The Right Stuff

Practical how-to articles for builders and designers showing good industry practice and interpretation of the NZ Building Code and standards.

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Is that asbestos?

By Alide Elkink 1 February 2014, Build 140

As demolitions ramp up in Christchurch and Auckland, there will be plenty of situations where asbestos is encountered. The onus is on contractors to check for asbestos and to have a plan in place to deal with it if found.

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The builder’s responsibilities

By Des Molloy 1 April 2004, Build 81

The traditional, and rightful, role of a builder is to be the main contractor — the person who organises and manages the complete contract works. These days the boundaries are not so clear-cut. Just what should you be doing?

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Stopping slips and falls

By Trevor Pringle 1 October 2007, Build 102

Within New Zealand homes a slip, trip or fall injury occurs every 3 minutes. This affects around 400,000 adults and children each year – that’s more than all sports and road injuries. Using the right surface could prevent many of these.

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ALF upgrade adds moisture

By Nikki Buckett 1 February 2012, Build 128

BRANZ’S Annual Loss Factor (ALF) tool – a free online aid to the thermal design of houses – has a useful new feature, a ‘moisture tab’ for predicting potential mould issues in residential designs.

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Using soft landing systems

By Alide Elkink 1 April 2015, Build 147

In the previous Build, we looked at Worksafe NZ recommendations for using safety nets below high-level work areas to reduce the distance a person can fall. Here’s their alternative – soft landing systems.

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The tender process

By Des Molloy 1 October 2008, Build 108

Preparing a successful tender depends on a good understanding of the project and careful analysis of the contract conditions. If you’re new to the process, read on.

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