Leaky Building Inspections and Repairs, Costed Before You Commit

Not always. A full reclad is one possible outcome — it’s not where we start. We inspect the cladding and framing, test for the real extent of the moisture and damage, and only then work out the repair. Sometimes that’s targeted remedial work, sometimes it’s a full reclad. The evidence decides, not a default assumption.

An external survey, thermal imaging and moisture mapping, followed by invasive checks and AAMA 511 water testing wherever the readings point. The aim is to trace the path water is actually taking, which is often not where the damage shows. In Auckland that usually means starting with monolithic cladding, joinery junctions, parapets and balconies.

Aamsko starts with a one-hour initial consultation with a building consultant, for a fixed fee of $95 including GST. If testing is needed, its scope and cost are confirmed in writing before any work starts, because the right level of testing depends on the building’s size, its cladding and the damage already visible.

A leaky home inspection is the first, targeted step: checking visible signs of water ingress and testing moisture levels at the junctions and penetrations most likely to be failing. A full weathertightness assessment goes further, opening up framing where the inspection points to a problem, to confirm the actual extent of damage before any repair is scoped.

For a typical three-bedroom Auckland house, a full reclad usually costs between $120,000 and $500,000. The biggest variable is hidden framing damage found once the cladding comes off, so Aamsko shows a worst-case contingency for it separately from the base estimate. Apartment and commercial buildings are scoped and priced building by building.

Our project management and contract management, including securing warranties, is 8% of the project value, plus GST. It’s a percentage, so the fee moves with the real contract value — down as well as up, if costs land below budget.

It’s almost always hidden framing damage found once the cladding is removed, not the visible problem you started with. Aamsko prices for that possibility upfront, with a clearly labelled contingency separate from the base estimate, and confirms the actual extent of hidden damage by inspection once framing is exposed. You see the true number as soon as it’s known, not at the end.

If your building went up between about 1988 and 2004, take it seriously — especially with monolithic cladding like plaster or EIFS finishes, untreated timber framing, minimal eaves, parapets or enclosed balconies. It’s not just houses, either: apartment and commercial buildings from that era carry the same exposure. And a building outside that window can still leak, which is exactly why testing matters more than the build date.

Give owners evidence rather than opinion. They’re far more likely to approve a scope and a levy when they can see test results showing what’s failing, the repair options costed side by side, and the worst case stated upfront. Aamsko prepares that evidence in a form a committee can present at a general meeting, then reports against it at every payment milestone once work starts.

Aamsko photographs and dates every inspection stage, covering cladding, flashings, joinery and membrane installation, so a warranty claim can be evidenced years later rather than disputed between a supplier and a builder. That record becomes part of what you hand to insurers, future buyers or your body corporate, not just something kept on file.