COST OF HOUSE

New Zealand Herald, Volume 82, Issue 25289, 24 August 1945, Page 9

COST OF HOUSE

DISPUTED CONTRACT

CONTENTIONS BY DEFENCE The hearing of a claim by Wilfred Ernest Wagener, builder and contractor (Mr North and Mr Bartleet), again.Sydney George Pudney. retired tailor and Ann Pudney (Mr A. A. Coates! for £lOlB alleged to be due on a con tract and interest, was continued befon Mr Justice Callan and a jury ye.stcr day. Plaintiff claimed that the contract for building a house had been on tin basis of defendants paying for wages anc! materials plus 10 per cent for supervision, but the defendants said there had been a firm contract for £2300 for the house. It was admitted that the defendant Pudney had paid plaintifl £2301. Continuing his evidence plaintiff said he still maintained that this house wa.one of the cheapest jobs he had done. The president of the Auckland Master Builders' Association, Alexander Stevens, said he would be definitely satisfied to accept plaintiff as a first-clas-builder. A brick veneer house such as defendant had should cost approximately £2 per square foot or slightly higher. Fyeith William Liddel, builder and contractor, valued the defendants' job at £3595. The workmanship, not the exterior, was of very high class. Edmund Jtupert Morton, architect, described the house as an extremely well-finished one and said he had been agreeably surprised at the manner of work that had cone into it. He valued the work at £3700. Outlining the defence, Mr Coates said that in the first instance defendants said there was a contract for the work at an agreed price of £2200. Secondly, if there were no such contract, the defence contended that the £3313 charged,, as on a cost plus 10 per cent basis, including extras, was excessive. Evidence was given by Sydney George Pudney, one of the defendants, and by Wilfred Henry Spiller, quantity surveyor, who said he valued the house at £2600. The hearing will continue this morning.