BRANZ carried out the House Condition Survey approximately every 5 years from 1994 to 2015. The results consistently showed that, while some of New Zealand’s housing stock is in good condition, there are many houses in need of repair and more regular maintenance.
Maintenance is a requirement under the New Zealand Building Code and in the warranties for many building materials. The best way to deal with this is for a householder to have a maintenance schedule that tells them what work is required for different building elements and the frequency that the maintenance should be carried out.
Information resources for designers and builders
BRANZ provides a wide range of information for designers and builders about house maintenance, renovation and repair.
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Helplines
Our building and construction industry technical helpline - 0800 80 80 85 - is available free to those who work within the New Zealand building and construction industry.
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Good Repair Guides
Packed with drawings and photographs, these guides provide builders entering the industry practical, hands-on advice for dealing with a wide range of repair issues. They are also an essential resource for training or providing a refresher.
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Information for householders
These resources provide useful information on common household issues and repairs as well as a range of maintenance guides.
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Maintaining my home
This online resource covers many common issues and repair methods and provides a comprehensive range of maintenance guides.
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Good Repair Guides
This series explains the causes of most common problems in New Zealand houses and provides blow-by-blow descriptions of how to repair them.
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Renovate
These resources provide technical information for renovating houses from different eras.
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Renovate: Villa
This book is well illustrated with crystal clear drawings showing typical construction methods. Common problems are outlined, with options on the appropriate repair or renovation.
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Renovate: Bungalow
Bungalows first appeared around the time of World War 1, and were the dominant style in the 1920s.
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Renovate: Art deco
The art deco style appeared in the 1930s and marked a significant departure from villas and bungalows.
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Renovate: 1940–60s
State housing was the biggest influence on New Zealand housing from the 1940s to the late 1960s.
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Renovate: 1970s
New living styles, new materials and architect-designed homes from previous decades influenced 1970s houses.
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