https://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/300330792/carnage-on-buildi
ng-site-as-vandal-destroys-house-with-20tonne-digger

Thoughts?

lakeview3 - 2021-06-11 21:32:00

Purposely destroyed.

gabbysnana - 2021-06-11 21:43:00

Definitely won't buff out.

sooperdoopa - 2021-06-11 21:45:00

My thoughts are - there is going to be a massive bung fight between Insurers, as the builders have obviously been massively negligent and left the keys in or access to their digger, which may void their liability insurance. I highly doubt their contract works insurance will pick it up, or their liability, so who pays?

rhys12 - 2021-06-11 21:45:00

My first thought was - who hasn’t been paid…..could be wrong of course but someone would need to know how to access the site and operate the digger….

lakeview3 - 2021-06-11 22:20:00

rhys12 wrote:

My thoughts are - there is going to be a massive bung fight between Insurers, as the builders have obviously been massively negligent and left the keys in or access to their digger, which may void their liability insurance. I highly doubt their contract works insurance will pick it up, or their liability, so who pays?

hmm yes good point. A bit gutting for all the tradies who put all that work into it.

Someone was obviously very very angry whoever did it.

lakeview3 - 2021-06-11 22:21:00

lakeview3 wrote:

Someone was obviously very very angry whoever did it.

Or, just some bored little shites who saw an opportunity. Plenty of wanton, deliberate vandalism that goes on.

rhys12 - 2021-06-11 22:30:00

Surely someone in the area saw and/or heard something?
It wouldn't be a noiseless operation!

autumnwinds - 2021-06-11 22:59:00

lakeview3 wrote:

My first thought was - who hasn’t been paid…..could be wrong of course but someone would need to know how to access the site and operate the digger….

My thoughts exactly, I would put money on it having been ripped of " legally" by some of these developers. Now we have to be fearful for other subbies on the site who are going to be stuffed around getting paid. My advise to them all is to have a meeting of of all subbies involved and act as one and if necessary fly a large black flag as a message to all, STAY AWAY.

Edited by hammer23 at 11:32 pm, Fri 11 Jun

hammer23 - 2021-06-11 23:23:00

rhys12 wrote:

Or, just some bored little shites who saw an opportunity. Plenty of wanton, deliberate vandalism that goes on.

no, I reckon someone has a real beef with someone to go as far as they did. Looks personal to me. Plus how many people know how to drive a digger?

lakeview3 - 2021-06-12 06:27:00

autumnwinds wrote:

Surely someone in the area saw and/or heard something?
It wouldn't be a noiseless operation!

you would think wouldn’t you?

lakeview3 - 2021-06-12 06:28:00

I like the comment that they don’t know how the digger was started….surely the damage to the ignition key barrel (or complete lack of) might be a good clue….

sparkychap - 2021-06-12 06:38:00

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/vandals-destroy-brand-new-hous
e-with-digger-one-month-before-owners-move-in/JGA67OY4PPTKRB
YYFROYSNSCXM/

This one gives a bit more info - it does sound quite fishy. Apparently the vandals used two diggers, so they just happened to know how to hot wire both of them? At 1-3 in the morning, this would have been awfully loud - even if the surrounding houses are vacant, this surely would have been heard from quite some distance away.

rhys12 - 2021-06-12 06:53:00

Thanks Rhys - In That one it says they were hot wired. But all smells very fishy to me.

sparkychap - 2021-06-12 07:03:00

That looks like it was done by someone that knew how to drive a digger.
My bets there’s some money owed to someone.

rodeorunch - 2021-06-12 07:45:00

rhys12 wrote:

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/vandals-destroy-
brand-new-house-with-digger-one-month-before-owners-move-in/
JGA67OY4PPTKRBYYFROYSNSCXM/

This one gives a bit more info - it does sound quite fishy. Apparently the vandals used two diggers, so they just happened to know how to hot wire both of them? At 1-3 in the morning, this would have been awfully loud - even if the surrounding houses are vacant, this surely would have been heard from quite some distance away.

none of the neighbours heard anything…..yeah right ????

Also - no security camera? A month to set one up? Come on…… very fishy indeed.

lakeview3 - 2021-06-12 08:06:00

Google reviews were mixed. ????

lovelurking - 2021-06-12 09:01:00

A few parts of the last article don't stack up.

Hot wiring a diesel is not necessary, just cross the terminals on the starter motor and you are away, no need to even get near the ignition.

But both the cabin and engine bay will have locks on them to prevent entry, so where is the forced entry?

Driving a digger is child's play, if you can drive any type of machinery, a digger is one of the easiest.

Operating the diggers on low throttle will be enough to run the hydraulics and quiet enough not to be too loud, done slowly, most wouldn't hear much.

smallwoods - 2021-06-12 09:28:00

lovelurking wrote:

Google reviews were mixed. ????

goodness what did you google? CCTV cameras? Building companies or diggers? ????????

lakeview3 - 2021-06-12 09:37:00

smallwoods wrote:

A few parts of the last article don't stack up.

Hot wiring a diesel is not necessary, just cross the terminals on the starter motor and you are away, no need to even get near the ignition.

But both the cabin and engine bay will have locks on them to prevent entry, so where is the forced entry?

Driving a digger is child's play, if you can drive any type of machinery, a digger is one of the easiest.

Operating the diggers on low throttle will be enough to run the hydraulics and quiet enough not to be too loud, done slowly, most wouldn't hear much.

you don’t think the parts of the house crashing down or the other digger driving over the concrete would have been loud? OK then!

lakeview3 - 2021-06-12 09:38:00

lakeview3 wrote:

goodness what did you google? CCTV cameras? Building companies or diggers? ????????

The second option... ????

lovelurking - 2021-06-12 09:42:00

sparkychap wrote:

Thanks Rhys - In That one it says they were hot wired. But all smells very fishy to me.

Older Machines have key ignitions, which as you've said could be damaged and got going, the latest Cat machines have push button start with a specific code for each machine, one off the reasons would be exactly this, security onsite and unauthorised use of machines.
Machines can be set up thru their GPS systems to not work certain hours if needed, so it could be set from 7pm till 6am the machine wont start.

Edited by mrcat1 at 10:05 am, Sat 12 Jun

mrcat1 - 2021-06-12 09:57:00

smallwoods wrote:

A few parts of the last article don't stack up.

Hot wiring a diesel is not necessary, just cross the terminals on the starter motor and you are away, no need to even get near the ignition.

But both the cabin and engine bay will have locks on them to prevent entry, so where is the forced entry?

Driving a digger is child's play, if you can drive any type of machinery, a digger is one of the easiest.

Operating the diggers on low throttle will be enough to run the hydraulics and quiet enough not to be too loud, done slowly, most wouldn't hear much.

There's lever pullers and then there's operators!!!
True anyone can hop in one and make it move and by the looks of these pictures it wasn't done with any finesse, a 20 tonne machine even in novice hands can do a lot of damage as these pictures prove.

Edited by mrcat1 at 10:03 am, Sat 12 Jun

mrcat1 - 2021-06-12 10:02:00

I think they might of just been taking it for a drive and hit the house by accident.

ash4561 - 2021-06-12 10:12:00

ash4561 wrote:

I think they might of just been taking it for a drive and hit the house by accident.

they might have....

sparkychap - 2021-06-12 10:18:00

I’m wondering if both machines were working at the same time or was there only one vandal?

lovelurking - 2021-06-12 11:02:00

lakeview3 wrote:

you don’t think the parts of the house crashing down or the other digger driving over the concrete would have been loud? OK then!

How do you know they were "crashing" down.
A skilled operator can be gentle.

smallwoods - 2021-06-12 11:14:00

mrcat1 wrote:

There's lever pullers and then there's operators!!!
True anyone can hop in one and make it move and by the looks of these pictures it wasn't done with any finesse, a 20 tonne machine even in novice hands can do a lot of damage as these pictures prove.

My guess is , this was an operator.

smallwoods - 2021-06-12 11:17:00

hammer23 wrote:

My thoughts exactly, I would put money on it having been ripped of " legally" by some of these developers. Now we have to be fearful for other subbies on the site who are going to be stuffed around getting paid. My advise to them all is to have a meeting of of all subbies involved and act as one and if necessary fly a large black flag as a message to all, STAY AWAY.

first thoughts was unpaid subbies.

the other thing is the builders find they have stuffed up something major, they are close to final inspection, so they smash the house down and get it fixed under insurance, and gets them off the hook for not completing on time.

tweake - 2021-06-12 11:31:00

Where is a follow up story on this fascinating case. It is up to some wannabe reporter to get off their arse,get down to the site and start asking questions. I don't believe it was an random act of vandalism, but some poor bugger pushed to the cold hearted limit by the system. Someone will know,oh to know what the stories are going around the smoko sheds in Flat Bush.

hammer23 - 2021-06-12 20:54:00

The worker explained an emergency button in the digger was likely activated, which would have brought it to a halt.

“That’s why they go run away."

sparkychap - 2021-06-13 10:53:00

sparkychap wrote:

The worker explained an emergency button in the digger was likely activated, which would have brought it to a halt.

“That’s why they go run away."

I wonder how they knew that ‘they go run away’……plot thickens. ????

Edited by lakeview3 at 11:08 am, Sun 13 Jun

lakeview3 - 2021-06-13 11:02:00

Interesting that the first digger 'attacked' a concrete slab. Not typical vandal behaviour.
I would be looking for concrete contractors with a grievance.

masturbidder - 2021-06-13 21:51:00

smallwoods wrote:

My guess is , this was an operator.

I bet you anything you like it wasn't done by a operator!!!!
A skilled operator would have that house down and in a neat pile in 45 minutes with a 20 tonner, I know I can tip a house over in 45 minutes to 1 hour with my 18 tonne machine and its a hell of a lot tidier than that mess, 3.5 hrs and that's the mess they left??
Komatsu machines come in thru Komatsu Australia, they all have E Stop buttons on the front and side of them, an operator would know if something has flicked up and pushed one of the buttons and stopped the machine especially possible doing demolition, whereas a someone with no experience wouldn't know that.

Edited by mrcat1 at 12:23 am, Mon 14 Jun

mrcat1 - 2021-06-14 00:15:00

#33 Agreed,makes sense to me. I was on a job once when the roofer was going to take the roof off three units because he hadn't been paid, he was and the rest of us got ripped off. Bstds

Edited by hammer23 at 12:18 am, Mon 14 Jun

hammer23 - 2021-06-14 00:16:00

tweake wrote:

first thoughts was unpaid subbies.

the other thing is the builders find they have stuffed up something major, they are close to final inspection, so they smash the house down and get it fixed under insurance, and gets them off the hook for not completing on time.

Pounds to peanuts this was someone who didn't get paid, and they wanted to make a point!!!!
Not the first time stuff like this has happened, wont be the last either.

mrcat1 - 2021-06-14 00:20:00

hammer23 wrote:

#33 Agreed,makes sense to me. I was on a job once when the roofer was going to take the roof off three units because he hadn't been paid, he was and the rest of us got ripped off. Bstds

John key was booked to officially open a new hotel here not long after he became the Prime Minister.
The developer hadn’t paid the roofer who kicked up a stink and the PM cancelled so the posh ribbon cutting party didn’t go ahead after all ????
I phoned the roofing company and congratulated them on going public...Sadly we have see a lot of tradies being ripped off by unscrupulous developers throughout New Zealand over the years.

lovelurking - 2021-06-14 06:44:00

mrcat1 wrote:

I bet you anything you like it wasn't done by a operator!!!!
A skilled operator would have that house down and in a neat pile in 45 minutes with a 20 tonner, I know I can tip a house over in 45 minutes to 1 hour with my 18 tonne machine and its a hell of a lot tidier than that mess, 3.5 hrs and that's the mess they left??
Komatsu machines come in thru Komatsu Australia, they all have E Stop buttons on the front and side of them, an operator would know if something has flicked up and pushed one of the buttons and stopped the machine especially possible doing demolition, whereas a someone with no experience wouldn't know that.

Didn't say he was a demo operator.

smallwoods - 2021-06-14 08:30:00

smallwoods wrote:

Didn't say he was a demo operator.

Still part of being a operator.

mrcat1 - 2021-06-14 18:00:00

If and / or when they find who did it, it will be interesting what they are charged with and more interesting what will be the punishment.. "damp down some bus tickets" !! Ideally the person or persons who did it should be personally liable and spend the rest of their life, if needs be, paying it off... but we know this will not happen... there will be an expectation that insurance companies will look after it.. but the developer is going to incurr costs that insurance will not cover, they will just be on-charged to next customer by way of an increased cost of their home !!

onl_148 - 2021-06-15 11:06:00

As someone not involved in the building industry, surely after all the news in recent years of developers/building co.s going belly-up without paying subbies much if anything, most jobs done now would be with ongoing subcontractors invoices and thus progress payments made for work done to date (even if it may mean *weekly* ones for high-value supplies/labour ??).

gman35 - 2021-06-15 12:39:00

Three weeks later'
Any update on this story. I checked with one of my suppliers who works in that area, their reply was "we know nuffin ", but I bet the gos is working overtime around the smoko sheds.
A garage door guy I know wasn't paid for 4 sets on one subdivision, so he so he went to the job one saturday and took them all off then rang the news papers and the police and confessed. Next day his photo was on the front page of the Dominion with his story. The cops told him to put the doors back,which he did,they said nothing about the motors etc which somehow disappered. I bet this digger operator won't be self confessing.

hammer23 - 2021-07-01 11:47:00

rhys12 wrote:

My thoughts are - there is going to be a massive bung fight between Insurers, as the builders have obviously been massively negligent and left the keys in or access to their digger, which may void their liability insurance. I highly doubt their contract works insurance will pick it up, or their liability, so who pays?

It is not uncommon for earthmoving equipment (especially older models) to have 'generic' keys which are not that difficult to obtain.

brouser3 - 2021-07-01 17:25:00