Tuesday, March 07, 2006

Buiding Blocks

Here's an interesting tale doing the rounds in the construction industry in Christchurch at the moment. It'd be nice to know how much substance there is to it.

Apparently a brand new townhouse has had to be demolished in the Northlands subdivision to the north of the city because it was built on the wrong section. According to the rumour the house was being built while its owner was overseas. The crew that was to lay the foundations turned up sometime last year and came across two empty sections side by side in the sub-division. Somehow they managed to put the foundation down on the wrong site.

From then on every other contractor who was hired for the project naturally followed their lead. Up went the walls, on went the roof, plumbing was connected, plastering, wiring, the whole works. Until it was discovered ... "oops hang on a minute, shouldn't this house be over there?" In the end the whole building had to be taken down and there are a few red faces as a result.

I'm not sure how the stuff-up was discovered. I can only imagine the owner of the section turned up one day and got the surprise of his life.

Friday, March 03, 2006

OK, So the Other Bastards Beat Me to It

Earlier this week I was promising some interesting information on the chairman of Hutchison Whampoa Limited's chairman, Li Ka Shing.

Unfortunately The Press beat me to it. Damn their eyes! (Sorry no online link available for their story.)

It seems the inestimable Li Ka Shing has a very interesting background. See here, here, and here.

Mr Li Ka Shing, I don't know what to make of these stories but you seem to have an interesting back ground.