[selchie]

There may be another thread or two about house construction materials, in case you can't get enough fun here. I suspect that the newer brick houses are in fact wood frame with a thin brick facade/skin. True brick through and through would be expensive, could make insulating difficult, and (if unreinforced) not be safe in earthquake country.

Yes, wood siding does require painting now and then. I suspect that it would require even more frequent painting in the land of ozone holes because sunlight is so rough on paint.

Thanks to Nick & Jacky for mentioning permits for remodels. Be sure that a house you buy has had the proper building permits (or whatever they're called in NZ) for any original or remodeling work. This helps ensure that the work was done up to code, which can be very important for safety when it comes to such things as electrical work. It also covers your hiney when you try to sell.