Avoid buying houses built with ...?

[Cyberius]

Am looking at houses built prior to 1980.
Are there any building materials (particularly exterior) to avoid?
ie; Is there a pecking order with regards to durability?
(eg; Brick, Hardiplank ...?)
What materials are likely to contain asbestos?
Thank-you in advance for any advice received.

[Annett]

Hello

this link may be of use to you, it concerns weatherside exterior cladding

http://www.propertytalk.co.nz/forums-search-results.html

regards
Annett

[cube]

Hi Annette,

You have posted a link to the search screen, not the topic you intended!

cube

[Cyberius]

Weatherside & Asbestos

Thanks guys. I found the topic.
General: '1970s weatherboard house - problems with cladding'
I knew I'd been warned about a cladding years ago, but couldn't remember its name. (Weatherside). Don't know if there are any other 'avoids' out there?

Asbestos? www.nzbuilders.com answers my question ...

Many homes built or renovated in 1960 – 1980’s may contain asbestos in the decorative textured ceiling finish or in the backing of vinyl floor covering. With the vinyl flooring, the asbestos backing material usually remains glued to the floor once vinyl layer is lifted, the danger here is that the timber floor boards may then be sanded resulting in a cloud of asbestos fibres in the air, which may then circulate around the home.

Some older homes may have asbestos in the form of floor tiles, lino, boiler and pipe lagging and roof space insulation.

It may also be present in exterior cladding, roofing tiles, artificial ashes and embers in some gas fires. Walls and floors around wood burning stoves may be protected with asbestos paper, mill or cement sheets.

https://www.buildingsurveyors.co.nz/faq.htm#Asbestos

Up until the mid eighties, there were two well publicised building products commony used in New Zealand which contained Asbestos: Fibre cement cladding of various sorts, and spray - on ceiling coatings.
Fibre Cement Cladding:
This is frequently seen in the building "skirt": the cladding around the house below floor level. The sheets are usually 1.2 meters wide, and of various heights. It is also seen at the gable ends (The triangular, vertical wall sections at either end of simple pitched roofs), and some wall cladding.
Spray - On Ceiling Coatings:
This was a popular way of redecorating during the eighties; especially where surface imperfections in a ceiling needed covering up. The effect is a "sparkly" rough surface, one trade name was "Glamortex"

Hope I'm not being unhelpfully helpful by including this info. here.

Don't know what legal responsibilities a Landlord has if they find that they've asbestos in an IP.

Cheers

[cube]

From what I understand, Asbestos is only an issue if you turn it to dust, so if the tenant puts a hole in the floor, and creates dust from the vinyl backing, who is liable. Interesting!

Are all textured ceiling surfaces pre-1980s likely to contain asbestos, or were there asbestos-free ones available then? Would it take a professional's opinion to find out?

cube

[pixie]

Relaying flooring with aspestos underneath isn't too big a deal. Trades people often put a hardboard floor over the top and then revinyl. Same option exists with ceilings - they simply elect to put in a new ceiling which covers up the old one. Been there and done that - it was easy.

Older homes don't have much in the way of insulation (ie most of NZ). I notice that as tenants get more fussy / have higher expectations of the properties they rent, then how cold the home is in winter is coming up as a grizzle. My advice - always buy a home with good sun.