Building a home or renovating?

There are various types of concrete slabs designs, but as long as they are built to standard, they should not crack. However, it is common to still have underslab treatments. Two types of underslab treatments are available; polymer sheeting and chemical treatments. With new building regulations, any chemical treatment under a concrete slab needs to have a system in place to replenish the chemical. This is achieved by installation of a reticulation system on the soil surface, before the slab is poured. The reticulation system is a series of interconnected tubes which can be pumped up with chemical which then leaks out of small holes in the tubes and seeps into the soil.

Even if there are no cracks in the slab, there are points of weakness where utility pipes pass through the slab. These entry points through the concrete slab are typically protected by hard or soft plastic termite collars, which are placed over the pipes before the concrete is poured, embedding them in the concrete.

Sometimes buildings are constructed using more than one concrete slab. Any joins in concrete slabs are an easy termite entry point and are typically protected by a flexible termite filler or sealant.

Where the concrete slab joins the perimeter wall is a particular point of weakness. This join and the wall cavity need to be protected. A range of sheeting materials and cavity fillers can be used to provide this protection.

The exposed edge of the concrete slab can be used as part of the termite management system on the exterior perimeter wall. If a minimum of 75 mm of the slab edge is visible above the soil level then no additional physical or chemical product is required around the perimeter. HOWEVER, this requires the homeowner to maintain this exposed edge and not cover it with garden beds, paths or other landscaping. If the concrete slab is covered by soil, there needs to be protection within the wall cavity and / or a chemical treatment to the soil around the perimeter of the home.

Homes built on brick or concrete piers, or even treated wood poles, are an older style of construction but still used today, more commonly on sloping sites or areas where flooding may occur.

The piers under the home need to have a barrier in place between the pier and the flooring timbers. Typically, metal termite capping is used and is designed to stop termites moving up inside the pier (yes they can move up the inside of brick piers), as it forces them to build their mud tubes around the “ant cap” to gain access to the flooring timbers. When this happens these mud tubes can be easily spotted and the problem dealt with.

As with concrete slab homes, the perimeter of the home also needs to be protected. Typically, metal or polymer sheeting is used to prevent termites moving up inside the perimeter sub-wall to access the wall cavity.

Double brick homes are so called because the walls are made of two layers of brick separated by a wall cavity. In contrast to a brick veneer home, which consists of a timber frame with a single layer of brick on the outside, the lack of timber in a double brick home often gives owners the impression they won’t suffer a termite attack. This is not the case!

If the building contains wood and there’s a way for termites to get in, any building can suffer a termite attack. A double brick home will often have a wood roofing timbers as a well as wooden floors, doors and windows frames, all of which can be attacked by termites.

Double brick homes require the same protection as brick veneer homes.

Metal framed homes are often marketed as termite proof. Certainly termites will not eat the metal framework. However, if there’s a way for termites to get into the house, termites will happily eat any wood elements in a metal frame home, such as flooring, doors, window frames and cupboards. There are plenty of examples of this occurring. Metal framed homes still need termite protection.

Building and termite protection regulations when building extensions, whether using a builder or doing it yourself, still apply!

In some respects, ensuring you have a continuous termite protection system for the whole building is more tricky when building an extension as there is the need to protect the join between the new extension and the existing building.

Internal renovations, especially to “wet areas” – kitchens, laundries and bathrooms – also need to meet termite protection (as well as waterproofing) regulations. These are areas in the home which are the most common termite entry points – they often have a source of water (leak) and a concealed entry point. DIY renovators need to be confident of their skills and have an understanding of the regulations to ensure they don’t build a future termite problem!