Description

This determination arises from the decision of the authority to refuse to issue a code compliance certificate for a 10-year-old house because it was not satisfied that the building work complied with certain clauses of the Building Code. The authority's concerns regarding compliance of the building work relate primarily to the weathertightness of the wall claddings. The matter to be determined is therefore whether the authority was correct to refuse to issue a code compliance certificate. In deciding this, I must consider whether the external building envelope of the house complies with Clause B2 Durability and Clause E2 External Moisture of the Building Code that was current at the time the consent was issued. The building envelope includes the components of the systems (such as the monolithic cladding, the windows, the roof claddings and the flashings), as well as the way components have been installed and work together. I also consider another concern raised by the authority; namely, the compliance of some upper level windows with Clause F4 Safety from Falling. I note that the owners may apply to the authority for a modification of the durability provisions for the 10-year-old house to allow the specified periods to commence from the date of substantial completion in March 2003. I therefore leave this matter to the parties to resolve once the house has been made code-compliant. I note that the authority raised two other minor items identified during its final inspection, which have not been assessed during the investigation of this house. I therefore leave those items to the parties to resolve and this determination is limited to the matters described above.