A central Auckland renovation and repair construction specialist says homeowners affected by the deadly Friday floods need to know exactly what to do - and what not to do.

Wayne Fletcher of Grey Lynn’s Wishbone Construction said his business had been in the sector for 15 years, renovating and upgrading older homes.

It specialises in central-city places, particularly villas and bungalows, is skilled at taking older buildings apart while preserving heritage features, adding new features - and doing insurance repair work.

“I have visited many properties since Friday’s floods to give advice and help people who have suffered damage. All clients on our current jobs have agreed to put that work on hold, allowing us to muck in locally,” he said.

He visited eight homes yesterday but 20 since the floods and initial work can start on many of the homes. Fletcher said he had taken inquiries from Mt Albert, Birkenhead, Herne Bay, Grey Lynn, Point Chevalier, Waterview and Remuera and some people were in dire circumstances, their homes badly damaged.

“Crikey, you should see some of what I’ve seen in the last few days,” Fletcher said.

He says this list of advice to let flood victims know what to do:

1. Don’t touch any electrics that have become wet: call an electrician as soon as possible to assess the safety of the house;
2. Remove all wet carpets, and underlay and expose wood flooring;
3. Airflow is paramount: black mould could be major problem and might appear during the next six months so you need to guard against that by opening the walls to airflow. Insulation generally doesn’t dry in walls when it’s enclosed.
4. Clean out your cesspits and make sure your gutters are clear;
5. Limit or stop sewage usage if sewer pipes or mains are broken or blocked: you’ll need to inspect lines and pipes if you can and may need to call Watercare if there’s a problem.

Fletcher said after this initial check, the next steps were for a builder to help owners and insurance companies.

His next list was:

1. A builder might need to remove wall linings and insulation, to air wet wall bases. But clearance will need to be sought from the insurance company in advance of any of this sort of work.
2. Floor structures might need to be lifted. This could mean removing some of the floors to allow drying and more thorough inspections. An insurance company will need to assess photos or visit on-site before this happens, as part of the claims process;
3. No building waste should be removed from the site. It should be stored in a pile in a section. Insurance assessors will need to see that;
4. A plan should be written for rebuild works, with the insurance assessor approving the building quote in advance.

Fletcher warned against people starting work in breach of policies.

“It is important homeowners don’t do lots of work without their insurance company’s approval. Follow their process to the letter,” he advised.

The Herald has reported how insurers swamped with claims have taken on extra staff, even flying in assessors from overseas to handle the work.

At least 4000 claims were lodged with three insurance companies by early afternoon yesterday.

And pre-existing supply chain issues related to the Covid pandemic mean it could take many months to settle claims and repair homes.

Tower Insurance said in less than 48 hours after the floods struck, it had received more than 1000 claims.

Morgan Brady, a senior associate at Tompkins Wake, advised homeowners to first contact their insurer and take photos as a helpful record of damage and impact, both for their insurance company and their own records for later down the recovery track.

She told people to take plenty of photos and don’t do any remedial work until they’ve talked to the insurer.

For homeowners who might disagree with any red or yellow sticker status assigned to their homes under a local authority emergency inspection process, she cautioned that while a resolution avenue is available through the Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment, that will be something for the future.