Brian Anderson The Western Front www.sunlive.co.nz

I have been a little slack on the column over the last couple of weeks. My apologies. I have just bought another house on bridging finance, eventually sold my old house, brought in drainlayers to modify my stormwater and started building a fourth bedroom. Of course I am not a builder.

I needed an architect to keep the plans looking professional and at the moment I am ‘the boy' to my builder. You can think you have all the knowledge on building regulations, consents processes but until you make the plunge you know nothing. Two weeks behind the hammer and shovel, listening to all the sub contractors' stories living under tarpaulins during the recent gales and surviving the roof shout, has made me more appreciative of the good work council staff can do in helping builders to make sense of the new building regulations.

I was upset at the cost of building consent, but I have since met a builder whose consents for a $320,000 house were $28 000. Don't panic Western Bay residents. It wasn't in Western Bay.

I don't know the actual final cost for my project because reinspections will cost another $185 each though ‘two for one' inspections are credited back. Of interest, the $28,000 cost of consent was quoted as $20 000 to $22 000 and the extra costs apparently were due to reinspections.

Despite my care in planning and obtaining the best authorities, within a couple of months, the rules had changed, the builder had not gone on internet every night after work to catch up with the changes but the building inspector was very helpful and found practical solutions at the time that didn't necessitate another visit and cost me more money.

The requirements for water proofing and protection against leaky homes means that not only the consents cost but the extra materials and time spent installing the specified nails screws and water proofing can easily add another 15% to the cost of a house. I have not included the increased cost of the section and its consents. Where on earth are we going to get our affordable housing from? A professional submission to the Productivity Commission's report on affordable housing came to the conclusion the no developer can build an acceptable house for anything less than $400,000.