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Dangerous building materials

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satanoperca said:
This simple change is what get me. 2 years warranty on a building, no wonder standards have decreased so much.
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WA I think its 25 years for structural (houses) my mother had some blokes turn up from the builder one day (house about 7 years old) said they needed to inspect the roofing timbers (suss anyone) they were genuine apparently due to the technique the timbers moved at all it was a drama as the roofing nails come out, anyway a few new struts 3 hours of nail gun action and all good.
This was purely from the builders initiative they had about 30 odd to do.
 
moXJO said:
People are not following the basic Australian standards or double checking the standards. Australian Standards are the minimum you need to do
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Agreed but suffice to say that non-compliance abounds these days.

I don’t know about bricklaying but with other work such as electrical, a particular problem in the residential field is that customers in general are unwilling to pay for quality materials and installation and are simply after whatever’s cheapest. I’m not in that business but those who are assure me that it’s a rare customer who says they want the best or even simply the use of quality parts without the fancy bits. Most want all the bells and whistles done dirt cheap with no chance of lasting.

I had some plumbing work done last year. Plumber nearly choked when I said I wanted it done in full accordance with the Standards and to quote accordingly. Everyone else uses the loophole it seems - not technically illegal but it’s the cheap and nasty way of doing it.
 
More pain for people buying apartments that are shoddily built.


Residents banned from Imperial Towers complex in Parramatta until 'serious defects' fixed​

By Nick Sas and Josh Bavas
Posted 4hhours ago
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The Imperial Towers complex has been found to have serious defects.(
Supplied
)
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Residents of a large apartment complex advertised as having "flawless design and superior craftsmanship" have been banned from moving in until the developer fixes a number of "serious defects".

Key points:​

  • The NSW Building Commissioner has banned residents from the Parramatta tower
  • He listed "serious defects" with waterproofing, structural problems, and fire-safety issues
  • A similar order was recently issued for Skyview apartments in Castle Hill
The 22-storey twin Imperial Tower complex on Hassall Street in Parramatta was on Wednesday hit with a prohibition order banning residents, after the NSW Building Commissioner David Chandler highlighted major issues with waterproofing, the "load-bearing component" of the building, and fire safety.

Many of the 179 apartments have been sold off the plan, and owners and tenants had been set to begin moving in, before the order was issued.

The order stated government inspectors documented a range of problems in the twin buildings, including waterproofing issues, non-complaint structural steel junctions in the basement, and inadequate fire safety systems that heightened the risk of fire spreading throughout the complex.

It also found drainage and ventilation issues with the cladding at the base of the walls and at the window and door openings.
Commissioner Chandler said the rectification works needed to be urgently addressed and ordered the developer to rectify the problems.

www.abc.net.au

Residents banned from Sydney apartment block after 'serious defects' discovered

A 22-storey twin-tower complex in Parramatta in Sydney's west is slapped with a serious defects prohibition order, after the NSW Building Commissioner discovered major issues with the development's "load-bearing component".
www.abc.net.au www.abc.net.au
 
This story on the renovation problems facing the RBA with its headquarters in Sydney is a cracker. Billions of dollars in overrun. Extensive asbestos, outdated infrastructure, a full house of problems with a $1billion + bill.

So I wonder... What is the status of the rest of Sydney's major office buildings ? If/when they need to be looked at for upgrades/renovations/whatever what will the owners discover ? How will the balance sheets of many, many companies sit if their blue chip property portfolio holds a stack of syphilitic white elephants ? Should investors know the status of these assets ?

When will Auditors require this information to fully inform investors for public account purposes ?

The challenges facing the RBA are public. The problems that will face the owners of the rest of the infra structure could be just as dire.

Four-year, billion-dollar blowout as RBA's horror renovation uncovers asbestos, cracks and death-trap lifts​

By business reporter Daniel Ziffer
Posted 10h ago10 hours ago, updated 9h ago9 hours ago
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The Reserve Bank of Australia's head office in Martin Place, Sydney, is undergoing renovation. So far it is costing four times the original estimate and will take four years longer than anticipated.(ABC News: John Gunn)

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  • In short: Australia's most expensive office renovation is underway at the Reserve Bank's headquarters in Martin Place, Sydney. They've found "four to five times" more dangerous asbestos than in similar-aged buildings.
  • The cost of the project has blown out to almost $1.1 billion and staff won't return to the building until 2029.
  • What's next? A report by the federal parliament's Public Works Committee will soon give more detail of the rising costs.
Riddled with asbestos. Almost 290 per cent over budget. More than four years late.

Renovating the Reserve Bank of Australia's (RBA) headquarters is increasingly looking like a disastrous episode of home-building show Grand Designs.

The key difference? The budget for the horror reno is now north of $1 billion.

Documents obtained using the Freedom of Information (FOI) process detail the difficulty and unexpected expense of renovating the central bank's flagship office at 65 Martin Place in Sydney, built in 1964.
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The Reserve Bank's flagship office in Martin Place has been surrounded by cladding and construction hoardings for years. It will be around five more years until they're expected to come down.(ABC News: Daniel Irvine)

The project has become so complex and expensive, the central bank considered selling the iconic heritage-listed building and moving elsewhere.

Instead it has rented space for staff nearby and is wearing the extra costs.

As a previously unseen presentation dryly notes:

"Additional cost of $823.3M. New total costs of $1,089.9M. Extends delivery time by 4 years to November 2029."

Four-year delay​

Cracks and water leakage are just the start.

With "failing infrastructure" and "non-compliances" — failure to be up to legal safety standards — in parts of the building, there had to be an upgrade or a move for the 1,439 staff of the bank who work from its headquarters.

www.abc.net.au

The Block and Grand Designs have nothing on the RBA's billion-dollar renovation horror show

Renovating the Reserve Bank's headquarters is increasingly looking like a disastrous episode of home building show Grand Designs. The key difference? The budget for the horror reno is now north of $1 billion.
www.abc.net.au www.abc.net.au
 
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