Leaky Homes & Monolithic Cladding – 20 Years to Go??

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.

Monolithic Cladding Moisture Test – Leaky Building?

Are you considering buying a home with monolithic cladding?

Do you own a home with monolithic cladding?

Being in the business of testing homes and building for signs of moisture, I really can not stress enough the importance of getting a moisture test (in addition to a building inspection) before going unconditional on a property deal. One of todays inspections further confirms my thoughts…

A young couple called me this morning in a mad rush to get a moisture inspection on a property they have under contract. The lady said it was built in 1996 and has monolithic cladding. Before I continue, it’s important to note that not all monolithic cladding homes are leaky buildings… it’s just the last 3 homes i’ve inspected with this cladding have shown very high non-invasive moisture readings on walls that look immaculate to the human eye. It’s also important to note there are homes that aren’t made of monolithic that are leaky homes.

monolithic cladding

See this photo here. The moisture reading is well above what we are looking for… and it wasn’t just in this one place, there were readings like this all over the north facing wall of this place!

At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what type of cladding your home has, it can still leak if areas such as window joinery or the roof are showing signs fatique.

The couple I did this test for today said “Phew… we were about to put our life savings into that home”

Take your time and go through the motions… and don’t blame anyone else but yourself if you short-cut the logical pre purchase process and get caught out buying a lemon.

NZ website consumerbuild.org has further info about cladding types and risks here

 Contact us for a free quote today.