Borer inspections for Auckland houses, before you buy and before you treat

Where are you starting from?

People arrive here for one of three reasons, and each has a different first step. A buyer needs an answer before a condition date. An owner who has found dust or holes needs to know whether anything is still alive. Someone holding a building report that mentions borer needs to know what that line actually means.

• You are buying a houseA borer inspection timed inside your condition period, alongside the building report.
• A report mentions borerWhat "evidence of borer" can and cannot tell you, and what to ask next.
• You have found holes or dustWhich beetle, live or historic, which timbers, and whether it needs anything at all.
• Deciding whether it mattersWhen borer should change an offer, and when it should not.

Which parts of an Auckland house does borer affect?

The common house borer feeds in the sapwood of untreated timber, so it turns up wherever older native timber or untreated pine is exposed: roof framing, subfloor piles, bearers and joists, floorboards, weatherboards and old furniture. Boron-treated framing resists it, which is why the age of each part of the house matters.

• FloorboardsRimu and kauri boards, and powderpost beetle in hardwood floors.
• Piles and subfloorBearers, joists and the native longhorn in damp subfloors.
• WeatherboardsLower boards, failed paint and moisture.
• Furniture and antiquesKeeping the piece, and keeping borer out of the house.

What does an inspection cost, and what happens after it?

An inspection booked here costs $285 + GST. The fee is credited against the treatment if you go ahead with the recommended work through the same operator. The written findings give each area one of three outcomes: leave it, treat it before the beetles next emerge, or have a builder look at timber that has lost strength.

See what borer work costs, how live borer is treated and when damage needs a builder.