Yes, with termites, it’s not a matter of “Ifâ€; it’s a matter of “Whenâ€.
Have you ever seen how much damage termites can do to a house?
Between 1 in 3 and 1 in 4 Australian homes gets termites and tragically, most home owners find out only after there has been considerable damage done.
According to the Gold Coast Bulletin, Sunday March 6, 2016:
“timber-munching critters have inundated the Gold Coast this summer with pest control owners saying this has been the busiest season in five years.â€
The article went on to add
“People need to make sure they have adequate drainage away from the building and it is also important to keep gardens and foliage away from the house, it is also extremely important to get annual termite inspections done.â€
In a recent case, a customer was drilling a hole in a window frame to hang curtains. As soon as he turned the drill on, the bit went straight through the timber and the entire frame collapsed, exposing hundreds of termites.
The scary thing was that the window was on the first floor. Yes, the entire wall of the house was riddled with them and it all had to be replaced.
Studs, bearers, window frame, internal wall sheeting; everything all had to be replaced. They were only 20cm short of being in the roof…
Image what would have happened had they gone unchecked.
Did he have any clues that the house had termites?
None.
And in most cases, until you make a repair and watch the timber crumble around you, see a tell-tale trail of dried mud on your foundations or on a wall; or see moisture where it shouldn’t be, you have no idea. Even a deteriorating timber retaining wall or garden edge close to the house should be treated with suspicion as the damage may be caused by termites.
Here’s another danger area
Any garden beds that touch the house. That’s like giving them an open invitation and leaving the front door open.
Repair bills in the tens of thousands are common, and in most cases, early detection would have minimised or even avoided these huge bills.
(Seriously, if people had any idea how much timber termites eat in a short period of time, and how much the repair bills can be, everyone would live in high rise apartments!)
When you consider the cost of a termite inspection – a couple of hundred dollars – against the cost of repairs, having professionals like us conduct an inspection, it is a total no-brainer.
Look, I’m not trying to scare you but if you could see what we see every day, you would do what I recommend and act NOW to book your termite inspection. Every day you leave doing it is another day a thousand mouths are eating your house.