Building and Pest Inspections – Australian Standards

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Mr Inspector carries out thorough, methodical and professional pest&building inspections Melbourne wide, and supply detailed reports to home buyers. 

In Melbourne there is an Australian Standard for both a Building inspection and a Timber Pest Inspection.  AS 4349.3 – 2010 – Inspection of Buildings Part 3 Timber Pest Inspections refers.

In the past I have touched on the Australian Standard for pre-purchase building inspections, but now I want to elaborate on the Australian Standards for the Timber Pest Inspection or commonly known as a Termite inspection.

I won’t go into all the details of the standards for timber pest inspections is quite lengthy.

Basically, the purpose of a timber pest inspection is to assess for evidence of timber pests – (termites, borer and timber fungal decay), ant timber pest damage (termites, borer of timber fungal decay), the susceptibility of the house to an infestation by timber pests, the remedial and protective measures that are required and what further investigation is required.

During the building and pest inspection there will be areas that are excluded from reporting – this is house furniture, furnishings, stored items and concealed timbers.

Areas susceptible to a termite infestation include the areas that can’t be inspected during the building and pest inspection, the presence or non-presence of a termite barrier, sub floor ventilation and drainage, the influence of pavement and garden beds, areas of damp that will be conducive to a termite infestation including leaks, storm water not being connected, timber stored under the home or against walls, framing timber in contact with the ground, timber sleepers etc.

Visual Timber Pest Inspection â€“ This means that during our building and pest inspection we report on what we can see – we are not able to dig or remove wall linings and the like to locate termites.  This is where the non-invasive building inspection tools come into play – borer scopes, thermal imaging cameras and moisture meters.

In summary the timber pest inspection is an inspection for live termites, previous termite damage, borer and borer damage, timber fungal decay and conducive areas for a termite infestation that need rectification and then we need to make certain recommendations on what you need to do to the house in the future to prevent any timber pests.

The External Building and Pest Inspection – The building and pest inspection needs to be very, very thorough as termites are very hard to find. It is not just the house that is inspected – the yard is also inspected, looking at trees, tree stumps, fences, sleepers, carports, garages, pergolas, decking etc.

The internal Building and Pest Inspection â€“ Internally we need to carry out through timber tapping of timber testing where all timber members are tapped for hollowness.  The walls in the wet areas are tested for moisture content using a moisture meter during the building and pest inspection.   We utilize a thermal imaging camera that can pick up larger termite nests or sub nests in wall and ceiling cavities.

Mr Inspector hopes this has assisted you in understanding our requirements when carrying out building & pest inspections, and if you have any queries, please feel free to contact us.