19
THE NZ WOOD EMAIL ALERT FOR DIYers & HOMEMAKERS
Wood. The enduring choice for homes!
One of Wellington City Council’s building consents managers has a passion for wood that was stoked by a previous career as a carpenter.
According to Robert Tierney, the council’s Manager of Major Projects and CBD Building Consents and Licensing Services and wood fan, “wood basically gets into your blood”.
“When you look at houses made out of good quality timber you can be confident that they, if well maintained, will last for centuries, whereas there are a large number of other products that require a lot of maintenance and may not last as long people think they are going to. Some alternative products are made to be ‘fit for a purpose’ and suit the modern throwaway culture”.
Read the full interview here which includes Robert’s top tips on how to get a building consent.
The New Building code
and the possible advantages for DIYers
Maurice Williamson, minister for Building and Housing, announced some of the upcoming changes to the building code looking to be introduced soon. The news is looking good for the home handy person!
“DIYers will get a pre-Christmas present, able to undertake more of their own minor work without red tape. And homeowners will have more certainty that bigger jobs will be completed satisfactorily, with builders forced to stand by their work”.
To read more about how the changes to the building code will affect you, visit the NZ Wood website here.
Green Fingers: Buying Sustainably Grown Timber
There has been recurring interest in the media recently about the serious implications of importing illegally logged timber from around the globe and having it in the New Zealand market. But how do you know that when at your local timber merchant, you are buying sustainably grown wood?
The best assurance you can get is by buying New Zealand grown, as Peter Berg from the NZ Forest Owners Association pointed out in his press release last week: “… the New Zealand forest industry is committed to sustainable forestry and “illegal logging is not sustainable”. It also unfairly sullies the reputation of wood and forest products from sustainably managed plantation forests .”
When buying timber, always ask for New Zealand-grown or ensure that the wood you are buying has the FSC certification or logo. If your timber merchant can’t supply this information, it isn’t sustainably grown!
Read the full press release here.
FAQs
As the DIY and homemaker projects get underway at home, the questions come flooding in, in regards to all sorts of things associated with timber.
One of the recent questions was asking about the availability of hardwood in New Zealand . Another came from a family who were using MDF and were checking to ensure that the dust from this wasn’t harmful. Follow the links to find out what our experts had to say.
Contact us if you have any questions or queries relating to timber. Have a great month and we will see you again in SPRING!
