The Star: July 29, 2021

Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
Thursday July 29 2021 The Star
NEWS 15
STOLEN: Building materials and an outboard motor were taken during an overnight theft from a building site in West Melton.
PHOTO: GEOFF SLOAN
Building cost increase sees rise in theft
• By Susan Sandys
THE THREAT of building
materials being stolen from
building sites is increasing as
costs rise, says Master Builders.
Construction costs have
skyrocketed: Reports in recent
days have revealed the price of
steel and timber is up 15 per
cent, brickwork is up 20 per cent
in two months, cedar cladding is
up 50 per cent in three months,
while steel is up 60 per cent in
eight months.
Last week about $8500 of
materials were stolen from two
neighbouring homes under
construction at West Melton.
This followed a burglary,
reported to police on July 16, of a
residential address in Somerfield
where building work was taking
place.
Canterbury branch Master
Builders New Zealand president
John Hamilton said the threat
of theft was increasing with the
market for building materials
affected by rising costs and
supply issues.
“It’s always been around, but
now the materials are becoming
very expensive. Before it was
white ware and tools, but now
everything is on the table,”
Hamilton said.
He urged builders to make
things difficult for opportunist
thieves. They could invest in
a portable security camera
system, tie up or bolt down
packs of timber on site, or pick
up building materials in smaller
portions from merchants and
use them as they went.
For the West Melton theft,
the thieves struck overnight
on Tuesday at the Wilfield
subdivision, stealing an outboard
motor from a boat, and building
materials.
Builder Jessie de Wys said
about $5000 of materials
including 30 sheets of plywood,
six sheets of six-metre roofing
iron, about 30 metres of 6x2
timber framing, and fixing
componentry was stolen from
the site where his company JD
Homes was building a house.
“How do I feel about it? I don’t
think you can put that in the
paper,” de Wys said.
The neighbouring home had
an outboard motor stolen from
a boat, and an entire delivery of
materials for the pre-clad stage of
the home stolen, costing
about $3500. The items –
including building paper,
cavity batons, surfeit sheets,
PVC mouldings, and timber
– had been taken from where
they were stored in the home’s
uncompleted garage.
For the Somerfield theft,
items taken included tools,
building materials and
plumbing equipment.
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