The leaky home statistics keep on coming… the key being not to buy one, or own one if possible!

So what’s in store for these leaking homes (leaky buildings) over the next 20 yrs or so?

There was an interesting article in the NZ Herald over the weekend that talks about the leaky home crisis, and how long it’s predicted to last before the mess is all tidied up. Greg O’Sullivan predicted these building issues where bound to happen back in 1994 after noticing “things weren’t built decently, or certain cladding types were not performing”. Put simply, if your home was built in the 90’s or early 2000’s, you could be living in a leaky home.

 On the same page of the Herald which features the above story, there’s also an article titled “Warranty hope for owners of mono-clad houses”. So why would a company specifically single out monolithic cladding homes to offer warranties on? Are monolithic clad homes of higher risk for moisture ingress and leaks, or is it the negative stigma involved with the looks of these homes? It appears their warranty is more to do with the stigma involved with these homes, which further confirms what I had mentioned in an NZ Herald article recently.

Not all homes with this type of cladding will leak… it can depend on the workmanship, if there’s a cavity system and how well he plaster finish is holding together.

A moisture inspection on your home is a very good precautionary measure if you haven’t had one in the past, and if anything, a peace of mind.