Each problem and the circumstances of those affected are different. Together with our clients, the first step is to assess the situation.

- Does your house show signs of problems but you are not quite sure the extent of the situation?

- Have you requested a Code Compliance Certificate from the council but were rejected?

- Do you have an existing Weathertightness report (WHRS) and are unsure of the next step?

- Do you know whether your house would be eligible under the Weathertightness Act?

- Are you a bulding professional drawn into a legal process?

Free of charge and with no obligation to take it any further, we meet with each client, either in our offices in Takapuna or on site; so that you can get to know us and so that we will hear your first hand account of what the problem is.

We will develop with you a strategy that makes sense for you and your situation. With the experience from hundreds of weathertightness investigations and assessments, and our experience in mediations and adjudications including the court process, we can advise you on the best way forward, which will result in the least cost with the best possible return for you.

 

 

The scope of any investigation needed will be determined in the assessment phase. Depending on the circumstances, it might not be necessary to carry out a full investigation and a visual inspection might be sufficient. In other cases, a full investigation will help you best solve the problem and will help you to recover the maximum amount of money.

The inspection of the building is the key to giving you the information needed to carry out proper repairs. But there is much more than that: Our investigation follows a process that makes sure that the maximum amount of evidence is gathered and recorded. We investigate the building using the following methods (as required to each specific building and case):

 

- Visually

- Thermal imaging

- Invasive testing

- Destructive testing

- Water testing (dye testing)

- Sample testing for laboratory analysis

Our architectural background allows us to develop a logical and complete scope of works for repair, keeping in mind all the requirements that are part of a building like necessary energy calculations etc. We are able to implement and price alternative construction solutions and assess them regarding their merits for the building as a whole.

If needed, we can also advise on areas where architectural decisions need to be made. For example, the repair of a leak problem might be the right time to improve the kitchen, add a bathroom, build a deck, add or remove a window. We can present design options to you and can include seperate cost estimates with the report for this additional work.

This is the place where the evidence is shown in a clear and structured way. Step by step we guide the reader through what we have done and found during the investigation. A good report is written in a language that everyone can understand. It shows the issues with photos, diagrams, and sketches, not in complicated descriptions.

This makes it valuable for the repair process and as the best available evidence in a dispute resolution process.

We have seen too many reports where information cannot be found, the investigation cannot be understood, and therefore the content became useless.

A full weathertightness report from sectionONE covers:

- Why is water getting in?

-Where is the damage located?

-What is the extent of the damage?

-What is the historical background of the building?

-Who was involved in development and construction?

-Was the technical literature of the time not followed?

-Which clauses of the building code were breached?

-The scope of work required to repair the building to a proper standard?

-What are the repairs likely to cost?

-Which parties involved are liable for those costs?

At this stage, we work with our clients at different levels, and several paths run parallel.

Again, this depends on our client’s decision how to move forward.

We can help as experts through the dispute resolution process and advise on the best way forward. We have a list of experienced lawyers in this field we work with, and can provide a full support service until the legal problems are solved.
 

We provide the building consent documentation and carry out a fair tender process with reliable building companies to get your house repaired for the best price and best quality.

While repair gets underway, we gather additional evidence, supervise the timber remediation, and record the progress of the repair. This process done properly often gives us even more irrefutable evidence so that liable parties cannot move away.
 

Our goal on the technical side is to help you get a weathertight building with a code compliance certificate.

On the legal side, we will help to achieve a successful settled dispute, with a substantial money recovery for our clients from the liable parties.