Retirement village to cost $29.7m to fix
Repairs to 33 units deemed unfeasible
Part of a big Auckland retirement village will cost an estimated $29.7 million to fix, making repairs “unfeasible”. Ngarimu Blair, a director of Ngati Whatua Orakei’s Whai Rawa, said new estimates showed the cost to fix 33 units at Eastcliffe Retirement Village at 217 Kupe St had risen and the board found that made it unfeasible.
Two years ago, Ngati Whatua’s annual report showed an estimated $12m cost to fix serious weathertightness issues.
But Blair yesterday said an engineering report estimated remedial costs at $29.7m, including $9.25m for contingencies due to construction and cost escalations, equating to a median cost of $5068/sq m.
The report from Hampton Jones followed invasive testing on six blocks. It showed the 33 units did not comply with the Building Code on structure, fire, external moisture or durability requirements, Blair said.
No issues existed with the other buildings at the 143-residence complex and only the 33 apartments and townhouses were affected. Residents had left them in winter and were now in other parts of Eastcliffe or in private rental accommodation.
The engineer’s report showed the situation was far worse than predicted at the time of the first phase of investigation, he said.
“The report’s author noted that the structural and fire defects are sufficiently serious that it is not considered advisable for re-occupation to take place . . . it’s really tough for the affected residents.
“But this isn’t just about numbers: it’s about the complexity of remedial works, the specialist skill required and the difficulty in finding builders with the right skills to take on the project in the face of the liability issues and additional risks work of this nature entails . . .”
The Whai Rawa board considered that the extent of the defects and the likely escalation of the final cost of work made repairs unfeasible.
“This obviously has serious implications for affected residents . . . we will continue consulting with them and seeking their feedback,” he said.
The board expects to decide the affected buildings’ future in early December.
Defects included failure of wall claddings, poorly installed and aged flat-roof membranes, non-compliant fire-rated construction in townhouses, timber decay in balcony junctions, inadequate support of floor joists, inadequate wall bracings and fixings, gaps between concrete block walls, poor placement of steel in concretepanel apartments walls, missing bars in floor-to-wall junctions, insulation placed over downlights and inadequate fire separation and fire-stopping to apartments.