High Risk Sites Require Special Attention

Even with appropriate sub-floor ventilation and the whole of house approach provided by termite barriers in AS3660.1, high risk sites still need special attention. This is not a statutory requirement but a common sense approach. It makes sense to boost requirements where termites are known to have a high risk of attack. Project specific design problems may also make it hard to provide construction that conforms to BCA and AS3660.1 requirements (e.g. alterations to buildings that have no barrier in place, or buildings built hard up against the boundary with no allowance for inspection). These points are dealt with in detail later in this guide, but below are some measures that improve the ability to manage these high risk situations:

• Use termite resistant structural materials as well as termite barriers (refer Appendix A for timber options).
• Use a high-set open sub-floor to keep areas dry, well ventilated, and capable of enabling natural light beneath the house (consult your local authority as other design controls may affect the ability to apply this option).
• Specify inspections at closer than recommended intervals (i.e. less than 12 monthly intervals) and recommend including trees (drill testing if considered necessary) during regular inspections.
• Encourage the building owner to:

• have termite monitoring systems (e.g. baits) installed after completion of the building

• have these monitored in conjunction with the normal inspection regime

• include neighbours and their properties in termite pest inspection/prevention measures

• consider specialist termite insurance which typically includes regular inspections, use of monitoring systems, and financial cover against damage.

• Consider using removable skirtings where external access for barrier inspection is not possible, or, incorporate internal inspection holes.