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

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

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

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.

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

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

Last week I did a job for a man who believed he had his house under control from termite attack.

He was and old bloke from the country and when he would service one of his cars he would pour the old oil around the perimeter of his house, on top of this he bought a bottle of chemical from Bunning’s (the bottle clearly says termite killer on the front) and he would spray this chemical in his weep holes once a month, also he had several bait stations he bought from Bunning’s in the yard.

He thought he would be right. No need to get an over priced termite guy to do an inspection or offer an opinion.

So he calls me when he discovers that termites have nearly collapsed the North Western side of his building.

I have to admit he was a very likable bloke in person and I understand where his thinking comes from. In the bush if you want something fixed you have to do it your self.

However there are some jobs where an expert opinion is very important. (These experts generally do not include people who stock shelves at Bunning’s).

Why this plan fell apart.

• Sump oil or creosol does deter termites however you can’t just pour it around your house and expect it to work
• Also it might help to set your house on fire but that’s something else altogether
• You cannot spay your weep holes and expect termites to stop from getting into other areas of your house
• Your bait stations are only useful in attracting termites and have no effect on termites unless active termites are found and baited with a colony eliminator
• Bait stations with out being regularly and competently checked are only attracting termites to your property.

Just because a chemical bottle says termite eliminator on it, does not mean your house will be protected from termites if you use this product. Termites are easily killed, the problem is finding them, randomly spraying chemicals you buy from Bunning’s is not going to do much in the way of protecting your house from termite ingress.

Call a professional termite technician and get his opinion on your management program – and pick his brain for any thing you can use to maintain this program or make your home less inviting to termites.

Damien

I wish I had a dollar for every time someone told me termites don’t eat hard wood. I could give up work.

For the record Termites can eat hard wood, and anyone who tells you otherwise doesn’t know what they are talking about – or is trying to sell you a hard wood house.

So if you live in a hard wood House you are not immune to termite attack, just like every one else on the Gold Coast you still need a termite management program.

The picture above is of hardwood damaged by termites.

Damien

Nice guns Haysey

After a house has been treated for termites, the owners will often need to have a builder come in a repair any damage to the structure. It is also important a builder completes an invasive inspection to ensure there is no further activity in undisclosed areas.

People often ask me to recommend a builder for just such an exercise. Luke Hayes is a builder I have been recommending for about six years now. He is genuine bloke who always does an excellent job. He has been good with all the clients I have recommended to him and in the whole time I’ve been dealing with him I have never had a complaint.

So if you have a home in the Gold Coast that has termite damage or even if you need an extension or other building work done give Luke a call on (04) 1886-9966 or shoot him an email at hbandc@gmail.com

Last Saturday night we attended an amateur boxing competition. We took a few fighters up and did very well. One thing from that night I can’t stop thinking about is the performance of a boxer who lost his bout against one of our guys (Rohan Murdoch if you read my site you would have read about him before).

His name is Jesse Ross, and he fights with the Albert shire boxing club.  Jesse is a good young boxer who is very professional in his approach to the sport. He doesn’t seem to be naturally gifted, as some young athletes are but what he lacks in fast twitch muscle fibers he makes up for in preparation and attitude.

Now I don’t know this kid but what he did last Saturday make me want to. He went into the fight with a good knowledge of his opponent, and after the first round he was well down, then after the second round he was a mile behind. Now most young guys in the sport know, that unlike professional boxing in the amateurs there are plenty of other opportunities and even the best boxer’s lose fights.

So into the last round a mile behind most good amateur boxers will try a few big shots hoping for that lucky punch but ultimately they will protect themselves for future bouts. Jesse however thought differently – he came out as we expected, slinging big shots, Rohan held his defense and hurt Jesse every time he over extended and Rohan is a fighter with a very solid punch. Jesse didn’t care what he got hit with, he just kept coming and he was hit a number of times with some very big shots.

It seemed he would rather be carried out on a stretcher than walk away with out giving every thing he had to win! This selfless type of courage is very rare to see in any sport.

One of my old football coaches told me that you can tell a real champion buy his performance in losing sides and he was right. Its easy to look a million dollars when your 40-0 up. Look at Ryan Girdler (former Penrith panther), he was a machine every time they looked like winning but when they were losing he was either limping off with an injury or quiet at best. It’s the guy who is still flogging himself when you’re 40-0 down who is the real champ.

A classic example is Shane Webke, these guys don’t get anything given to them. They have to bust a gut for every inch, but in the long the long run they are the most valuable people in the team. Often the fans won’t know who they are, but you better believe the players do.

So while Jesse wakes up this morning with a sore head and a dejected feeling in his stomach. He should take heart because, for him it won’t happen over night, but with his dedication it will happen eventually and I for one can’t wait to see him get out there and have another go because it’s people like him that impress me most.

Good job Jesse!

Damien