks.

Maha
20th June 2013, 18:43
Hire somebody extremely dodgy, let them sodomise you every which way, and then sell your story to reality television for megabucks.

Cowboys no longer lives in the area though.

BMWST?
20th June 2013, 18:53
Amen to that brother!
Look into going off grid, find out how expensive it is!
Be careful choosing claddings as well. I am currently helping a mate clad a house in No1 grade finger jointed pine 8" bevel back weatherboards. In this damp weather pattern they are turning to shit. Not impressed.
Double glazing will pay the biggest dividend in terms of keeping in the heat and keeping out the noise. It is now becoming much more mainstream and thus cost effective.

its more than mainstream in some localities it the only way to meet the building regulations for insulation

mashman
20th June 2013, 19:03
Hire somebody extremely dodgy, let them sodomise you every which way, and then sell your story to reality television for megabucks.

Ahhhh bollocks... seems like I missed out on a money making opportunity.

unstuck
20th June 2013, 19:19
You can get these in a kitset.:yes:

http://www.tehuiakaurifarm.co.nz/uploads///Log%20Building%20Tehuia/3Nov11318640pix.gif

SMOKEU
20th June 2013, 19:51
Build underground. It will be cheaper to heat in winter, cheaper to cool in summer, and doubles as a storm or air raid shelter.

Laava
20th June 2013, 20:22
its more than mainstream in some localities it the only way to meet the building regulations for insulation

Correct. It is all part of the building envelope matrix calcs.

Ocean1
20th June 2013, 20:40
Read up on passive solar design, make your south wall almost windowless, design a heat sink in your living area to collect the warmth of the day, a large conservatory with glasshouse attached to the living area, draw in heat from ceilings

This. Think BRANZ had a tolerably comprehensive brochure thingy that was worth reading.

Oh, and spend some extra to get a site facing N to NNW.

With a stream.

And a couple of paddocks, for a wee dirt track...

PS: pay someone else to handle compliance issues, if you try it yourself you'll end up in pokey.


You can get these in a kitset.:yes:

Nice. Where from?

Swoop
20th June 2013, 20:41
Avoid any products with "James Hardie" on them.

dangerous
20th June 2013, 20:49
Just out for any and all advice, be it good, bad or otherwise.....the Yods are considering building so interested to hear from those in the trade or others who have gone through it....

good/bad products/materials? good/bad design decisions/options? let's have it.....

LOL... I always like listening to the banter of peoples building beliefs, some misguided some right on the nail ohhh I did a pun...
Mr yod any further questions ask away, 1st decide what you can afford and what you like http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php/9149-dangerous-s-latest-creation?highlight=dangerous+creation

mashman
20th June 2013, 21:14
Don't build in weather like this... some poor sod's house is unbuilding itself down the road. The fire brigade have been there to secure as much as they can, but we saw a part of their roof whip past the window and next door have their pink batts in the garden. Oh, and someone down the road has acquired a trampoline.

yod
20th June 2013, 23:15
Don't buy any shit of TM and expect a tradesman to be happy about fitting it. :brick:
....I was gonna give you a call shortly.....

How big is yer plot? Got any hills you can build into for insulation? yadda yadda yadda

Edit: and Cat 5 the house with a port in each room.
1.3 hectares (if we get it) yes it has a hill but the building platform is not on it....

Like any project, know and scope what you want from the outset. Altering along the way or retrofitting can be costly. Building from scratch is an excellent way to incorporate all the little things you want, and it's cheaper than trying to renovate an older house etc.

Touching on what Maha said, and just like motorbikes, you can get the good brands and then you get the cheap brands. Why do we avoid the cheap chinese bikes? They're crap. Same thing with building products (and everything else). Get a reputable builder, and find out what kind of warranty you can expect, should things go wrong. Document all communication (shouldn't need to be said, but there you go... make sure).

Don't try cutting corners, but you'd be surprised what some have found. Friends of my brother bought a house that turned out to be built by asian builders (not first owners). Found they'd used low grade wiring, overloaded the circuits instead of spreading the load out, so now things trip, and the network wiring was the bare minimum for connection, ie, not a whole cable to each port. Just mentioning this sort of stuff so you know it DOES happen... don't want to be one.

As others have said, don't go for some architects dream. Keep it simple and solid, and you shouldn't have too many issues. Remember to maintain...
yeah, trying to plan as much as I can, (measure twice, cut once, etc)

Hire somebody extremely dodgy, let them sodomise you every which way, and then sell your story to reality television for megabucks.
....I was gonna give you a call shortly.....

Cowboys no longer lives in the area though.
....so now's the perfect time to build as all property values have skyrocketed :lol:

This. Think BRANZ had a tolerably comprehensive brochure thingy that was worth reading.

Oh, and spend some extra to get a site facing N to NNW.

With a stream.

And a couple of paddocks, for a wee dirt track...

yep we can pretty much face the house the way we want so all good there, might need a CRF to climb the hill methinks:2thumbsup

LOL... I always like listening to the banter of peoples building beliefs, some misguided some right on the nail ohhh I did a pun...
Mr yod any further questions ask away, 1st decide what you can afford and what you like http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php/9149-dangerous-s-latest-creation?highlight=dangerous+creation
cheers ears, will do

unstuck
21st June 2013, 05:36
This. Think BRANZ had a tolerably comprehensive brochure thingy that was worth reading.

Oh, and spend some extra to get a site facing N to NNW.

With a stream.

And a couple of paddocks, for a wee dirt track...

PS: pay someone else to handle compliance issues, if you try it yourself you'll end up in pokey.



Nice. Where from?

It is a nice house, we not allowed log buildings down here though. http://www.tehuia.co.nz/

scissorhands
21st June 2013, 09:52
I'm not a big fan of external skeletons, they are exposed to weather and drastically shorten the life of the structure.
In animals like tortoise or cockroach they are organic so self maintain and last forever.
Also the feng shui is usually poor in externally framed buildings.

I've been thinking:nya:

With a 2 level structure opposed to single level:
Roof area is halved
Foundation area is halved
Loss of floor area to stairwell

But with an external stairwell surrounded by a glasshouse on the northern side, a pleasant walk through the attached garden when transitioning levels

Also my initial comments regarding a sloping flat roof. Feng shui normally dictates that roof line allow downward forces of chi from the ionosphere to be harmoniously be met. A sloping flat roof may be less effective than a typical symmetrical pitch

I've never liked upstairs rooms with low walls and a sloping ceiling, normally seen in budget homes

I did a course in earth building. A 1 foot think rammed earth rear wall and 'normal' cladding to the north would be my pick for an outer skin. Though all this earthquake talk may make earth less attractive

As Smoky mentioned building into a hillside is great but in a high rainfall climate moisture damage and proofing is an issue

Paul in NZ
21st June 2013, 10:11
When we built our house our uncle who is a old timer master builder’ gave us this advice.

A house is a box with an inverted V roof on top and overhanging the walls. Keep it simple; build generous eaves to protect the walls and avoid a flat roof or internal gutters and you will be fine.

BMWST?
21st June 2013, 10:15
I'm not a big fan of external skeletons, they are exposed to weather and drastically shorten the life of the structure.
In animals like tortoise or cockroach they are organic so self maintain and last forever.
Also the feng shui is usually poor in externally framed buildings.

I've been thinking:nya:

With a 2 level structure opposed to single level:
Roof area is halved
Foundation area is halved
Loss of floor area to stairwell



but half the floor area has to be suspended with spans large enough to allow the room configuration you want downstairs.These days that means large open plan rooms so large spans=large joists=large beams,large point loads=more expensive foundation and bracing issues downstairs

george formby
21st June 2013, 11:02
How exciting, building a new whare. Apart from what has been mentioned about efficiency & insulation, top priority for comfort & long term cost savings IMHO, think about how you live. We are renovating, no, don't laugh, an old cottage & started our game plan with how & where we live. Our resources are going into the parts of the house which we spend the most time in. Pointless spending a fortune on the bathroom for 30 minutes a day use (not me..), same for the bedrooms, probably about an hour a day awake in them, if you read that is.
Get a damn good builder who is happy to work with you & be project manager, organising the sparkies, roofers, insulators, consents, materials blah blah. You can save with a good builder if you do a lot of the donkey work. Holding the end, making tea, pushing the broom etc.
Think long term too, don't build problems for yourself. Make sure plumbing, pumps, drainage etc can be easily maintained in the future. I've been trying to find a blocked pipe for 3 months...
All the best with the purchase!

HenryDorsetCase
21st June 2013, 11:15
stick to a traditional house shape with a decent roof pitch and good overhangs and get the most insulation you can get.if you can afford some solar water heating or even some pv panels thats good,but even so get a house design that is as energy efficient as poss.I reckon this will be money in the bank in the future

Double glazing and make sure that there is a thermal break between the exterior and interior. More insulation will reward you better than fruit like solar water or PV panels. You need a bigger garage. Get it insulated and lined as well.

orient for sun and wind protection.

The best piece of advice I can give anyone is CHECK THE BUILDER OUT. Ignore those shiny franchise ads. In particular steer clear of GJ Gardner. Here's a thing: you deal with a local franchisee but you have responded to a national "brand" advertising campaign. When it turns to shit the national franchisee WILL NOT WANT TO KNOW unless and until they are on Fair Go or Campbell Live. The only way you can know is to ask who will be building and check the fuck up on the builder by ringing people he has built for. If they wont give you references like that, run, don't walk away.

Check up on them not less than weekly. The most telling thing to me is if the site is tidy and squared away. If it is a midden with rubbish everywhere, and messy and untidy it is becuase no one gives a fuck and its your $300k build that is going down the shitter.

Try and avoid paying ahead. Most contracts provide that you pay a "deposit" then progress payments. Usually the deposit more than covers the P & G and up to slab pour or whatever then they ding you again. the problem with paying ahead is when they go tits up half way thru the build (and they will. or at least they might: plan accordingly) you are an unsecured creditor.

I cannot stress this point enough. BUY THE LAND FIRST. that way you own the dirt and they are improving your property. If you are paying for the land and build at the end pay no more money than you can afford to walk away from when they go bust half way through the build.

Mr Flyingcrocodile46 is the most informed and educated poster on this forum on building matters. Listen to him.

Most builders I have met (or who are clients) are great: hardworking, honest, straight shooters. If you dont know your builder then you need to hope they are too. But plan for the worst.

HenryDorsetCase
21st June 2013, 11:19
I'm not a big fan of external skeletons, they are exposed to weather and drastically shorten the life of the structure.
In animals like tortoise or cockroach they are organic so self maintain and last forever.
Also the feng shui is usually poor in externally framed buildings.


"feng shui"


really?

and you're an architect or structural engineer are you? Making sweeping comments about external frames like that you would need to be, obviously.

george formby
21st June 2013, 11:38
Very pertinent Mr Case. I'm using two builders, a big one & a little one. That describes the work they are doing, not them. Both are local, have lived here for generations & have excellent reputations. They have the answers to questions I have not thought of yet. They save me a lot of money & hassle too.

scissorhands
21st June 2013, 13:34
but half the floor area has to be suspended with spans large enough to allow the room configuration you want downstairs.These days that means large open plan rooms so large spans=large joists=large beams,large point loads=more expensive foundation and bracing issues downstairs

True, but thermal efficiency is greater in a 2 level home, meaning long term gains. In a cold climate, opening the door to upstairs 30min before sleep, means living room heat can move upward to bedrooms. In northern europe 2 level is preferred over single, but high density land use would contribute too as is the push in aucks ATM

Also savings in roofing and foundations should easily offset beams/bracing
And much dryer bedrooms away from concrete slabs and wet ground mean a healthier family

scissorhands
21st June 2013, 13:57
"feng shui"
really?
Making sweeping comments

pot kettle black?

HenryDorsetCase
21st June 2013, 15:18
pot kettle black?

specifically?

and are you an engineer or architect?

scissorhands
21st June 2013, 16:25
specifically?

and are you an engineer or architect?

Is not a wholesale dismissal of an ancient art a sweeping generalisation?
Electrician with an engineer dad [I was a drop out]

External skeleton structures are very few and for good reason
Exposed supports will weather much quicker when exposed outside the structure

Feng Shui is not taught to modern architects in schools...
I think the masons would incorporate golden geometric laws but recently now almost forgotten?
A small percentage[maybe greater] of new homes are totally wrong, design wise

gwigs
21st June 2013, 16:47
Block base ,brick veneer,tile roof..equals not too much maintenance...
I,m biased though as bricklaying is my trade.Or was..

dangerous
21st June 2013, 17:10
Feng Shui is not taught to modern architects in schools...you are talking bout the chink (no offence ment call me a ginga) beliefs of facing ther shitter in a certain direction for fuck know whys reason aye?




pot kettle black?serious tho... whats that fon sway shit got to do with anything?


Ignore those shiny franchise ads. In particular steer clear of GJ Gardner. Here's a thing: you deal with a local franchisee but you have responded to a national "brand" advertising campaign. When it turns to shit the national franchisee WILL NOT WANT TO KNOW unless and until they are on Fair Go or Campbell Live.
yeah but the kiwi way is to take the chepest offer... kiwis forget ya get what ya pay for and its usually cos they want more than they need and can aford.




Get a damn good builder who is happy to work with you & be project manager, organising the sparkies, roofers, insulators, consents, materials blah blah. You can save with a good builder if you do a lot of the donkey work.hang on explain beter befor I commet... you say good builder "who" IS project manager... then you say do donky work yaself... do you mean be the project manager?

unstuck
21st June 2013, 22:15
Just found an awesome idea for a cheap bush batch.:2thumbsup

http://sneil.typepad.com/.a/6a00e54f91645288340153908887c2970b-320wi

scissorhands
21st June 2013, 23:21
Just found an awesome idea for a cheap bush batch.:2thumbsup


Emf screening from the reinforcing steel and easy to roll around the sit and relocate. Some fella might roll of with your home...

I'm pretty keen on this idea below. I've been thinking about creating forms and pouring earth cement mixes
I guess the steel makes them non fatal in an earthquake
I bet they are cheap [and fast] to build too


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yw9YvcV8vWk

JimO
22nd June 2013, 11:16
as others have said steer clear of the housing companies, get a good builder who will be on site 99% of the time

mashman
22nd June 2013, 12:02
I'm pretty keen on this idea below. I've been thinking about creating forms and pouring earth cement mixes
I guess the steel makes them non fatal in an earthquake
I bet they are cheap [and fast] to build too

Yup, been thinking similar for a few years now... part of the reason I asked how much space he has. You can build them put of sandbags too then spray with concrete. There's a training school in California that teaches those skills and I'm waiting to have a chat with a gent who has family locally that attended the school. The Japs do some interesting constructions in regards to kits that come in pieces (me like) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtJki5fdp-8). There's fuckloads of stuff out there. A company in the US sells the joining pieces triangle that make up dome panels for about 10k.

scissorhands
22nd June 2013, 13:30
Yup, been thinking similar for a few years now... part of the reason I asked how much space he has. You can build them put of sandbags too then spray with concrete. There's a training school in California that teaches those skills and I'm waiting to have a chat with a gent who has family locally that attended the school. The Japs do some interesting constructions in regards to kits that come in pieces (me like) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtJki5fdp-8). There's fuckloads of stuff out there. A company in the US sells the joining pieces triangle that make up dome panels for about 10k.

Time for some Roman cement?

Its possible for a guy and a few mates to make a good 100yr plus lifespan family home with minimal maintenance, superior thermal regulation and less environmental damage.... all for under $20k

And it will be more enjoyable and healthier for human habitation, and it cost you $20k:2thumbsup

If you stiffened one of those domes up, the kids could ride minibikes all over it
Next the teardrop 3 wheeler 300kg car that gets 700mpg
Auckland to Welly for $5

jellywrestler
22nd June 2013, 13:33
most insulation you can get. a lot of modern insulations arent rated for the new downlight standards inc pink batts so if you have downlights you'll have to pick the right rating of insualtion or have a 200mm gap to insulation which is a piss off

jellywrestler
22nd June 2013, 13:34
How big is yer plot? Got any hills you can build into for insulation? yadda yadda yadda

Edit: and Cat 5 the house with a port in each room. thats so last year
cat 6 is the jizz

Laava
22nd June 2013, 17:07
Time for some Roman cement?

Its possible for a guy and a few mates to make a good 100yr plus lifespan family home with minimal maintenance, superior thermal regulation and less environmental damage.... all for under $20k

And it will be more enjoyable and healthier for human habitation, and it cost you $20k:2thumbsup

If you stiffened one of those domes up, the kids could ride minibikes all over it
Next the teardrop 3 wheeler 300kg car that gets 700mpg
Auckland to Welly for $5

You would probably have to pay at least 10k to an engineer to get that through council and they are going to want 3k off you for a start. Still think you can get a dwelling suitable for a family for under 20k?
You will be paying a minimum of 10k for a houselot of semi reasonable joinery.

Laava
22nd June 2013, 17:11
as others have said steer clear of the housing companies, get a good builder who will be on site 99% of the time

Not at all. But you need to be vigilant. I used to work for one of NZs biggest group housing companies and you would struggle to do better, apples for apples, doing it on your own. Plus all you have to do is choose fixtures and colours, no organising tradies.
Horses for courses.

mashman
22nd June 2013, 17:58
Time for some Roman cement?

Its possible for a guy and a few mates to make a good 100yr plus lifespan family home with minimal maintenance, superior thermal regulation and less environmental damage.... all for under $20k

And it will be more enjoyable and healthier for human habitation, and it cost you $20k:2thumbsup

If you stiffened one of those domes up, the kids could ride minibikes all over it
Next the teardrop 3 wheeler 300kg car that gets 700mpg
Auckland to Welly for $5

heh heh... the roman concrete would definitely be on the list should the recipe be made available, quick trip down the coast road for some volcanic sand et la, strong as houses. I've watched a few vids on how they're made and it doesn't look too hard iffen ye have a professional builder guiding yas. It'd be great to do, just need to make the right set of circumstances available to us.


thats so last year
cat 6 is the jizz

fuckin cable monkey.


You would probably have to pay at least 10k to an engineer to get that through council and they are going to want 3k off you for a start. Still think you can get a dwelling suitable for a family for under 20k?
You will be paying a minimum of 10k for a houselot of semi reasonable joinery.

meh, if the white man needs his wad of cash to allow me to live in one, then the white man shall have his wad of cash. Much easier if it were all free :blip:

gwigs
22nd June 2013, 18:00
as others have said steer clear of the housing companies, get a good builder who will be on site 99% of the time

Ask around usually the best builders don,t need to advertise ,word of mouth and good service usually gets them work.
If you lived in Auck I could recommend a few...

Laava
22nd June 2013, 18:16
meh, if the white man needs his wad of cash to allow me to live in one, then the white man shall have his wad of cash. Much easier if it were all free :blip:[/QUOTE]

Of course, should you choose to build outside of the consent parameters, things are VERY different and you can build a cheap house. But you can't get away with it in a built up area.

mashman
22nd June 2013, 18:18
Of course, should you choose to build outside of the consent parameters, things are VERY different and you can build a cheap house. But you can't get away with it in a built up area.

Yeah, if I was gonna try anything like that it'd cost me more than 10k to buy the missus off :sweatdrop

Smifffy
25th June 2013, 18:47
Some good ideas and discussion over here: http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=145073

Be warned, it's a mammoth thread and easy to just keep reading and reading. When you see the winter conditions you begin to understand the importance of the insulation to the project.

JimO
25th June 2013, 20:04
Not at all. But you need to be vigilant. I used to work for one of NZs biggest group housing companies and you would struggle to do better, apples for apples, doing it on your own. Plus all you have to do is choose fixtures and colours, no organising tradies.
Horses for courses.
they have a habit of going tits up, pick the lowest price or screw people down so the best job isnt what your going to get

Laava
25th June 2013, 21:06
they have a habit of going tits up, pick the lowest price or screw people down so the best job isnt what your going to get

Same as any other business, bank or investor etc.
My experience working for them as both a contractor and also as supervisor tells me that most times they are people of integrity pricing a job competitively to make a profit. what is wrong with that? Most tradesman don't allow themselves to get screwed down, rather compromise on their price based on a continuance of work or other factors. Of course there are always going to be people that will rip you off or go under because of their own stupidity and that can hurt..That has happened to me also. Was David Reid homes. The clients never missed out tho, their houses were all done. A million dollars never made into many accounts. Up until that time the money was good so there you go, it can just go tits up. You would struggle to build a comparable home cheaper than the likes of Jennian, GJ, Golden Homes for example. You just may be a bit more restricted with design etc
But you cannot beat a good reference either way, that is for sure. If you know people who have had a good experience, they are the best people to take advice from.

BMWST?
25th June 2013, 21:09
as a supplier to a few companies like GJ Garrdner etc i can tell you we give them a very good deal.They build many houses a year with us so why wouldnt we?Those savings are built into their pricing

Laava
25th June 2013, 22:56
GJ Garrdner

Their scottish branch?

BMWST?
25th June 2013, 23:01
Their scottish branch?
yes the ones who really get you value! :killingme

jim.cox
26th June 2013, 06:06
Block base ,brick veneer,tile roof..equals not too much maintenance...
.

But not so good in earthquakes :(

Wood and Tin for me

dangerous
26th June 2013, 07:10
That has happened to me also. Was David Reid homes. missed a bit there, you had a house built or you worked for?
Many a year ago I built for them (artecual rather than basics), quality was good organisation was good... then as below



the likes of Jennian, GJ, Golden Homes, Horncastle for example.These days I wouldnt go near them, mainley due to the age of those building, and this is about here in canterbury due to most decent builders moving on to desk jobs cos of the quakes... now young dickheads build these houses, if they are not smoking pot on the job then tey are asleep in the corner, eg I was on a horncastle site the other day and the 'boys' there had no idea, couldnt even work out how to make and fit a head flashing to the meter box...
canterbury building has to be different to elsewere in NZ, Id expect there quality would be beter.

unstuck
26th June 2013, 07:52
Quality of training must of gone down or something within the building industry. We have a childcare center across the road from us that got extensive work done last year. Part of that work was to install a 6ft high wooden fence around the property, at the time I commented on the construction methods to my wife, the posts just looked too far apart. 100x100 wooden posts, spaced at around 3....3 1/2 mtrs with two 100x50 rails between the posts and 150x 25 wooden boards to finish it off. Whats happened to the fence???

Anybody care to guess.:2thumbsup

Ocean1
26th June 2013, 08:09
Quality of training must of gone down or something within the building industry. We have a childcare center across the road from us that got extensive work done last year. Part of that work was to install a 6ft high wooden fence around the property, at the time I commented on the construction methods to my wife, the posts just looked too far apart. 100x100 wooden posts, spaced at around 3....3 1/2 mtrs with two 100x50 rails between the posts and 150x 25 wooden boards to finish it off. Whats happened to the fence???

Anybody care to guess.:2thumbsup

Fell over.

One of mine is the same spec's, but posts at 1.8M.

There used to be universally known and understood standards covering such basic stuff. What happened?

oneofsix
26th June 2013, 08:13
Fell over.

One of mine is the same spec's, but posts at 1.8M.

There used to be universally known and understood standards covering such basic stuff. What happened?

Still is, just pick up a pamphlet from Mitre 10 or Placemakers, the councils even used to have pamphlets for this basic stuff.

My guess is that the Childcare Centre have a fence to rebuild.

unstuck
26th June 2013, 08:14
Got sags worse than a grannys titties, looks hideous. All the weight between the posts with minimum support from rails. Would of maybe worked out alright if they would of run a concrete footing between the posts to support the bottoms of the 150x25 pailings. There are no gaps between the boards, so the rails are full loaded. I could see it happening as the put it up.:brick: The way in which they have left the airconditioners sitting on a couple of 4x2 boxing pegs nailed to the roof, does not look good from here either.:killingme

Smifffy
26th June 2013, 09:17
Something of a showcase, and a some liberal advertising, but quite interesting nonetheless http://passivehouse1nz.blogspot.co.nz/

Big Dave
26th June 2013, 14:29
<iframe width="480" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/KwIe_sjKeAY?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>