Land classifications are a guide – a good guide. Cera and EQC have spent many millions of dollars investigating the makeup of soils all over Canterbury to establish some benchmarks to assist future maintenance, flood projections, liquefaction risks and load capacity for new and repairable buildings.
Many properties in some of the most affluent and desirable areas of Christchurch, unfortunately, lie on some of the most saturated, unstable land within our city. Land classifications like TC3 are very common and should not be dismissed by prospective buyers. TC3 land can and should be built on, or properties successfully remediated. Sure, pile depths of 21mtrs may be required, however, micro-piling, raft designs and any number of newer, less expensive, solutions are edging onto the market, as developers and designers look to address the issues with unstable soils.
Remember, if the land suffered damage the buildings suffered damage. The important question is how much damage? The degree of building damage can vary greatly between adjoining neighboring properties due to many factors, unfortunately not always obvious at the time of a quick ‘non-invasive’ building inspection.
If you suspect your house, or future house, may have been sold previously “As is Where Is” or you would like us to undertake a floor level survey.
Contact us now. Risknet Limited database www.risknet.co.nz.