The old sheepskin warehouse prior to demolition. Work comenced on demoltioning old warehouse building. Land owned by Maori Trustee to be developed with ten townhouses. ​

Work started erecting the shell. Foundations all in place, southern units shells in place. 4 November 2015

Most of the shell now up 16 December 2015 showing the two distinct blocks. The middle three storey units are two bedroom units set over a single bedroom unit.

How many people would put a water mister  in their living room when it is 5 degrees C? Added to this how many would want sleep inducing poisonous gases to be emited by the same machine? This is excatly what they are doing when they use an LPG portable gas heater. I cannot find a valid reason as to why portable gas heaters are allowed to be used in New Zealand homes. The only feeble excuse I have heard is that its cheap. Well thats true but the fact that we are gasing ourselves on top of creating mouldy smelly houses just does n't make sense. Almost every other first world country has restrictions or bans on their use and with very good reason. It is the equivalent of lighting a fire in the middle of your tent....it keeps you warm and the the fire wood is free, but your going to have chest problems and stinging eyes from the smoke and gases.
Burning LPG gas creates harmful gases such as nitrogen dioxide, carbon dioxide,  and carbon monoxide the effects of which can be serious enough to kill you. How is the public proteceted against these effects? The manufactureres are made to put warning labels on the appliances. Most other countires require the manufacturers to have oxyygen depletion sensors that will cut off the gas supply. Burning LPG also produces about half a litre an hour of moisture which remains within an unvented room causing damp and mould, all of which are likley to exacerbate any person with asthma conditions.

If your a landlord you should make sure that your lease does not allow the use of these heaters as they are a disaster for your asset let alone the health of your tenant. 

Work has started on the demoltion of the BP building. Erected netween 1968 and 1973 this 10 storey office building suffered damage to the stairwells after the 2013 Seddon earthquakes. Original structural design by Stephenson and Turner with the replacement bulding being by Dunning Thornton. The new building will be a total of 14 stories. The new building is expected to $80 million dollars and be completed in 2017. The building has asbestos throughout and therefore complicating the demolition.

Sky can now be seen looking up through the top floor. 8 September 2015

More daylight starting to show through

Getting down to the last couple of stories now 30 November 2015

A common question asked of Reall Estate Agents when buyers are looking at a house is whats the rateable value. Why do they want to know, the obvious answer is that they want to use it as a yard stick for measuring should it be above or below depending on their experience with the market. So how valid is it as a yard stick.
Lets start at the other end. How many times have you seen the Government Valuer in your house?
Most people would answer never as statistically it is impossible to get round all the properties residential and commercial within the time frame required. Rateable valuer are updated every three years in Wellington. The value is based on land value and the improvements to give a Capital Value. How many valuers at QV are doing htis job...it will vary but lets say twelve....figuratively speaking you would be luck if they changed down to second as they went past your house. The reason the value is put on a house is to be able to charge a tax (rates). Noboby likes taxes so the value attributed is never going to be on the high side of the valuers opinion. 
The valuers will look at some sales in the area and then apply a formula over the whole based on the analised sales, known as setting the tone of the area. So if the sales show a 7 % increase they will apply that across the board. They are also supposed to take into account any additions or improvements done since the last valuation. The only way they are informed of this is throught the buildings consent process, so if you undertake improvements to a dwelling that do not require a consent then the Government Valuer is not going to know about them. The figure makes no allowance for chattels. Being totally cynical Real Estate Agents will use rateable values when it suits them to sell a place and ignore it if it gives the 'wrong' answer.

The apartment block Olympus at 280 Oriental Parade has been identified as being earthquake prone  by Wellington City Council and needing strengthening. Erected in the 1930s' over four levels with a total of eight units. Holmes Construction have been brought in to undertake works on the structure. The building is  plastered double brick cavity. The solution to strengthening is to remove the chimneys at roof level  dowel the walls to provide a more rigid structure, remove the lift walls and replace with a timber structure. The technique of dowelling involves the walls being drilled right through and then a steel bar inserted and glued in position. The glue bonding makes a rigid element through the wall. On top of these issues the reinforcing bars have started to rust expanding and causing the concrete to spall. This requires the exposing of the reinforcing bars, removal of the rust and then replastering. Lack of maintenance i.e. not painting the exterior keeping the water out is essential, many people do not realise that concrete is porous and needs to be sealed to prevent wateregress. So not painting is a very short sigthed economy when a few years down the track major repairs works are needed. Work has now commenced on removal of the chimneys. Chimneys pots now removed, main part of flues currently in place. 20 June 2015. Building being tidied up for handover back to owners. Total costs @ $500,000 including a new lift.

Above is a short video of the War Memorial project just as works were starting to move the roadway from its orginal course for the duration of the project, which at the end will see it being a tunnel under the garden memorial site above. Whole project has to be completed for ANZAC Day 2015 to commerate 100 years since Gallopilli landings. 
All now complete April 25 2015

The idea behind this part of the blog is to give a perspective on the time taken for construction. We have picked some sites around town and will keep a note of progress through photographic evidence to illustrate the time taken for construction. Any recommendations gratefuly accepted.

Tory Street Il Casino Site
1/10/2012. Cranes on site this week putting in place the supports to hold up the original fascade that is being incorporated into the new building.

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7.3.2013 Central core to third floor approximately with steel work at second floor level.

4/4/2013 Central concrete core up to approximetely sixth floor, steel work up to fourth floor level.

13/4/2013 Another floor on the concrete core

10/5/2013 Construction up to the 9th floor by my counting.

29/5/2013 More progress on the infill on the lower levels

31/5/2013 Glazing panes to lower level being put in place

14/6/2013 More of shell enclosed

28/6/2013 Closing in continues

28.7.2013 Closing in continues

Progresse to 12.9.2013

24 July 2013

6 January 2014

7 February Scaffolding down front elevation painted. Building complete  and now occupied. 16 months from cranes arriving on site.

174 Vivian Street Petrol Station
Ground works underway 23/10/12.
5/11/12. Structures for service station starting to be erected.
3/12/2012 Ground works still being undertaken. More structure to the retail sturctures.

4/2/13
Structure for canopy in place

2/4/2013 Petrol Station opened approximately four months from start.

One Market Lane
19/1/2013 Site cleared and pileing being drilled
27/3/2013 Main site crane being erected

13/4/2013 Excavation of footings

30/4/13 First of reinforcing bars above ground appearing

16/5/2013 First of ground level concrete being poured

23/5/2013 First of ground floor columns having concrete poured

29/5/2013 Site offiec structrues being put in place, boardings to perimeter

5/7/2013 Second floor reinfocing starting to appear

22/7/2013 Second floor now covering majority of site

10/1/2014 Frame work continuing up

18/2/2014 Starting to compllete framework

7/3/2014 Upper Levels Steel work going into place

3/4/2014 Glazing appearing in lower levels.

26/6/2014 Scaffolding starting to disappear

24 Taranaki Street
Demolition underway 23/10/12 of the old Brendon Motors building and vacant upper level premises formely Liks night club. CAS  undertaking new apartment block named Elevate. 
6/11/12 Site now clear of buildings
3/12/2012 Site now clear of 
machinery no activity.

6/5/2013 Base of site crane in place. Work being undertaken on sprung foundations

18.6.2013
Steel work starting to come out of the ground on the northern end of the site

5/7/2013 Five levels of steel work up in the northern corner

27 November 2013

18/2/2014 Getting to the top of the exterior.

29/12/2012 The structure starting to emerge

The Overseas Terminal
21/5/2013 The shape starting to become obvious

25/7/2013 Eastern end of struture now being started.

18/9/2013 Western end enclosed

17/6/2014 All scafolding down, ready to occupy in a weeks time

8 Frandi Street

Construction Of  A Single Dwelling
27/6/13
Site cleared and drieway prepared. Footing excavated for foundations

So there are six buildings on Wellington City Councils list of earthquake prone structures  that should be strengthened and or demolisihed. Where are they do you know which are the six on the hit list?
83 Park Road, Miramar.
240 Cuba Street, Te Aro.
25 Hutt Road, Pipitea.
25 Avon Street Island Bay. (Erskine College)
114-116 Adelaide Road, Mt Cook. (Tramways Hotel)
21 Manchester Terrace, Melrose. Karitane Hospital.

All these structures had notices given in the 1990s' and have now reached the end of the timeframe given to take action.

Remember the Utitlity Works on the Monopoly board? Nobody sets out to get it but its a nice little regular earner if you did pick it up. 
Who owns the water on our land? Probably the most vexatious property rights issue question in New Zealand at present, we don't have the answers in fact all we have are questions which makes us think that maybe this elephant should have been left parked up  with a lazy boy and wide screen to watch.
 As we understand it the govenrment says its owned by everyone or nobody, Iwi are arguing that if it flows over their land or they can show a connection to it then they own it.
If anybody owns it could you sue them if it damages your property?

When you are buying an apartment would n’t it be great if you knew which buildings had a history, its common knowledge to a lot of property people but the buildings that hit the headlines are soon forgotten by the buying public. If the problems been fixed it could be a way of getting a cheap apartment from a building thats got a “name”, which means you could suffer the same problem when it comes to your turn to sell. All round its far better to be informed so you can make a rational decision.  How can you best go about this? We always advise buyers to obtain at least the last three sets of minutes from the Body Corporate or Company meetings. These help identify some of the problems but not necessarily all of them as some issues get discussed off the record.

In addition always get a copy of the budget and see where the monies being spent. In particular is there a budget for deferred maintenance like the obvious things such as decorating and the perhaps less obvious ones of what happens when the lift that is 20 years old falls over and needs replacing?

We’ve started a list of buildings we know have had problems and we emphasize that some of these will have had money spent on them and had the problems fixed. The list is not  exhaustive as we are adding to it as time allows and people inform us. So if you know of one thats not on our list drop us a line.

120 The Terrace. Had a problem with the waste overflow drains not working causing floods to the extent insurance cover not available. Issues with extractor ducts causing fire hazard.

Marion Street Apartments. Issues with leaking. Lot of monies spent on repairs and now believed to be fixed.

19 Palm Grove. Issues with leaking, substantial amounts being spent on correcting.

20 Cuba Street, The Columbia. Currently undergoing extensive repair works for leaking issues.

166 Oriental Parade. Decks and part of facade leaking, currently undergoing repairs.

Luxford Villas Berhampore. Leaking problems.

QBM on Webb Street, watertight issues.

Stadium Gardens 152 Thorndon Quay. Problems with roof and building obtaining a code of compliance certificate.

220 Thorndon Quay. Decks leaking. Problem believed to have been solved.