It's all you can eat at the termite buffet

JD recently visited a customer who needed a beam put into his living room. The customer had jumped the gun ever so slightly by having the wall removed and installing an acrow-prop (you know, those ugly sticks you see holding up awnings while they’re being repaired. A nice touch in your living room.) He’d had some engineering plans drawn up but JD and his structural engineer pretty quickly established that they were pretty useless and that was $750 down the drain. Whomp whomp.

However, while poking around the house to see what structural solution they could come up with, they discovered another, more pressing, problem. Termites. And not just indications that termites might be active, but actual ceiling joists that were literally riddled with termite trails. Unexpected guests can be a little stressful, termites would have to be the most unwelcome guests of all. Here’s the lowdown.

The customer lives in a townhouse that was built in the 1980s. It’s brick veneer – that is, a single layer of brick that covers the structural timber frame. These days builders pretty much exclusively use treated, termite-resistant timber for framing (if yours isn’t, ask him for a good reason why), but back in the 80s, along with mullets and short shorts for men (you’re welcome) untreated pine or oregon was the go-to timber for house framing. Untreated pine is like a nutella donut milkshake for termites.

Second problem – this house is built in a damp hollow that’s surrounded by trees. Conditions like this are perfect for termites to flourish – it’s like their idea of luxury resort in Thailand that has an all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet included in the room rate. Basically, heaven.

Issue number three – the house has a concrete slab that sits directly on the ground. Not only does this literally provide a 4-lane highway for the termites to get into the house, it also means that you can’t get a visual check to see if there’s any termite activity. Believe me, a termite highway is not nearly as cute as those ones they build for possums to cross the road.

When JD and the engineer saw the termite issues in the ceiling joists that were visible (remember, the customer’s already demolished a wall and upstairs is being held up with an acrow-prop so you can see inside the structure) alarms bells started ringing. The damage is that extensive that they’re assuming the wall framing is equally bad and that a similar level of damage exists throughout the house.

So, that’s the bad news. What’s the good news? Unfortunately in this case, there’s literally no good news. The house isn’t going to collapse tomorrow but it’s an issue that needs to be addressed asap and the solution will be expensive and time-consuming.

Step one is to get a pest controller in to check the house and at least send the termites the message that their smorgasbord has closed and the midnight buffet is not taking any more reservations. An experienced termite consultant will need to make an assessment to determine the extent of the damage and they can then work with a builder to work out the best course of remedial action. More than likely it’s going to be a big fix for a big problem.

If your house was built in the 80s or earlier, we recommend that you get a pest inspection to either identify a problem or stop it before it starts, you really don’t want to end up in a situation like the one I’ve just described. It’s not a sexy way to spend money on your house (hey, I’d rather buy a new sofa) but it’s something that’s really crucial to the structural integrity of your home.

Have you had to deal with a termite problem?
What other pest are prevalent in your area?
What was your best 80s fashion moment?