Is plaster houses or monolithic houses really no good?

temasek · #1 (**permalink**) 5th April 2012, 12:31 PM

Hi all

We have seen a lovely nice house but was told that by our lawyer to give it up as plaster houses are prone to leaking. Is it true? But the houses we seen are all plaster so far...can anyone please advise?

anski · #2 (**permalink**) 5th April 2012, 12:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by temasek

Hi all

We have seen a lovely nice house but was told that by our lawyer to give it up as plaster houses are prone to leaking. Is it true? But the houses we seen are all plaster so far...can anyone please advise?

I have often posted on this topic in an effort to warn others of this problem.

Here is a previous posts

Expat Forum For Expats, For Moving Overseas And For Jobs Abroad - Search Results

& an article

Buying a house : Homes with weathertightness issues

Your lawyer was giving you good advice I personally know of several people who have purchased homes that looked extremely attractive, but regretted it later when faced with problems & the huge rectification bill & the stigma of not being able to sell.

Sometimes these problems take years to show, so why take the risk no matter how nice the house looks or how cheap it is. My friend spent over $300,000 rectifying his house that had passed a test some years before on purchasing it. If it proves to be leaky there is no comeback & you are stuck with a lemon that is hard to sell & will cause serious health problems to your family. Not a good start to new life in a new country.

Song_Si · #3 (**permalink**) 5th April 2012, 12:58 PM

^ agree completely
take your lawyer's advice
even if you did find somehow one that has not leaked (yet), the media coverage has been so great that selling in future will always be difficult.

worth reading the posts in this thread - and watch the video too.

anski · #4 (**permalink**) 6th April 2012, 01:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by temasek

Hi all

We have seen a lovely nice house but was told that by our lawyer to give it up as plaster houses are prone to leaking. Is it true? But the houses we seen are all plaster so far...can anyone please advise?

Even councils are not immune read this if you still have not made a decision whether to buy a house with potential problems

Quote:

Court proceedings regarding the leaky Hawke's Bay Regional Council building must involve all parties associated with its construction, Herbert Construction director Malcolm Herbert says.

The regional council filed High Court proceedings against Herbert Construction last week for leaky building repairs to its offices on the corner of Dalton and Vautier streets, built by the company in 2005.

The council has placed initial repair estimates at $900,000.

the whole article can be read here

Council seeks $900,000 for leaks | Hawkes Bay News | Local News in Hawkes Bay

and this is just one of the many articles I have read since September 2001 on Leaky Building or renovation projects gone wrong.

We viewed a house that was built with sound materials & would have been problem free had they not tried to modernise the exterior & add an extension as these proved to be leaky after a few years & nobody wanted to buy it.

There are lots of homes on the market today that have 10 years builders guarantees with 1 or 2 years left to run & wht happens after that. I suggest if you cannot find anything suitable in the area you want to live, then build using sound materials & building methods.

Here is some more information you may want to read before you take the plunge into the unknown.

http://www.resolutionarch.co.nz/faqs/

temasek · #5 (**permalink**) 6th April 2012, 07:37 AM

Thanks for the links. We have decided to move on even though we fell in love with the place upon seeing it. We are looking at the Dannemora area due to school zoning and it's seems majority of the homes here are plaster homes

anski · #6 (**permalink**) 6th April 2012, 09:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by temasek

Thanks for the links. We have decided to move on even though we fell in love with the place upon seeing it. We are looking at the Dannemora area due to school zoning and it's seems majority of the homes here are plaster homes

Which areas are you limited to buying in?

Looking at Trademe I discovered these Brick& tile homes

Real estate for sale - Solid Family Home - Zoned for Point View School - Trade Me Property

Real estate for sale - MAKE YOUR DREAM A REALITY - Trade Me Property