Termites in Kalkallo: management systems, gardens and conducive conditions
New homes in Kalkallo commonly have a termite management system installed during the build, recorded on a durable notice in the meter box. Whether your lot sits in a council declared termite area is worth checking with Hume City Council. Either way, protection only works while the slab edge stays visible and the garden is kept off it.
The notice in the meter box
It records the system installed, the date and the installer. We have recorded missing notices at slab, frame and lock-up on Kalkallo jobs, and an out of date one on a resale.
Barriers at frame stage
Physical barriers under external walls should be in before the frame goes up. We found one missing at frame stage on a Kalkallo house.
Gardens against the slab
Mulch, soil and planting built up over the slab edge hide termite entry. Dense shrubs against the footings also trap moisture.
Moisture invites them
Leaks, failed sealant and blocked weep holes keep the ground and framing damp, which termites seek out.
Inspecting for them
A timber pest inspection to AS 4349.3 looks for activity and conducive conditions. It is visual, and no inspection can guarantee a house free of termites.
More about Kalkallo
- Building a new home in Kalkallo: estates, stages and the defects that repeat
- Buying an established home in Kalkallo: prices, age of stock and what to check
- Kalkallo growth: from a gold rush stop to one of Melbourne's largest planned communities
- Permits, Hume City Council and building disputes in Kalkallo
- Kalkallo soil: the Gilgai plain, reactive clay and cracking
- What our Kalkallo inspections find, stage by stage
- Kalkallo site conditions: wind, climate, grassland and creek overlays
Written by our local inspection team from work carried out in Kalkallo. Licensed building practitioners, Building & Plumbing Commission registration CDB-U 53425.
