Good carpentry and craftmanship seem to be disappearinig from the Norwegian building market, leaving new home buyers furious. Developers, contractors and sub-contractors often blame each other, with none willing to take responsibility.
PHOTO: SIGNE DONS
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Scandinavia's construction industry was once known for its high quality, but that's changed in recent years. Now many property buyers are experiencing poor workmanship and outright deficiencies while paying higher prices than ever before.
One recent study by research firm Byggforsk estimated that poor quality work and a growing tendency to cut corners during the building process are costing Norwegian home buyers alone as much as NOK 13 billion a year.
One new residential project in Drammen was found to have construction errors and deficiencies that will cost NOK 17 million to repair. Building experts told newspaper Dagens Næringsliv that much of the poor construction remains hidden and they fear it will lead to emerging problems from leakage to instability over the next 10 years.
Contractors, they say, have simply promised more than they can deliver in the overheated building market. They end up taking shortcuts along the way, to keep their own costs down.
Now the government is growing weary of a the flood of consumer complaints, and officials plan to sharpen the building regulation process and control mechanisms considerably.
"We intend to have a proposal for new regulations before the end of the year," Inge Bartnes of the ministry of local governments told news bureau NTB on Friday.
He admitted that current building regulations aren't functioning, and some voluntary approval processes are likely to become obligatory.
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