Leaky buildings. Thinking of buying a post '95 home? Own one?

[Swoop]

water has a ability to drag its self in and up...

Term of the day: Capillary action.

[ellipsis]

I am skeptical of Linea's durability as it is unproven, HOWEVER, if the boards are installed correctly on cavity battens, then no, there should be no moisture ingress. It is believed that Linea *could* suffer from delineation, however I have not heard of a single case yet. (However, watch this space with interest).
It is manufactured very differently from the fibre cement sheet panels that have caused a large amount of the leaking issues, namely it is manufactured as a composite under pressure whereas fibre cement sheets were manufactured via layering of a cement/wood fibre blend.

On the timber front, I don't buy into this at all. There is nothing wrong with our pinus radiata trees. Installing kiln dried, chemical free timber however was a very stupid move. All structural timber installed now is stress gauged and required to be minimum H1.2 treated. It is now normal for all windows, lintels, top and bottom plates to be H3 treated.
The growth rate of timber is because we grow timber in a region that is generally warmer than other timber producing regions of the world such as the Northern USA and Canada. Our buildings are engineered around the stress gauged strength of our timber.
Nothing wrong with our weatherboards either. Timber exposed to the elements needs maintenance no matter where in the world it comes from. Timber has always suffered from rot and insects in particular, the only way to counter this is with property maintenance. Many older houses used hard woods both native and exotic for framing, fascia boards, weather boards etc. and they too suffer from rot, maybe at different rates, but the issue is still there.
I have spent a reasonable amount of time in different parts of the world and have looked at building methods wherever I have been, simply out of interest as it is my profession and I love architecture, design and construction. I can say with my hand on my heart that our building standards (leaky building issues excluded) are some of the very best in the world. Our level of finishes particularly is quite high compared to regions of Europe, Africa, Asia and even Aussie.

If you don't like timber (and some don't) then build out of masonry. Personally I think we don't building enough residential property out of concrete and steel. It doesn't have to be minimalist and cold in design either!

....like you, i am nearly 40 years in the trade...love it and it is without doubt , the only thing i can comment on, with some kind of knowledge... with a lifetime of learning from mistakes and watching the modern technologies come, and often go...
...like all trades, the rules of engagement dont change...preparation, adhering to the rules and doing it 'right', pay dividends in the long run...in the case of the new products, a 'she'll be right' , attitude is the quickest way to the products failure...in saying that...the product driven mentalities of the manufacturers and suppliers and a bunch of rule makers who are easily swayed by backhanders from big business, to give the green light to fairly suspect and relatively untried products, dont help....

....and yes, there is always the problem of the trade being so easy to get into these days....just 'cos you own a hammer, shouldn't give you the right to be able to swing it, and call yourself a carpenter...

[Laava]

I am skeptical of Linea's durability as it is unproven, HOWEVER, if the boards are installed correctly on cavity battens, then no, there should be no moisture ingress.
!

Recently went on a junket to James Hardie and when we got to the subject of Linea delaminating they were quite forthcoming about it. What you don't get is how many and how likely etc. The cavity battens will have no effect on the water proofing, they are there primarily to allow a breathable space between linings and framing. They also have a weakness, mainly that they will end up being loose IMO. Having built quite a few of these myself it is interesting to see how loose they get after they have been in place for about a month. Normally they would be covered in by this time tho. So the upshot of that is more movement. Now you always get movement and limiting the movement as much as possible, by having well nailed corners and around windows etc is essential. I believe this is the downside to cavity battens. Not necessarily a problem tho, but more likely to let water in. The old school window facings and scribers were very good in this regard as they did not rely on sealant.
Now you are also required to put in an airseal around the windows and doors to limit airborne moisture and water ingress. IMO one of the most positive changes to come about in recent years.
Which brings us back to sealants. Brilliant stuff, but very limited and essentially only good as a gasket. Avoid at all cost have a sealant join in the sun and/or weather.

[BMWST?]

Recently went on a junket to James Hardie and when we got to the subject of Linea delaminating they were quite forthcoming about it. What you don't get is how many and how likely etc. The cavity battens will have no effect on the water proofing, they are there primarily to allow a breathable space between linings and framing. They also have a weakness, mainly that they will end up being loose IMO. Having built quite a few of these myself it is interesting to see how loose they get after they have been in place for about a month. Normally they would be covered in by this time tho. So the upshot of that is more movement. Now you always get movement and limiting the movement as much as possible, by having well nailed corners and around windows etc is essential. I believe this is the downside to cavity battens. Not necessarily a problem tho, but more likely to let water in. The old school window facings and scribers were very good in this regard as they did not rely on sealant.
Now you are also required to put in an airseal around the windows and doors to limit airborne moisture and water ingress. IMO one of the most positive changes to come about in recent years.
Which brings us back to sealants. Brilliant stuff, but very limited and essentially only good as a gasket. Avoid at all cost have a sealant join in the sun and/or weather.

the cavity is there to provide some ventilation behind the cladding,and to let the water drop straight out if it gets past the cladding.The battens should be installed over the studs so i cant see how they can be loose.Lots of timber around openings.to fix to.

[BMWST?]

All structural timber installed now is stress gauged and required to be minimum H1.2 treated. It is now normal for all windows, lintels, top and bottom plates to be H3 treated.

Nope,there are still very low risk applications where CF is accepted.H3.1 lintels and bottom plates are normal but are not actually required.(unless you want NOT to install dpc but why would ya?)
H3 lintels are common cos prenail plants will keep wides in H3.1 rather than have stocks of CF H1.2 and H3.1,and engineered lintels are quite often h3.1 or h3.2 only.Dont see h3.1 openings much round here,sometimes its asked for

[Ocean1]

Slightly off topic, but the old dear up the road asked me the other day: "How do you fix swollen windowsills?"

If anyone knows who's bright idea mdf window trim was I'd like a brief chat.

[Woodman]

Ok then what basic things can a layman like me look for to check whether my house may be leaky or not. Are some areas in NZ worse than others?

Which type of house is most at risk? Ours is 15 years old , 2 storey has big eaves, high angle roof and old skool wooden windows, no concrete floor and is on a hill. To me it seems pretty well built, but this thread has got me thinking.

What should i be looking out for externally/internally. All this talk about flashings etc goes way over my head.

So many questions.

[merv]

Slightly off topic, but the old dear up the road asked me the other day: "How do you fix swollen windowsills?"

If anyone knows who's bright idea mdf window trim was I'd like a brief chat.

You're right on there. Even having the stuff in kitchen and laundry cabinets is ridiculous because one day the dishwasher or the washing machine leaks, the cabinets soak up the water and instant swelling at a better rate than I imagine viagra can achieve.

[dangerous]

You're right on there. Even having the stuff in kitchen and laundry cabinets is ridiculous because one day the dishwasher or the washing machine leaks, the cabinets soak up the water and instant swelling at a better rate than I imagine viagra can achieve.

MDF is a head fuk... not alowed to day in windows and I dont reconmend it in any wet areas.

Ok then what basic things can a layman like me look for to check whether my house may be leaky or not. Are some areas in NZ worse than others?

Which type of house is most at risk? Ours is 15 years old , 2 storey has big eaves, high angle roof and old skool wooden windows, no concrete floor and is on a hill. To me it seems pretty well built, but this thread has got me thinking.

It be fine.

hey look the give aways come to late... by the time it shows inside the house is fucked, outside look for rot, swelling, bubbles etc.

Nope,there are still very low risk applications where CF is accepted.H3.1 lintels and bottom plates are normal but are not actually required.(unless you want NOT to install dpc but why would ya?)
H3 lintels are common cos prenail plants will keep wides in H3.1 rather than have stocks of CF H1.2 and H3.1,and engineered lintels are quite often h3.1 or h3.2 only.Dont see h3.1 openings much round here,sometimes its asked for

again, treatment is CRAP... only there to cover the councils arse again why? cos we build leaking buildings, stop the leaks and no need for treatment... like the old days.

The cavity battens will have no effect on the water proofing, they are there primarily to allow a breathable space between linings and framing.
Now you are also required to put in an airseal around the windows and doors to limit airborne moisture and water ingress. IMO one of the most positive changes to come about in recent years.

cavity battens are ther so as any water gets in it will track down and out... we only do it to cover the councils arse.

air seal... a positive change, crap thats what the idea is... explain why 100yr old house still stand as do 40yr old houses, no air seal at all.. no leaks either... again bulshit from the council and an extra cost to the home builder. No need for em if we didnt build leaking buildings.

Which is what I built, about 18 years ago. With Douglas fir framing, wasn't too sure about that at the time but I believe it's still seen as an OK option.

that be Oragon... in NZ and IMO the best timber you can use to build and UNTREATED

too low?as long as joists 300 mm of the ground is ok( i think),conc slab should be at least 225 from ground,150 if paved.Thats nzs3604 not something the council should have to check

there is many different figgers, council dont use 3604 they have far larger instructions in this case G4. It isent so much the floor height that is the issue but the clearance of the cladding.
However YES it is just what they are ment to check... BUT remember we are talking about up to 15yr old buildings.

[Winston001]

Id like to add in a lot of cases to leaking homes are not helped by lazy owners, gutters need regular cleaning (pooling causes rust and over flow inside) My pet hate plants and bushes growing against walls, cause moss mould to grow it dosent take much for the worn paint (caused by wind rubbing plants on the wall) to then allow the sucking in procedure to happen...
.

Excellent point. But only because annual gutter cleaning is standard procedure for me. Again, not heaping up soil against the foundation is common sense except most home owners have never thought about it.

[BMWST?]

Ok then what basic things can a layman like me look for to check whether my house may be leaky or not. Are some areas in NZ worse than others?

Which type of house is most at risk? Ours is 15 years old , 2 storey has big eaves, high angle roof and old skool wooden windows, no concrete floor and is on a hill. To me it seems pretty well built, but this thread has got me thinking.

What should i be looking out for externally/internally. All this talk about flashings etc goes way over my head.

So many questions.

what is the cladding,sounds like an unlikely candidate tho

[sidecar bob]

Has there been any bad words about Titan Panel with regards to leaky homes?
I have an aprox 5 year old house clad virtually entirely in it, block basement, Titan upper.
Anything I should look out for?

[Laava]

the cavity is there to provide some ventilation behind the cladding,and to let the water drop straight out if it gets past the cladding.The battens should be installed over the studs so i cant see how they can be loose.Lots of timber around openings.to fix to.

That is the joy of timber for you!~ It does it's own thing and shrinks expands as it needs making itself loose on the nails holding it. One of the downsides of timber ceiling battens too.

[dangerous]

Has there been any bad words about Titan Panel with regards to leaky homes?
I have an aprox 5 year old house clad virtually entirely in it, block basement, Titan upper.
Anything I should look out for?

keep it well painted, if you have decent over hangs no worries for a while yet.

[Laava]

air seal... a positive change, crap thats what the idea is... explain why 100yr old house still stand as do 40yr old houses, no air seal at all.. no leaks either... again bulshit from the council and an extra cost to the home builder. No need for em if we didnt build leaking buildings..

Ah but the old houses did leak too, but as they were generally draughty they tended to dry up before they rotted. Also they had better timber for framig like rimu or even kauri. I am working on a historical bach at Oakura at the mo and it has been leaking for years and guess what? It has lots of rot and waterstains.
When you build new, the difference the air seal makes around the windows is very noticeable. It stops noise as well as air movement, but the air movement is the aim. I have gone back to putting facing boards around the windows and so far, touch wood, have had no issues. One in particular is very exposed and gets hammered by rain