Termite Protection for New Homes and Renovations
If you are building a new home, adding an extension or carrying out renovations, it’s important to think about termite protection before you start.
Ignore the designation as to whether a council area is “termite declared” – termites are active all across Victoria and your home needs to be protected.
From a legal point of view IF your council area is “termite declared” you MUST install termite protection on new buildings, extensions and some renovations.
It’s important to contact a termite expert at the planning stage before starting the build, so you get the best advice ensuring your home is correctly protected from termites.
For expert termite protection for new houses and renovations
When do you need termite protection?
All our termite inspections are carried out according to Australian Standards 3660.
The inspection is designed to determine if there are…
Building a house
When building a house, it is essential to make sure there are no potential concealed entry points for termites. Termite protection products need to be integrated with the physical elements of the construction to eliminate all hidden entry points. With termites able to get through gaps as small as 2 mm this is quite a challenge, and it’s important to make sure the correct termite protection products are installed correctly.
The termite protection system should be designed at the planning stage and indeed a good termite professional can make suggested changes to the building design to provide better protection from termites.
Adding an extension
Extensions, much like new buildings, need to have termite protection products installed during construction. For extensions, the weak point is always the join between the extension and the original building.
Doing renovations
Termite protection does not need to be considered for all renovations, but any renovations which include the kitchen, laundry and bathroom will definitely need termite protection. Not only is it critical that these locations are properly waterproofed (remember termites love moisture!) but all penetrations – the entry points for plumbing and drains – need to be protected to stop termite entry.
Landscaping
Most people don’t think about termite protection when carrying out landscaping activities. The main reason for this is that the people carrying out the landscaping activities – landscapers, gardeners, concreters and homeowners – don’t have a knowledge of termites or the risk they pose. Whenever elements are installed next to the house – garden beds, paths, patios, decks – termite protection needs to be considered.
Designing a termite protection system
For any construction project, termite protection needs to be considered at the planning stage. If construction is complete and termite protection is overlooked, the project may not be approved by the building inspector and it can be very difficult and more expensive to try and retro fit compliant termite protection.
To design a suitable termite protection system, we need the project plans so all the potential termite entry points can be identified. This allows us to propose a system that protects these entry points and is compliant with the necessary regulations.
Termite Protection Products
At Geelong Pest Control we only use quality, Australian manufactured termite protection products. One of the core products we use is Homeguard Blue PB, which is a sheet material installed at the base of the perimeter walls to prevent termite entry. It is a high impact polymer sheeting impregnated with insecticides, providing both a physical and chemical barrier. It has a CodeMark certificate of conformity which means it lasts for lifetime of the building (+50 years).
We also use the Greenzone range of products which provides the tools to protect other termite entry points such as pipe penetrations and joins in concrete slabs.
Termite Protection FAQ
When should I call Geelong Pest Control?
Should I use a pest control company or a builder to design the termite protection system?
What regulations govern termite protection requirements?
What are “termite declared” areas?
Why choose Geelong Pest Control?
What our customers say
For expert termite protection for new houses and renovations