PROJECT NON CONSENTED BUILDING

1. WHAT SIZE CAN WE BUILD....... The number of new dwelling consents authorised in January was down 17% from the same month a year ago, although seasonally adjusted figures show there was a 10% rebound from December, Statistics New Zealand said.
   There were 867 consents for new dwellings during the month, down from 1,042 in January 2010. Of that, 90 were consents for apartment units (up from 42 in Jan 2010), while 777 were for other dwellings (down from 1,000).
   Seasonally adjusted, there were 1,126 dwelling consents during the month, up from 1,027 in December. The trend in consents, which is based on seasonally adjusted numbers, remained negative in January and has been falling since May 2010. However the negative trend has been easing since August 2010.
2. TYPES OF FOUNDATIONS......House foundations vary enormously from one part of the country to the other. There are three major types of foundations that are used when building a home. In much of the south, the most common type of foundation is the slab on grade. Another common type of foundation is the pier and beam and the third most common is basement or t-shaped, which is found in more Northern areas
3. TYPES OF WALL FRAMING USING NZ TIMBER GUIDEForest Research in 1974 is briefly explained.
   
   Comparisons are made under the following headings volume of timber used; no of nails used; no of cuts made;
   ability of walls to support sheet materials. It also briefly looks at the stance of NZS 3604 on the requirement of
   nogs and also the maximum stud heights allowed. NZS 3604 have taken into account typical combinations of
   vertical and horizontal loads on house framing.
   The specifications in the Winstones Gib Board Manual are considered.
   A previous article on this subject by the
   If there are no disadvantages in using studs at 400c/c without nogs then perhaps we should seriously study this
   subject further to increase the viability and efficiency of using timber framing.....
4. TYPES OF CLADDING AVALABLE IN NZ......
   
   • Brick or masonry veneer – it may have a higher initial cost but the advantage is that it requires virtually no maintenance.
   • Autoclaved aerated concrete which has good insulation properties and comes in blocks, reinforced panels, and lintels. Note: not all products are accepted by some BCAs - check before specifying.
   • Weatherboards which can be made of timber or from composite materials. Some do not need painting. They have very good weathertightness properties. Depending on the weather tightness risk score a cavity may be required behind the weatherboard.
   • Monolithic systems - for example, textured wall surfaces made out of plaster, polystyrene or fibre cement sheet - are promoted as providing a sealed and waterproof outer skin but must be installed strictly to manufacturer's instructions. The waterproof coating must be carefully maintained to ensure watertightness, and will require a cavity in most applications.
   • Aluminium, for example, extruded aluminium weatherboard.
   • Profiled metal. This requires careful detailing and workmanship.
   • Plywood sheet.
   • Concrete masonry blocks - they don't rot, can provide good heat storage, but they need to be installed correctly. Note: in some areas additional thermal insulation may be needed. All single skin masonry will require the application of a waterproof coating.
   .