Does everyone have termite protection in Brisbane?

[cceasy]

Hi all,

I'm curious what percentage of investors here have termite protection barrier etc for their investment properties in Brisbane... I was speaking with building and pest company and she said 90% of the house she inspects will have termite activity. That's crazy numbers...

So would you invest in chemica barriers treatment etc for a house that has no termite activity?

 

[hugh72]

It depends on the house, some highsets have ant caps or concrete posts so they have protection. For low set houses look at the perimeter for any wood,branches or wood chip garden beds and remove these from the edge of the house.
Most newer houses would probably have Termimesh installed.
I have a couple for properties with a chemical barrier installed due to a previous termite attack, one in a bathroom and another in a wall at a different property, thankfully this was caught before it was too expensive to repair. Termidor barriers last for about 7 years but can be expensive.
At a couple of other houses I just make sure that a yearly termite inspection is carried out
A lot of people wouldn't realize that their properties have been damaged I would guess, you just have to make your own risk assessment of cost vs potential damage

 

[wylie]

None of ours have a barrier except our own which was a requirement (sensible too) when we built down onto a new slab.

Other places we have are queenslanders and none of them are built under so we can literally stand underneath, look for mud trails, see what is happening.

Where we have found termites (usually when we buy) we just get the posts drilled and treated. Termites don't phase me much because of the style of house we have.

 

[cceasy]

Thanks guys...

So I can see the benefits of high set houses... So in saying that, does low set houses have higher risk? Do Queenslanders prefer highset over low set?

 

[cceasy]

Can someone tell me if this house would be considered high risk?

http://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-qld-inala-119324860

I asked the building and pest and she said that because it has hard wood floors, termites don't like it... she suggested removing mulch which I plan on doing and I also plane removing most of the trees/stump close to the house...

 

[hugh72]

As a general rule yes highsets are lower risk but some suburbs are almost exclusively low set or built in highsets. I don't think people generally prefer one to the other, the style of housing is dependent on the decade built IMO. One of mine which had an attack prior to purchase is a 2 story, brick lower level and wooden frame house.
I would consider either style personally and would put more consideration into the chosen suburb and the actual deal itself and then conduct B&P inspections etc
Would I rather live in a highset in Kingston or a lowset brick house in St Lucia? There is no comparison

 

[hugh72]

Can someone tell me if this house would be considered high risk?

http://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-qld-inala-119324860

I asked the building and pest and she said that because it has hard wood floors, termites don't like it... she suggested removing mulch which I plan on doing and I also plane removing most of the trees/stump close to the house...

If you do this it would remove some of the risk, I would get a yearly termite inspection. For $180 you will have some peace of mind IMO

 

[cceasy]

Thanks guys... Yearly inspections sounds crucial.

 

[WattleIdo]

Has anyone tried the termite baiting system? It's supposed to be kinder to other organisms/insects because it only gets the termites. They get addicted to the bait and take it back to the colony and it wipes it out.
Sounds a bit mean but the plus side is it only gets the termites. Cost around $4K and the inspector checks it out every year once the colony is eradicated.
Or is a barrier better?