The cost of fixing Hawke's Bay Regional Council's leaky building in Napier has more than doubled to nearly $2m because of complications over who should repair the failing windows which have left the structure open to water penetration.
The regional council filed court action against Hebert Construction in 2012 to pay for repairs to its Dalton St office, which the firm built in 2005.
The council met yesterday for an update on the case and to hear from Kevin Longman of KLHB Building Consultants, a weather tightness specialist and expert in leaky building assessments.
KLHB undertook initial assessments on water tightness of the Dalton St building and Mr Longman will be retained by the council to provide evidence to support its legal claim.
Mr Longman said his most recent assessment showed the windows could be repaired without removal but the work would have to be done by the original manufacturer and installer, Toops Aluminum, to achieve a warrant.