The Block NZ house four years on: Tiles falling off and paint job looks ’30 years old’

The new owner of a townhouse in The Block NZ, Northcote, was billed $ 7,500 for tile repairs to make three of its four bathrooms usable.

The property, completed by twins Ali and Julia Heaney on season six in 2017, has had an owner since then, but started renting at $ 1200 a week early last year.

The man who auctioned the four-bedroom home for $ 1.52 million in the past fortnight said a report from a builder identified the sealant in the family and guest bathrooms as a “significant defect” – but he did The extent of the damage was only realized when he brought a tiler around.

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The first offer the new owner received for repairs to three of the four bathrooms is $ 7,500.

“I appreciate houses being bought as they are, but you’d expect a four-year-old house not to drop tiles and peeling paint or wallpaper in every room,” said the man who did not did I want to be named because he has a publicly available job.

CONTINUE READING:
* The recap of Block NZ: Week Two – Bathroom Madness
* $ 1200 per week for Twins Completed Townhouse The Block NZ
* The Block: Live Auction was a shock, but Andy and Nate grabbed the win

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The Block winners will be crowned in controversial circumstances.

Julia and Ali didn’t win The Block NZ in 2017 (the four bedroom house sold for $ 1,242,000 – $ 13,000 above the reserve), but they do have the best kitchen and dining area award and a room release for that Family bathroom and the roof won terrace.

The builder’s report prior to the recent sale of the home found that some sealant was missing around the shower, baths, and vanities, or had deteriorated so badly that it had to be replaced to prevent leaks.

“Moisture penetration into components is generally caused by deteriorated, inadequate or missing sealing compounds, leaking pipes or fittings. In extreme cases, structural damage can develop from prolonged water leaks, ”the report said.

SCOPE OF DELIVERY / Delivered

Mold has become a problem in two bathrooms.

The new owner called a tiler to inspect the four bathrooms after buying the house and said he was a bit shocked to see that “many shortcuts” appeared to have been adopted by contractors.

He believed that some of the work might have been “rushed”.

“It wasn’t until I started using the bathroom that I realized how many of the tiles were loose or falling out,” he said.

Scott McAulay

Block judges Jason Bonham and Bernadette Morrison praised the bathrooms.

The downstairs bathroom was reasonably well equipped but the sealing on the sides was not up to standard, said the new owner.

He said the tiles would have held up in a separate toilet and bathroom on the first floor, but those rooms looked relatively unused compared to the master and guest ensuites.

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The drain in one of the ensuites is not flush with the wall, so water flows into the gap.

There were issues with one of the showers where the drain had been placed against the wall but wasn’t flush.

“Any water that hits the wall falls down and goes into an unknown gap,” he said.

The new owner plans to fix and replace the tile work as much as possible – since tearing out the tiles completely in three bathrooms and starting over is a much more expensive option.

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The grouting must be carried out again.

Groutpro’s Paul-Weber De Vries gave the new owner an offer of $ 7,500 for cleaning, potting and silicone work in the three bathrooms and two showers. This illustration does not include a plumber repairing his own shower drain.

“Refilling costs less than restoring an entire bathroom,” said De Vries.

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The tiler was a bit shocked at how most of the work was done. The buyer said, “It looked like everyone had rushed.”

The house came with all of the furniture and artwork from the show.

Since 2017 it has been inhabited by a group of tenants for a few months and then rented out to a diplomat.

It is believed that most of the work in the house was done by contractors, not Julia and Ali themselves.

Scott McAulay

Block twins Julia and Ali Heaney provided plenty of relaxed entertainment while they worked on the townhouse.

“As far as I know, the girls only had to paint,” said the buyer. “There is incomplete work in almost every room.

“They papered so they wouldn’t have to paint, but pretty much everything is peeling off the surfaces they painted.”

He wondered if the homes in Block NZ should come with some form of warranty – as new builds do when the plans buy them out.

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The wallpaper and paint is peeling in almost every room in the house.

“The contractors have a very quick deadline. The painter I brought said the house looks like it’s 30 years old, not four years old. “

A spokesperson for Discovery NZ commented, “All homes in Block NZ are compliant with required council and building codes and will receive a full Code of Compliance certificate upon completion.”

Site manager Peter ‘The Wolf’ Wolfkamp declined to comment.

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The twins used wallpaper in some rooms to save time.

But the house was by no means all bad. Apart from the problems with the tiles and the color, it was “very nice,” said the new owner.

“It’s probably one of the better houses out of the four [from that The Block NZ series]in terms of arrangement. It’s very well insulated and I love the roof garden, “he added.

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Julia and Ali’s guest suite as revealed on the show.

The Block NZ season finale in 2017 saw low all-round auction profits. A group of attendees – Ling and Zing from Christchurch (Levi and Zach Inglis) – sold their finished products for $ 1.3 million, bringing them only $ 1,000 in profit.

At the start of the series, Ali said, “To be honest, we didn’t come here just to win. We came here to have a great time and learn. Winning things is great, but we don’t get disappointed be when we don’t attract. ” ‘Twin.”

But after the show ended, the couple made it clear how difficult it was: “It was a lot harder than we expected,” said Ali, adding that the site’s limitation and time pressures were the most challenging aspects of the competition.

“You couldn’t leave (the website) anytime you wanted. When you go in there all you think about is building a house, but you don’t think about the cameras and the time for interviews and re-recordings.”

Kashka Tunstall / things

Potter Avenue in Northcote, home of The Block NZ’s 2017 season.