08 April 2008

The latest trend in building consent processing

I bet you didn't think of Building Consent processing as a field with trends and fashions. I certainly didn't. But now I stand corrected.....

Apparently the latest trend (and everyone's doing it) is Peer Review. This edgy little number involves combining perfectly sound plans devised by experienced architects and qualified engineers, with the glamourous accent provided by another architect or engineers glance over. This intensely modern pattern is being used only in the high couture world of alternative building.

So the already edgy just got edgier. And as the humble project manager I now have to go through the process of finding someone suitably qualified to provide this second signature flourish.

I'm not sure what the point of paying a qualified architect and engineer just under $10k was. It seems it's not enough for the Council. Oh well, more money to be spent and more time to be wasted before we can proceed.

Am I sounding frustrated.... perhaps a little.

In particular what Kaipara want is to have someone confirm that the plans are OK with regards to the following parts:

"particular attention to weathertightness, structure, and a maintenance program for the lime plaster"

• The structure part was surely dealt with in the engineer's "Producer Statement" which confirms that if it falls down, he's responsible.
• The weathertightness part is covered by the fact that we've gone with the simplest design and the widest of eaves and veranda (to keep the rain off as much as possible) and using a lime plaster that breathes.
• The maintenance programme for the lime plaster - simple really, keep an eye on it and fix any cracks as they appear. Also lime plaster is self-healing (ie when it gets damp it swells and rebinds itself) so in a way, that's not really an issue. Here's a great list of hints for plastering. (Thanks to Andrew Morrison and Strawbale.com)

Anyway, I'd better go and find this Peer to do the review, otherwise we're all just going to sit here going nowhere.....

posted by Copy Ant @ 8:34 AM

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