If you’re thinking of getting building or renovation work done on your house or apartment, you need to check if it’s ‘restricted building work’ (RBW). If it is, you’ll need a licensed building practitioner – or LBP – to do it.

Restricted building work involves the building’s structure, weathertightness, and design of fire safety systems.

Because this work is so important, it’s only allowed to be done by licensed building practitioners (LBPs). LBPs are assessed before getting licensed, and have to maintain their skills to keep their licence.

Restricted building work, and the requirement to use LBPs to do it, was brought in on 1 March 2012 (through changes to the Building Act 2004).  Darryl Russell is a Licensed Building Practioneer is both Carpentry and Site 2 (Project Management).

In November 2007 the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) (formerly Department of Building and Housing) established the licensed building practitioner scheme under the Building Act 2004.

This scheme sets out a regulated process where skilled and/or qualified building practitioners must demonstrate their ability to meet industry consulted competencies in order to obtain the status of being LBPs.

The scheme has 7 licence classes:  

• Design
• Site (these are on-site supervisors or project managers)
• Carpentry
• Roofing
• External Plastering
• Brick and Blocklaying 
• Foundation 

Registered architects, plumbers and chartered professional engineers are also treated as being licensed to do or supervise certain elements of RBW.

Restricted building work (RBW) is work that is critical to the integrity of a building. It must be done properly to ensure the building is structurally sound and weathertight.

Restricted building work can only be done or supervised by tradespeople who have proven they are properly skilled – licensed building practitioners (LBPs).

It is an offence for an unlicensed person to carry out or supervise RBW. It is also an offence to knowingly engage an unlicensed person to carry out or supervise restricted building work.

RBW is everything that involves or affects the: 

• primary structure – This work contributes to the resistance of vertical (such as walls and columns) and horizontal loads (such as foundation, floors and roofs). 
• outside of the building, which has an influence on weathertightness – This includes anything that prevents the entry of outside moisture and helps control moisture inside the building fabric.

For example:

1. damp-proofing your floor area, on and underneath floors
2. roof and wall cladding systems (windows, ventilators, openings and penetrations etc.)
3. waterproofing anything that is exposed to airborne moisture or can allow moisture to enter the building, such as a balcony. 

• design of fire safety systems – This work involves elements intended to protect people and property from fire.

For example:

1. an adjacent household unit in an apartment building is at risk if one catches fire 
2. automatic doors and windows 
3. escape routes.

If it doesn’t need a building consent, it’s not restricted building work.

If it doesn’t involve work to the home’s primary structure, weathertightness or design of fire safety systems, then it’s not restricted building work.

For example:

• Fitting new sanitary fixtures where there weren’t any before (new kitchen, ensuite, etc) 
• Installing a wood burner 
• Domestic wind turbine 
• Domestic swimming pool and pool fence
• Installing a cable car to a home 
• Installing other specified systems in small/medium apartments (smoke alarms, lift, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning – HVAC – system, etc) 
• Installing insulation to external walls in a home.

Currently we specialise only in the greater Tauranga area from Te Puke to Katikati

Yes – through our contacts with a number of Real Estate Section Specialist, we can assist you with finding a suitable section for your house build.  Alternatively we can investigate sites located by clients to assess suitability and costs.

A Resource Consent is formal approval granted by your local council under The Resource Management Act 1991 to use or develop land.

A Building Consent is a formal approval granted by your local council under the Building Act that allows a person to carry out building work and where the building work meets the requirements of the Building Code.

A code compliance certificate is a formal statement issued under section 95 of the Act, that building work carried out under a building consent complies with that building consent.

Typically a council will take around 20 working days to grant consent.  The process will take longer if the council requires additional information or changes to your plans

Absolutely, we frequently price concept plans as well as full working drawings for clients that have completed the design process with an independent architect.

Timeframes will depend on a number of aspects such as the size, materials you wish to use and of course the design of your home.  Once we have an idea of what you wish to build, we will be able to provide a guideline from start to finish.  Typically, the construction period is 14 weeks for a single level house and 20 weeks for a two level house from the beginning of foundation works.

A 10% Contract Deposit is payable on the date the building contract becomes unconditional in all respects. Then, progress payments are made at specific points during the building phase and relate to the floor down, framing, closed in, exterior cladding on, gibbing and completion of works stages of the build.  Final payment is made upon the issue of Code of Compliance by Council.

Each house build will vary depending on the Owners involvement in the building process.  A typical ‘new house build will include the house itself complete including carpet and floor coverings,  commercial cleaning at completion stage but no curtains and landscaping.

The term ‘prime cost sum’ or PC Sum appears in many building contracts.  It means an allowance for the supply of work or materials to be supplied by the contractor but on which the principal has yet to make a final decision.  The actual price is to be substituted for the allowance in due course.

Significant changes to plans will incur extra costs such as architect’s fees and further Building and Resource consents which will also add a time delay to your building project.

Anything is possible and specific changes would need to be communicated to your architect and builder in a timely fashion.  Keep in mind that significant changes like moving interior walls may add further costs and will certainly delay the completion date.

Absolutely, this is one of the fun parts in the process.  During the building process, we will require your chosen colours for both interior and exterior painting.  Most clients prefer to use their own kitchen & interior designers. This is your home and we value your input.

Yes, but first seek confirmation and a time to visit from your builder.  Health and Safety rules apply on all building sites so there is a protocol to be followed and safety gear that needs to be worn when entering any building site.

All residential building work is covered by the implied warranties set out in the Building Act . These are basic protections for consumers and apply to all contracts for residential building work, whether written or verbal.

http://www.building.govt.nz/builditright-homeowners-building-warranties