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Termite Management for Builders |
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Page 16 of 20 What is the Risk of Major Damage from Termites?
Major damage to buildings from termite attack is rare – fences and landscaping timbers have a higher risk of attack. The issue of termite damage to houses is placed in perspective by a nationwide survey of households carried out by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (1999). It questioned householders on the causes of major structural damage including an option to select termite and wood rot damage. To further investigate the severity of termite damage, the Australian Bureau of Statistics was asked to undertake a special data request by looking specifically at houses built since the inception of termite construction standards in 1967. Other research was used to determine the separate proportions of termite and rot damage (Tyrrells Property Inspections, 1995). From the combined data it was found that major structural damage from ‘termites’ was only present in 0.3% of households in Australia and this occurred over a 9.1 year period of ownership. Comparative findings are shown in Table. 2. Table 2: Degree of risk
| Causes of major problems
to the structure | Number of times more
common than termite
damage | | Major cracks in walls/floors | 8.3 | | Sinking/moving foundations | 6.0 | | Rising damp | 4.7 | | Walls/windows out of plumb | 4.7 | | Major plumbing problems | 4.7 | | Rot | 3.3 | | Major roof defects | 3.0 | | Sagging floors | 2.0 | | Major electrical problems | 1.0 | | Termites | N/A |
It can be seen that major termite damage is less common than most other problems identified in the survey. For instance cracks in walls and floors were 8 times more likely to occur than termite damage. All other categories (except ‘major electrical problems) are at least twice as likely to occur.
Conclusions
The risk of major structural damage from termites is very low. Maintaining barriers and regular inspections organised by building owners are critical. This can only happen if the building is prepared correctly. The BCA and AS3660.1 provide the underlying principles to do this. Six important steps help convert these requirements to a manageable process on-site: - Assess the site to determine if it is a high risk site.
- Assess the building design to see if it poses problems to termite management.
- Select a termite management system to suit legal, regulatory, site and design needs.
- Make sure the system is installed correctly.
- Make sure landscaping paving and site works do not compromise barrier systems.
- Ensure homeowners are aware they must maintain barriers (including the importance of ‘inspection zones’ as barriers) and arrange regular inspections.
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