Lower Hutt, suburb by suburb
Petone: the oldest streets
Settled in January 1840, Petone is the oldest European settlement in the region. New Zealand's first state houses went up at its eastern end in 1906, and Heritage New Zealand lists 19 Patrick Street, one of the first 25, as a Category 1 historic place with a low-pitched pyramid roof.
Naenae: prefab state houses
About 1,000 state houses were built south of Naenae in 1944, many prefabricated in a Miramar factory. The suburb sits on old swamp ground with up to 30 m of silt and peat, which may be prone to liquefaction.
Wainuiomata: the wet basin
Wainuiomata grew after 1945 and was nicknamed 'Nappy Valley' in the 1950s. Ringed by hills, it averages 1,569.2 mm of rain a year, against 1,206 mm at Gracefield on the valley floor.
Eastbourne: harbour and bush
Eastbourne sits on the eastern shore of the harbour below native bush, reached by one narrow, exposed road. In the Wahine storm of 10 April 1968, seas washed over Marine Drive and cut it off.
Storms that lift roofs
On the afternoon of 12 December 2023 a violent storm, which locals called a tornado, tore roofs off and knocked over garages. NIWA records roofs lifted across the region in the August 2004 southerly as well.
Making a Lower Hutt roof safer in an earthquake
A 2011 GNS-led study put the chance of the Wellington-Hutt Valley segment of the Wellington Fault rupturing in the next 100 years at about 11%. The Natural Hazards Commission says a single roof tile can weigh up to 4.5 kg, and suggests replacing concrete or slate tiles with corrugated iron or metal tiles, or at least checking the fixings aren't loose, rusted or broken.
On consent, MBIE gives swapping an old clay tile roof for longrun or pressed metal tiles in the same position as an example that doesn't need a building consent, while going the other way, from iron to concrete tiles, does. Ask your roofer or Hutt City Council to confirm for your house.
Brick chimneys are the other weak point. Our chimneys and earthquakes guide covers removal and lightweight flues.
Other jobs worth knowing about
Petone heritage houses. If yours is in the Heretaunga Settlement historic area, talk to Heritage New Zealand and the council before changing anything visible.
Spouting in Wainuiomata. That much rain needs spouting and downpipes sized and kept clear. See spouting in Wellington.
Salt in Eastbourne and along the foreshore. Homes within 500 m of the coast, harbour included, are in the high sea-spray zone, where structural fixings must be grade 304 stainless or better.
What we'd tackle first in Lower Hutt
If the house still has a concrete tile roof or a brick chimney above the roofline, we'd put those at the top of the list, ahead of cosmetic jobs. Next we'd make sure the spouting can carry a Tararua downpour away from the house. When you're ready, we'll pass the job to one checked roofer covering your part of the Hutt, or tell you if we don't have one.
Want a roofer to take a look?
Tell us the job and your postcode. We match it with a Find My Roofer certified roofer who specialises in that kind of work, and they call you to quote. Your number goes to them alone.