THE PROCESS
This guide is to show how ICON can help across a generalised slip repair process. This is not legal or financial advice, you must take professional advice for your personal situation.
Get the process right
It is important to get the process right, as there can be significant consequences:
You may have your property displayed on a map of properties with EQC/NHC claims.
You may have a notice added to your title stating that your property is affected by a natural hazard.
Your insurance company or the NHC may refuse future claims or impose special conditions.
You may pay for a design that you cannot afford to build.
You could pay for a design that cannot be built.
You could have non code compliant work done that then cannot be signed off by the Council.
Conversely, you might fail to act urgently when you could or should have.
Read on for the generalised process for repairing a slip.
Insurance claim
You will have a responsibility to disclose information to your insurer. You may (or might not?) make an insurance claim.
An insurance claim will involve the Natural Hazards Commission (previously EQC)
https://www.naturalhazards.govt.nz/insurance-and-claims/claims/claims-process/
While the insurance claim is processed, an initial site assessment and concept design may be provided to you. The purpose here is to assess risk and allow an approximation of the cost to repair. This initial report is likely not a 'geotech investigation' or 'engineer's report'. It won't allow construction to start and will likely recommend a geotech report and a detailed design by an engineer.
Geotech report
Some amount of geotech investigation will likely be necessary.
We can recommend engineers to complete the investigation and the subsequent design work.
Concept stage
Alongside the investigation, the engineer will generally produce a concept. This may be a sketch or a description of some options.
At concept stage the engineer should be able to give an 'engineer's estimate' so you know if the design is likely to be within your budget.
At this stage ICON will not give a quote but, if the engineer can't give an estimate, we can give a rough order of cost. This is an approximate estimate that is appropriate at concept stage.
Without an engineer's estimate or a rough order of cost from a contractor, you may pay to complete a detailed design you can't afford to build.
You should not choose a preferred contractor based on a comparison of rough order cost estimates
(see 'Tendering' below).
Early Contractor Involvement
If a job is difficult or unusual, it can be prudent to have some early contractor involvement, to discuss feasibility of a concept. ICON can provide a site visit and feasibility comments.
You do not want to pay for a detailed design to be completed only to find it can't be built.
Multiple concepts
There may be multiple concept designs and often clients want to know which might be the most cost effective.
ICON can provide estimates for multiple designs.
Consent required or exempt work
Certain work is allowed without a building consent but most work will require a consent.
It is important to get this right.
Exempt work may avoid consent costs but incorrectly doing work without a consent has significant consequences.
All work must be to code, even if there is no building consent to create Council oversight.
Please contact us if you want further information on this.
Detailed design stage
After an acceptable concept is identified, the engineer will develop the design through to a set of detailed plans.
If the work is exempt from requiring a building consent, and has not triggered a resource consent, then work may start at this point.
Tendering
When a detailed design is complete, there will be sufficient information for contractors to provide an accurate price.
You should ask for two or three competing quotes from specialist contractors.
Don't just look at the total written on the quote, look at the detail.
A lump sum and 'it will be done to spec' is not appropriate for this kind of work.
Make sure you read the quantities stated, some contractors may under estimate.
Check their exclusions and limitations, there should be some and they should be reasonable.
Ask about what is fixed and what is provisional or 'measure and value'.
Does the contractor allow retentions or damages payments to you, most don't.
At this stage ICON will provide a detailed free quote with individual elements of the job quantified and priced.
You may choose a preferred contractor at this point.
Be aware that a building consent can take between one and six months before it is granted. This means that it is not reasonable for a contractor to 'book you in', as your job may have consenting delays.
Consent stage
If building or resource consents are required, the detailed design documents are now submitted to the Council. There are almost always 'requests for information' (RFI) while consents are processed, and these result in changes to the design before it is approved.
The designer (engineer) normally applys for building consent and generally the RFI questions need to be answered by them.
If a resource consent is required, we can prepare an application for your job.
Approved plans
When any final changes to the design have been completed, and the necessary consents have been granted, you will have a final set of approved plans. You will need to have the work complete within a year, or extend that timeline by request to the Council to allow a second year.
If the consent process took a long time or there were design changes due to RFIs, it is reasonable for the contractor to revise their price.
Contract
We feel that, with all of the above done, it is the right time to sign a contract.
Conversely, a contract could have been signed before building consent was issued, but there is a high chance the contract would need to be altered due to design changes or consenting delays.
Construction
Once consents are granted and a contract is signed, we can begin the construction work and organise the various inspections with engineers and the Council.
Compliance
At the end we will help with the final documentation from us, the engineer and the Council to leave you with a complete, compliant and documented job.