Red LBP Building Inspections - Auckland Central West

22/05/2026

Moisture will always find a way in. Even the smallest fault in the construction of building or a lack or maintenance and repairs will result in moisture trying to destroy your investment. I have seen this issue on other buildings with this joinery detail so knew what I would find on the inside when I saw the gaps to the exterior seals.

09/05/2026

Cheap fixes and corner cutting can be a real risk to potential property owners. These quick coverup repairs can hide expensive damage that will come back to bite a new owner. Filler covering rot in timber joinery or painted flashing tape where it doesn't belong will require significant repairs in the future.

18/04/2026

There have been some questions and comments about direct fixed and monolithic clad buildings here lately. There has been some misinformation shared hopefully out of ignorance about the lack of risks associated with these types of builds.

Yes older weatherboard homes can be called direct fixed. (No drained cavity behind the boards) In the trade they are just not called direct fixed. They are what they are. These builds do not offer the same high risk that plaster homes with no cavity do.

Plaster homes with a smooth plaster finish constructed between 1985 - 2005 before the changes to the NZ Building Code with no cavity are called "Monolithic clad" or "Leaky homes"

These buildings have a high risk of moisture ingress and associated damage. They cannot be judged solely on whether elevated moisture levels are found. It is much more complicated than this. The bank will require a Weathertight Inspection for these. As a NZIBI registered inspector this is something I can do.

These are not the types of homes FHB should be looking at. The cladding type must be explained by the agent. If they are all you can afford save for longer or look at a cheaper neighbourhood.

EIFS "Exterior insulated finish system" builds have a polystyrene sheet with thin plaster over the top. While not the worst type of Monolithic cladding system are still something to avoid like the plague.

11/04/2026

Your home is the most expensive thing you will ever own. You will slave away at your job to pay for it over your career. It is the safe haven you will come home to everyday. You will rely on it to partially fund your retirement. It makes sense to protect it so it will hold its value maybe even increase. How do you protect it?

By carrying out maintenance. Not just reactively when you notice something is wrong but proactively. Clean the weatherboards to remove algae and the roof to remove lichen. Repainting your timber joinery before cracks occur that can let in moisture.

So often I inspect homes that have had no love for 10 or more years. And yes things get rotten. Moisture is the biggest destroyer. This home had been a rental and the owner lived offshore so no one was looking after things. Now all that rent money was going to have to be used to replace and repair problems that could have been avoided.

06/04/2026

Who looks in a roof space when you do a walk through a potential home? No one I bet. And you are not expected to, that’s what you pay me for. Out of sight out of mind really does apply here. Missing insulation, unsecured electrical wires, range hood and bathroom vent ducting not connected to the outside, leaks, rotten and broken timbers unconsented works you name it I have found it. Even dead stuff.

This is a great example. Heaps of condensation on the underside of the roofing because the underlay has been removed. Wet timber ceilings in the wardrobes first alerted me to a potential issue.

Please guys do your due diligence before you invest 30 yrs of your future earnings in a new home.

06/04/2026

It's all wet up there.

Who looks in a roof space when you do a walk through a potential home? No one I bet. And you are not expected to, that’s what you pay me for. Out of sight out of mind really does apply here. Missing insulation, unsecured electrical wires, range hood and bathroom vent ducting not connected to the outside, leaks, rotten and broken timbers unconsented works you name it I have found it. Even dead stuff.

This is a great example. Heaps of condensation on the underside of the roofing because the underlay has been removed. Wet timber ceilings in the wardrobes first alerted me to a potential issue.

Please guys do your due diligence before you invest 30 yrs of your future earnings in a new home.

21/03/2026

We all have our own personal and professional skills. I probably couldn’t do your job. That's why there is no shame in asking for professional help when making the biggest financial decision of your life.

When buying a new home you expect that the proper checks have been made during its construction. That the designers and constructors know about the NZ Building Code and applicable NZ
Standards. That unfortunately was not the case here.

The slope of the ground surrounding the concrete slab and the drainage at this new build were wrong in so many ways.

Yet it passed its final inspection and had a Code Compliance Certificate (CCC) issued. Disappointing!

To correct my video the Gully trap rim height above an unpaved surface should be 75mm not 100mm my mistake NZBC G13 Foul Water. 3.3.1 Figure 2.

15/03/2026

Check out this helpful article in Trademe property. I was listed as the 2nd best Auckland Builidng Inspector by Google Reviews. The winner has multiple guys working for them so not a bad result. Thanks to all my clients for contributing to my 5 Star Google review rating. Not all the facts in the artlcle are correct but my number of 5 Star Reviews is.

If you need to get a building inspection in Auckland it can be hard to choose. To make it easier we’ve ranked providers based on online reviews.

05/03/2026

You would assume that new build would mean new. You know everything would be as new, sparkly ready for action not needing any work done for years to come. That the constructor and their contractors would carry out their work to if not the best standard, then an ok one.

The reality sadly is far from that expectation. On so many new builds I inspect not even the minimum is achieved. The code clauses of the NZ Building Code are not met and the various NZ Standards are treated like a game to be bettered or ignored.

This cladding will in places need to be replaced and the rest stripped back and repainted correctly. I pity the owners of the other 7 units who will have the same issue and not realise it until the cladding rots and fails. That cost will far exceed the price of a prepurchase building inspection.

12/02/2026

There are 7 LBP licensing classes in NZ Construction. One of these is Brick and Block laying. You would expect that the LBP overseeing or better carrying out this work would know what they were doing. Obviously not.

These bricks have been not only been poorly laid with uneven mortar joints those same joints area outside the NZS 4210:2001 tolerance of 10mm +/- 3mm. So 13mm is the absolute max size and should be considered the exception not the rule.

Unfortunately this type of poor quality has for me become not unexpected. Our NZ trades must do a better job.