Articles | SDS Design

The Great Frame Robbery By: Scott, Monday 19 April 2010

I was at a lodge over the weekend watching "The Crusaders" dissecting yet another Super 12 franchise, "The Blues", with my mates at the "Busy Round Table".

Shortly after the game, and a couple of cold Speights, the discussion turned around to building activity across the whole country. One of our mates, a Carpenter, was feeling despondent about the quality of building today, and how houses seem to be getting slapped together with cheap materials, and how he can't compete anymore, because he is too expensive, and only has skilled staff who need to eat more than a bowl of rice a day.

A suggestion came from our mate, a plumber, whose business was franchised across the country under the name of Plumbing Planet. "Change your business to: Maintenance Building". There was a stoney silence. He went on to explain. "About twenty-five to thirty years ago, my uncle, who produced Copper nearly went out of business because his copper liners in the hot water cylinders were too good. The cylinders lasted for years, resulting in plumbers running out of work. He employed a marketing agent to no avail. Because work started to run out, he couldn't afford to put so much copper in the cylinders, so they didn't last as long, and "Hey Presto" - the plumbers were all busy again!".

There was a thunderous laugh from our mate Chuck who got up to replenish his Speights. On his return, he patted our carpenter friend on the back and said: "don't worry my friend, I solved your problem about 12 years ago!". We all waited with baited breath for him to go on. "Woodchuck Charlie" or "Chuck" as we know him owns a chunk of New Zealand forests. He is a very wealthy man. Chuck went on...

"My brother came to me with a dilemma. He had been commissioned by the Government to write a new act. It was to be called The Resource Management Act. It was about managing our resources and protecting our environment.

"At the same time, we had noticed a shift in building attitudes toward Dry Frame and Pre-cut and Pre-nail. Labour started to be taken away from the carpenter, and as I come from generations of carpenters, I could feel their pain. My brother knew of my skills and knowledge in the forestry industry, and relied heavily on some of my advice. I knew that the only way to compete was to Lessen the Life of the framing we use.

"We were all taught, and have been for over 50 years, that Pinus Radiata needs treatment to last as a framing member, to resist moisture and borer etc. Boron was used successfully for years without problems. Without this protection the framing would just rot in place if any moisture got near it.

"All I had to do was convince my brother that Boron was poisonous and aggressive long term to our environment, and he would write into the act about how we will not use that kind of chemical again. Boron died overnight, and Chem-free framing rose from its ashes, enabling Fungus and Rot to thrive within our industry ".

"So you see my friend, he added, you will be busy for ever in a day doing Maintenance Building and gaining credibility for it. A client would never have the original builder back for the repair work, and you will always be seen as the Problem solver".

Dinner was on the Carpenter that night!

Tagwords: Leaky Buildings

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