BIA determination changes council timber requirements

April 30, 2004

North Shore City Council's building compliance requirements have changed following a recent Building Industry Authority (BIA) determination to amend its' Acceptable Solutions for timber durability that sets out the way buildings should be constructed to deal with external moisture.

The BIA now requires higher levels of timber treatment in areas of buildings at risk of decay caused by leaks.

North Shore City's building consents manager, Kelvin Goode, says the council is legally required to comply with the obligations of the building code and can no longer give consent to buildings made with timber not treated to the higher standard.

"We recognise this will result in unplanned expense for some homeowners. Acting in any other way, however, would simply be irresponsible, for the homeowner now and in the future.

"The changes are intended to provide a greater level of protection for homeowners from damage caused by leaking. This is another step to combating weathertightness problems," he says.

Distinct parts of a building will now require different timber treated to a range of levels.

All new building consents applied and received on or after April 1 2004, will be subject to these changes.

For existing consents or projects a one-year transition period will apply where projects consented before April 1 2004 have until March 31 2005 to be completed and code compliance certificates (CCC) issued. If a CCC has not been issued by March 31 2005, builders and homeowners will need to comply with the new treated timber requirements.

"If your building is at a stage where it is possible to use the new timber treatment levels we strongly recommended their use," Mr Goode says.

Some consents issued prior to April 1 2004 already have higher treated timber and may comply with the new requirements. Homeowners should check with their designer and builder whether their timber meets the current treatment requirements.

In the meantime, North Shore City Council is sending letters to all consent holders informing them of the changes.

ENDS

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