Onduline roof & wall cladding.
Do you know what to look out for when purchasing a property? Some materials or pre existing building issues will not be covered by your insurer. Our building inspectors have a wealth of building knowledge and experience, making them the perfect people to conduct your building inspection.
Onduline Roof & Wall Cladding
We take a look into what Onduline roof and wall cladding is and why it might be a problem for your next property purchase.
The building material Onduline is tough, lightweight and prefinished. It is a bitumen-impregnated cellulose fibre and often corrugated. The product was originally made in the 1950s in Europe from organic fibres.
Importers of the product laid claims that it was a flexible and economic alternative to the traditional materials available at the time. Among their claims was that it was also corrosion free and fungus resistant.
What’s the issue?
While importers promised the product was perfect for Australian and New Zealand environmental conditions, their promises proved to be false. In recent years the Onduline products failed in the New Zealand environment, which resulted in many legal claims. These legal claims were made against the importers, re-sellers, builders and property owners.
There was one main reason the product failed in our New Zealand environment. The bitumen coating began to corrode, which then led to water ingress and the organic fibres then breaking down. It was never clear on whether this was due to New Zealand having higher UV or the harsh coastal conditions.
Common issues
The most common issues known with Onduline roof and wall cladding is de-lamination, fading, colour leeching, sagging, cracking and disintegration.
How to identify a property has Onduline roof or wall cladding?
We believe Onduline is pretty easy to identify and here are four tests you can use to check if the property you’re looking to purchase has it:
- Age – Onduline first came to the NZ market during the early 1990s and was withdrawn mid 2000s. If your property was built or had any renovations within this time period there is a chance it has Onduline roof or wall cladding.
- Corrugations – Onduline was originally manufactured as a corrugated profile, just like corrugated iron. The troughs of Onduline are much larger though, and look much like the old asbestos roofing.
- Thickness – Onduline is noticeably thicker than the typical corrugated iron roofing.
- Look – Onduline isn’t smooth like iron roofing. You’ll be able to see a texture much like fibres in Onduline roofing.
When purchasing a property we understand how stressful it can be, especially in the current market. With property stock being low on the market, and the number of buyers not decreasing, we are hearing of many buyers putting in unconditional offers.
We cannot stress the importance of a building inspection enough. If you aren’t a building inspector yourself, we always recommend you have a building inspection completed for peace of mind. Call us today to book in your next property inspection.