School block leaking

Principal Bruce McLachlan should be running Swanson Primary from a plush new office in the school's administration block.

Instead he is making do with temporary digs in a specially converted classroom.

The school is one of 73 across the country to be hit by leaking building syndrome.

Its administration block, built in 2001, is rotting away and contractors are now working to make it useable again.

The problem is linked to legislative changes that allowed for the use of untreated kiln-dried timber in wall framing during the late 1990s.

Many buildings constructed under the new rules leaked and the untreated wood started to rot once it got damp.

The Swanson Primary administration block is no exception.

"I came here in 2005 and quickly became used to complaints from people who were using the building," Mr McLachlan says. "Water was running down walls and coming in through light fittings. There was also a general smell of dampness."

"At one stage we had a contractor fix a leak in the corner and he exposed some rotten timbers.

"That’s when I contacted the Education Ministry and told them we had a problem."

The ministry sent out surveyors to determine the extent of the damage and remedial work started in early February.

The school’s six administration staff have set themselves up in two classrooms but Mr McLachlan says students have not been affected, apart from having to deal with construction noise.

"We make sure maintenance or building doesn’t interfere with learning," he says.

"That is always a concern among parents but I’ve assured them that’s not the case.

"If anything, it has added interest. I actually told the contractors not to cover up all the fences so the kids could see them work."

The ministry refuses to comment on individual cases but Mr McLachlan expects it will pursue legal action – possibly against the architect, construction company, suppliers or Wai-takere City Council.

Mr McLachlan is frustrated that taxpayer money is being used to fix the problem.

"It’s annoying that those funds will be used to repair something that should have been built properly in the first place. To have to re-do something nine years later just doesn’t seem right."

But he admits the situation does have a silver lining.

"We will benefit from having nice new carpet and a fresh paint job. That would’ve been part of our regular maintenance cycle anyway but it wouldn’t have happened so soon."

The building is expected to reopen by the end of April.

- © Fairfax NZ News