Why did the New Zealand building industry produce so many leaky homes and why did we keep producing them for decades?
When you read Leaky Homes Aotearoa NZ you will know what the reasons were. You will also understand why there are so many homes still leaking, what to look for and how to approach repairs and remedial works.
Consultants , contractors, banks, the government and councils all had their hands on the wheel of this $40b (and counting) car crash.
They need a greater understanding of not only the leaky home crisis but also what lead up to the crisis and why it's still happening now to ever hope of stopping the construction of leaky homes.
Written by an industry veteran who has spent 35 years in the trenches, Leaky Homes Aotearoa NZ exposes the systemic failures that have led to thousands of homes being built with weather tightness defects, with most still bought and sold today. Vaughan has built hundreds of homes either by himself, or with small teams or working for other building companies through the years. His career has included being an assessor for the licensed building practioner scheme, surviving through the global financial crash, voluntary redundancy as a result of the GFC, liquidation of a medium sized building company after the covid 19 pandemic, project management and construction of multi-million dollar commercial projects and high end architectural homes for prestigious architects and designers. Vaughan has worked from ground up construction of The Rees Hotel in Queenstown in the South Island of New Zealand to renovation of the Pakanae Marae in Opononi in the Far North. Currently living and working in Whangarei on renovations, weathertightness repairs, alterations and roof repairs. Writing Leaky Homes Aotearoa NZ has taken over 15 years and much has changed around the understanding of leaky homes. The problems are the same.
Leaky Homes Aotearoa NZ isn't just another government padded brochure or industry produced advisory manual. It’s a no holds barred look at how misguided over-regulation, as well as knee jerk solutions have allowed successive governments and councils to kick the can down the road and effectively bury the issue of leaky homes in red tape and bullshit. In the meantime the crisis is simmering away.
Poor building practices, architectural fads, over optimistic labour force and an industry stretched to the limit by boom and bust cycles created a perfect storm for leaky homes. Read on and see what happened through the eyes of one builder.
Packed with real world examples and practical advice, Leaky Homes Aotearoa NZ will inform, infuriate and empower you.
You will learn what's needed to repair your leaky home and how to plan remedial works so that you are not wasting money on consultants, painters and builders doing the wrong works on your home.
Andrew M.
I was intrigued by the books subject as I have a career in the construction industry. The authors observations and timeline jolted memories of waching regulators and experts/suppliers and incompetent workers all contribute to an almighty blunder of inferior technique and product performance in the NZ building industry. I felt vindicated that another soul felt the and observed what I experienced and points the finger to the perpetrators.
I always felt that I was powerless to do anything about what I saw and I didnt have a voice. After reading the book I felt the weight of frustration leave me. The book is an excellent resource for anyone looking to understand the building industry in NZ
Sarah R
This book really hit home. It made me realise just how deep the leaky homes issue runs in New Zealand—and how little support there is for owners dealing with it. It’s frustrating that so many of us are left to carry the cost for something the system allowed to happen.
It helped me understand the bigger picture, not just my own situation.
Attila B
I focused on the internal decks chapter. Your book is a fine and extensive study on the subject, and should be read by leaky house owners which are just about everyone in this country. It is a sort of book one should read by a chapter at a time put it down and revisit the book for more.
Well done, you are an expert and we are grateful for your help fixing our home.