by Damien on November 19, 2009
One thing we regularly come across when doing timber pest inspections is rooms with heavily stored materials.
Most often its places like the garage, the storage rooms or under stair cases that are piled high with all sorts of junk.
The problem is that by the time any damage is discovered the termites can really stitch your house up.
So it’s important to make every area in your house as accessible as possible not only for your inspector, but for yourself as well. We are in your house only once a year, where you are there all the time.
So do your self a favor and keep it clean.
Damien
by Damien on July 21, 2009
So often you will here me complaining about people bridging, both chemical and physical barriers with decking timbers, fences posts and palings.
Well this is an example of how easy it is to build these two correctly and still comply with the buildings barrier.
In the first example the exposed slab is over the deck which provides clear visual access to the exposed slab. In the second example the fence post and paling are cut so as not to impede visual inspection of the V joint.
It’s that easy.
Example 1
Example 2
Damien
by Damien on June 26, 2009
In this blog I’m often banging on about getting a pre purchase inspection done, to protect you from being sold a house that has active termites eating it away. The thing I haven’t talked about, is what should you do if termites are found during a pre purchase inspection? Excellent questions glad I asked it.
Just because a house has active termites in it doesn’t mean it’s a bad investment. Obviously the purchaser needs to work out how much the house was worth before the termites were introduced into the equation, then they have to factor in the cost of the termite treatment also the cost of the repair to the building must be entered in. If what you are paying for the house is reasonable then why not buy a house with termites in it.
The most important things in buying a house with active termites in it is to know what your in for and commission the work yourself. What most purchasers do is to renegotiate the contract to factor in the repairs & termite management. Don’t leave it up to the sellers to fix the problem even the nicest of people will cut cost on a treatment that they don’t have to live with and once you take over the property this becomes your problem. Save your self the head ache and get the job done right buy some one you trust who will be responsible for their work.
All this said, I have done a number of pre purchases for people who have had termites in the house during the inspection and they have been very pleased with their purchase. As long as you know what you are in for sometimes it can work in your favor.
Damien
by Damien on June 23, 2009
A good friend of mine bought a house two months ago. His wife got the real estate to organize their pest and building inspections (some other pest controller). He called me once the inspection reports came back and asked if he could send them over to me so I could tell him what they meant and weather the house was ok or not.
hard to believe anyone is that lazy!
At first I thanked him for sending his business to some other pest manager and not me, then I looked over the reports for him. From the reports most things with the property seemed fine, a few little things here and there but nothing that would put you off buying the house.
As some one who makes a living as a personal trainer how was he to know what the reports were saying unless he was at the inspection.
I always tell my clients it is very important to be at the inspection for a few reasons:
• The client can walk around the building with the inspectors and have the important things pointed out to them.
• The client can see if the inspector is taking his time to check the house out carefully
• Any questions the client has can be answered on the spot
• The inspector can get an idea weather the client understands what he is talking about.
If your are buying a new house get out to the inspection, ask as many questions as you like. Remember you are paying the inspectors so they are on your time. Don’t leave until you are comfortable you understand every thing you need to know about you’re your new purchase.
Damien.
by Damien on April 21, 2009
This picture has nothing to do with the story (its something I saw during an inspection on Monday (the worlds biggest mushroom).
Sometimes people are more concerned with how your job looks than whether its effective. I was recently recommended to a client by a builder friend of mine with these words of warning don’t make a mess in her house or she will kill you. Now every time I’m in someone’s house I do my best not to make a mess, it just common courtesy, but when you are taking gyprock and skirting board off the walls and dusting termites you will make a bit of a mess of the wall.
For this client I went with Exterra Baiting system it’s a much less invasive treatment so there is not so much digging up of the yard or drilling through the tiles. So the owner was more comfortable with this solution, and this is the most important thing in dealing with customers. If your client is comfortable that you can deal with any special request they have, then they are happy to keep you on as a tradesman and more likely to recommend you to their friends.
The Gold Coast is a small place and word gets around very quickly and if you do a bad job people are quick to can you. For people like me who gets 80% of his work from word of mouth, reputation is everything.
So if your doing a job for some one, do your best to see the job from their point of view and put that little bit of extra attention to detail in. It might take a little bit longer but it may be the difference between getting the referral on your next job.
On a totally different subject congratulations to Luiz and Estella Henrique who were married last weekend I wish them all the best, both great people who I regard highly.
Damien
by Damien on April 15, 2009
I know I’ve written about this before and no doubt I will address this subject in the future, but it is so important to get your own pre-purchase pest and building inspection done.
 I recently received a call from a man who had just purchased a house from another party, who had only bought the house six months before. The owners had another company do a pre-purchase inspection (to protect themselves) just six months before and gave the new purchaser a copy of the report.
The new purchasers though they could save a dollar and use this report rather than pay for one themselves. Unfortunately the house was under attack from termites.
The new purchaser was not aware of this and was not covered and now has to foot the bill for the treatment as well as any repairs necessary.
It’s an expensive lesson to learn so please take my advice, get a pest and building inspection done before you purchase any property in the Gold Coast, it will cost a little but it could save you a lot.
Damien
