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InteriorInterior

Surface Water Sumps: Their Location, Sizing and Function

In designing a surface water drainage solution, you must consider the performance of the design in service. This design must allow for stormwater to be disposed of without causing damage, nuisance, flooding, erosion, or water entry into buildings.

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21 September 2026
21 September 2026

Passive Over-Heating of Homes

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The basic form of a dwelling has remained the same until this current decade. I suggest that now is the time for a fundamental re-think.

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21 September 2026

One Thing You Can Do to Improve Your Business

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Process thinking might be the key to helping you deliver better outcomes.

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21 September 2026

Beyond Low VOC: A More Complete Approach to Sustainable Coatings

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For specifiers working across Green Star, Homestar and other sustainability frameworks, coatings are no longer a purely technical selection. They are a critical lever in achieving both project performance and certification outcomes.

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24 August 2026

Medium-Density Housing: Orientation and Topography

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A residential building’s orientation and its surrounding topography aren’t, and cannot sensibly be, regulated by the NZ Building Code and yet these two factors have very significant effects on the internal thermal performance of each dwelling within the building, no matter if they are terraced or part of an apartment block. The same applies to standalone homes.

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24 August 2026

Do You Want to Be Paid More?

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I certainly do. 

The easy answer is to charge more. Whether that is for your products or services or by asking your boss for a raise. Of course, reality is much harder than that.

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24 August 2026

Specifying Exterior Timber Finishes: Designing for Reality, Not Just Aesthetics

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Exterior timber coatings operate in fundamentally different ways and understanding this is essential to making the right call for each application.

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24 August 2026

The Benefits of Fully Integrated Plumbing and Passive Fire Systems Testing

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Integrated testing of plumbing and passive fire systems provides a greater understanding of how components perform together within a building system.

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24 August 2026

Building Consent Requirements for Swimming Pool Fencing

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Residential pool safety in New Zealand is regulated through the Building Act 2004, as amended by the Building (Pools) Amendment Act 2016, which introduced Building Code Clause F9 – Restricting access to residential pools. These provisions are designed to prevent unsupervised access by children under 5, requiring most pools to be enclosed by a compliant barrier.

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21 August 2026

Understanding Your Obligations Under Part 4A Breaches

signing a contract photo sourced via unsplash by scott graham

Understanding your obligations under Part 4A of the Building Act 2004 — consumer rights and remedies in relation to residential building work.

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27 July 2026

What’s Your Square Metre Rate?

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I’ve always said: “if you are willing to give a square metre rate, all it shows is that you don’t know what you are talking about”. But what is the best way to answer this common question?

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