Well the house just rocks a bit!! A large number of buildings here are wooden framed, partly because it's a cheap and easy construction method, but also because they are allegedly quake proof. The fact there hasn't been one in Auckland for decades seems to have escaped them. The construction processes are 'quaint', well that's one word to use. Wind and cyclones is less of a threat than the large volumes of rain that fall here. It's not green and verdant for nothing. This never used to be a problem when the construction timber was seasoned and treated properly. Then in the 90's people started to use chemical weatherproofing, except it doesn't work. So now we have "leaky building syndrome". Things have improved a bit, but we still have the "chilli pack" construction technique I mentioned in my last message. If you think of a Big Mac polystyrene box, fill that with insulation, that's about what new houses are built of here, but with a wooden framework as I said...

Regards
Simon