Presented by a builder with more than 10 years’ experience in fixing leaky houses, the Weathertight Remediation Induction Course is designed to upskill builders so they take the right steps — from the initial involvement in a remediation project through to its successful completion.
“The development of the workshop has been jointly led by industry and the Department of Building and Housing (DBH),” says David Kelly, the Department’s deputy chief executive, building quality.
“We can provide training and advice, helping builders to become successfully involved in repairing leaky homes. The workshops convey essential knowledge on some of the typical building failures associated with weathertightness, and advice on how to price, plan and manage the repair projects,” Mr Kelly says.
“And because home owners will soon have access to the Government’s weathertight financial assistance package, we expect to see a significant increase in the amount of remediation work available to builders,” he says.
The financial assistance package, which is on track to be available in July 2011, will see the Government pay for 25% of the agreed repair costs for qualifying home owners, and participating councils will pay another 25% — if the council approved the original construction work.
“There are thousands of leaky houses in New Zealand, so we expect that their repairs will create a significant business opportunity for skilled builders over the coming years,” Mr Kelly says.
“I would encourage any builder interested in this work to take the time to attend one of the courses, as the first step to becoming a specialist in weathertight remediation.”
In addition to these workshops, the DBH has produced two new weathertightness guidance documents on the diagnosis of leaky buildings and remediation design to help get affected houses fixed. They are available free of charge from the DBH web site at
www.dbh.govt.nz/publications.
The DBH is also working with the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors (NZIBS) to develop a training course for designers.
“The Department is strongly focused on fixing the problem of leaky homes. These workshops and the new guides, along with operating the financial assistance package and providing advice to home owners, all contribute,” Mr Kelly says.
“We want to make sure home owners have access to cost-effective repairs, which are done by skilled and qualified builders, so that they can finally put this issue behind them.”
For more details on the course see www.dbh.govt.nz/lbp-approved-activities-by-registrar.
Course information:
The Weathertight Remediation Induction Course for Builders is jointly organised by the Department of Building and Housing, the Registered Master Builders Federation (RMBF) and the Certified Builders Association of New Zealand (CBANZ), with input from the Department of Labour (DoL) and the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC), along with a legal expert working in the field of weathertight remediation.
Presented by experienced builder Harry Dillon, who has successfully completed more than 200 remediation projects, the workshop will cover topics such as where your responsibilities start and finish, understanding and managing your risk, considerations when pricing these projects, health and safety issues specific to working on leaky buildings, and how to access useful resources and experts.
All courses run from 8am to 4pm. Lunch will be provided. Please register with Pip Sloan on 04 817 4839 or [email protected], who will then provide full venue and timing details. The registration fee is $100 per builder. The courses are approved for Licensed Building Practitioner Continuing Professional Development (CPD) points. Eight points will be awarded for attendance at the one-day workshop.
Course dates and locations:
Auckland: July 16, August 5, 6, 26, 27
Wellington: July 22, 23
Tauranga: August 12
Hamilton: August 13
Christchurch: September 3
