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Appendix 1: Areas of risk

The following table lists the high-risk locations that were shown in Figure 3: Common areas of weathertightness risk, and includes examples of common defects (along with an indication of the incidence of defects in such locations based on a recent study) (note 1 below).

Table 5: Common weathertightness defects
Detail   Description Examples of possible defects %(1)
1 Cladding - general Base clearances Inadequate cladding clearance above ground
Bottom of cladding buried
Floor to ground separations		 64%
2   Body of cladding Cracking 55%
2.1   Vertical control joints No or poor control joints 50%
3   Horizontal control joints No control joint, unflashed joint
Poor overlaps, flashing traps moisture 		50%
4   Horizontal joints - corners Gaps, poor seals, no soakers 50%
5   Cladding base No anti-capillary gap/poor overlap
No plaster drip edge		 45%
6   Inter-cladding junctions No back-flashing, scribers etc 27%
7   Sheet joints Joints pouting, nails popping
Joints lining up with window jambs		 20%
8   Material quality Sub-standard solid plaster
Sub-standard weatherboard profiles		 20%
8   Material quality Paint coating/sealer defects 14%
9   Cladding top Poor barge flashings
Inadequate overlap/no drip edge
Unsealed under fascias		 19%
10   Decorative bands Unsealed fibre cement under bands
Flat top/cracks		 15%
11   Corners
 No back-flashing, scribers etc 12%
12 Windows and doors Jambs Unsealed under jamb flanges
No jamb flashings where required		 29%
9%
13   Sills No drainage gap at sill flashing
No or inadequate flashing where applicable		 30%
27%
14   Sill/jamb junctions Poor seals/no soakers where needed
No sill flashing turnups		 23%
15   Head/jamb junctions Inadequate/unsealed head projection
No returns to head flashings		 19%
16   Heads No drainage above flashing slope
Inadequate head flashing		 18%
17   Curved/raked heads Inadequate head/jamb junctions 30%
18   Garage heads No head flashing. No drip edge 10%
19   Garage jambs Unsealed/unflashed jamb liners 8%
20   Garage jambs - bottom Clearance from paving 8%
21 Parapets Parapet/roof junctions Inadequate flashings 22%
22   Parapet tops No capping. Flat top. 50%
23   Parapet tops -corners Poor capping joints 38%
24 Roof drainage Rainwater outlets Unsealed scuppers
No overflow provisions		 11%
25   Downpipe spreaders No or poor spreaders 4%
26   Roof edge/gutter Inadequate overhang, gaps
Building paper not overlapping gutters		 4%
27 Roof flashings Wall/roof apron flashings Inadequate upstands/overlaps 9%
28   Apron flashing - bottom No kickout, poor sealants,
gaps, bare fibre cement/framing etc
Gutters/fascias buried		 38%
27%
34%
29   Roof/wall clearance Inadequate clearance to apron 15%
30   Other roof flashings, skylights Inadequate overlaps, poor sealants 12%
31   Inter-roof claddings, skylights Inadequate overlaps, poor sealants 35%
32   Inter-roof/wall junctions Inadequate flashings 22%
33 Solid floor decks Deck/wall junctions Poor cladding clearance above deck
Inadequate overlaps, capillary gaps		 50%
22%
34   Deck perimeter/wall junctions Inadequate flashings 26%
35 Open balustrades Deck perimeter Poor membrane overlaps
Balustrade penetrations		 15%
9%
36   Balustrade/wall junction Unsealed fixings 5%
37 Clad balustrades Balustrade/wall junction No saddle flashings 52%
38   Balustrade top No slope to tops
No capping
Poor capping/capping joints		 51%
47%
13%
39   Handrail fixings Handrail penetrations through tops 46%
40   Drainage/overflows Inadequate overflow/drainage
Poor slope		 34%
10%
41   Balustrade/deck junction Poor cladding clearance above deck
Inadequate overlaps, capillary gaps		 14%
42 Timber slat decks Deck/wall junctions No drainage gaps
Decking buried in coating		 47%
17%
43 Penetrations Pipe penetrations Poor seals 50%
44   Pergolas etc No flashings, poor seals etc 30%
45   Meterboxes/grilles etc No head flashings
Poor sealants/gaps/cracks etc		 23%
Note: (1) Incidence of defects from analysis of information from a sample of about 340 houses assessed for Departmental Determinations up to December 2006. Not all defects are included in the table - only the most commonly found defects are noted.
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