Termites are scary things. They invade your house and quietly eat it, without even saying grace. The pest extermination companies would have us all in a state of perpetual panic about it. That suits them because their treatments, poisons, deterrents and monitoring programmes cost thousands of dollars, and even the routine annual inspection is into the hundreds. Some people say the real pests are these people. But our house does have some termite damage from an invasion allegedly 20 years ago, and they could indeed decide to come back any time, so I've had the odd panic attack at times since moving in.
Hence the termite inspection. We used the same company that did the pre-purchase report, recommended as the best by friend and conveyancer Liam. Inspector Graham was efficient, clearly very competent, and surprisingly, very willing to pass on his techniques and knowledge. It seems his usual role is training other termite inspectors, so maybe he couldn't stop himself treating me the same as I followed him around, and thus giving away his secrets. He tapped and prodded his way around the loft, basement, and every room within, and crowbared his way around the garden timbers, and eventually delivered his verdict: No termites present.
I'm still pondering the best strategy for next year. I feel like I know most of what I need to do the job myself, but the stakes are high. Maybe I'll invest another $265 next year on Inspector Termite, for the peace of mind. Maybe not. We'll see.
Re-enactment photos above by official photographer Fenella.
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