Browse Forums DIY, Home Maintenance & Repair 1 Jan 17, 2013 7:40 pm Hey guy looking to buy this house but upon inspection i noticed some termite damage on one the the main beams. The damage doesn't seem to extend past this one beam. The real estate agent told me it just superficial and the beam has passed structual integrity test. my question is this true because the damage is fairly deep about 30mm into the beam. Here some photos Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ If the damage is severe can it be repaired or can the beam be replaced. and what would be a ball park cost on the repair be? Thanks Shane Re: Termite damage on future purchase is it bad(pictures inc 2Jan 17, 2013 8:00 pm I'm no building expert but we had similar damage on a beam in a previous house. I'm not sure if they pulled the old one out but a new one certainly went in. So yeah, the structure can be repaired and I would want it done. Better to have extra strength in that kind of location than barely enough. In the case of termite damage of any kind, has it been checked for active termites and has it been treated? The agent says it passed a test? What test? By whom? What written documentation does the agent have as proof? I would also be concerned about what looks like leaking in your second picture; damp floorboards/beams will rot so I'd want to know if that area is currently damp and where the leak came/comes from. Land settled May '14. Building the PD Hoffman39: 5/11=site start, 13/11=slab pour, 26/11=frame complete, 10/12=roof on, 12/12=bricking started. Blog: http://jyndeira.net/blog/ Re: Termite damage on future purchase is it bad(pictures inc 3Jan 17, 2013 8:42 pm I also notice the damp patch when i touched it seemed to have an oilly feel to it. I assumed it was some sort of termite treatment. The only thing above that area is the lounge room Thanks for your reply Shane Re: Termite damage on future purchase is it bad(pictures inc 5Jan 17, 2013 10:11 pm I think dragonchild made some good points, just want to add to that Ask about termite treatment, who did it and the paperwork, where is the treatment notice?. If it hasn't been done properly the nest could still be active.There could also be other hidden timber damage. To me the floor joist does not look structurally safe. Your best bet is a building and timber pest inspection from accredited and experienced consultant. At around $550 for average home in Melbourne it's good investment Foremost Building Expert in Australia,assisting with building problems/disputes, building stage inspections,pre-contract review advice for peace of mind 200 blogs http://www.buildingexpert.net.au/blog Re: Termite damage on future purchase is it bad(pictures inc 6Jan 18, 2013 9:14 am Get the building inspection, they always sound a lot worse than it actually is then use this as a bargaining tool for a lower price. We did in a very similar situation. We negotiated and agreed on a price as low as vendors would go. After inspection done similar termite damage to above found. We retracted our offer on basis of place not structurally sound, amount of repairs required, cost for termite treatments to stop future infestations. After a few weeks of no other buyers on the horizon we made another firm offer $60000 less than our previous and after a another fortnight they agreed to our price. All up $1800 to treat/prevent termites and a couple of thousand in replaced timbers and we still saved over $55000. Re: Termite damage on future purchase is it bad(pictures inc 7Feb 04, 2013 6:32 pm Good pointsa above. Check the ends of the beam. What does it butt up against? The reason for asking is- where did the termites enter this beam? Maybe it is localised. We bought a house where only the skirting boards were eaten. Nothing else. Maybe they are lazy termites that only like soft timber? definately get a pest and building inspection. Try to be there for the inspection and ask for a ball park figure to fix. They need to cover themselves on the report but if you ask they will tell you if it's not major. Scientists have used random matrix theory to demonstrate theoretically that the neutrino mass hierarchy can be explained mathematically. When a substance is fragmented… 21 20650 Yes, neither is termite damage that is not covered by your house insurance. 3 6575 4 1852 |