Termites or Rot???

[DanP]

Thanks guys. SWMBO has her heart set on one of those vergola things. Anyone have any idea of the $$$'s one of these are. I'm thinking big bucks but don't really know.

Dan

[Gumby]

vergola ??

[Marc]

Oregon is what one uses to attract termites when building a termite trap or leave samples to see if there are termites active around. If you had an Oregon pergola and she is still standing after two years, mate you clearly have no termites in the vicinity, unless someone soaked the ground around the post with a chemical barrier. That timber post must be rotten for sure.

If you are concerned about termites, get a pest inspection first, and then buy a termite trap from your nursery (some 20 or 30 bucks) Ask your friendly pest guy to show you how to set it up, don’t forget to fill in the little plastic tube with toilet paper (termites lolly), find a spot and wait. Be patient it may take 6 month or a year. When the Oregon pieces, the toilet paper and the rest of the good stuff is oozing termites you call you inspector who for a small fee will dust arsenic on the little buggers. They will carry the arsenic in the nest up to the queen and then kaput! no more termites.

[bitingmidge]

....but that doesn't mean that the damage is manifested at the bottom,

The little beasties usually keep tunnelling as far up as they can go. They often go straight up wall cavities to those yummie pine trusses and then build a bit of a hang-out for themselves to use as a base while they get into the rest of the place, starting with the tastiest timbers.....in really bad infestations it is possible to hear them munching away at night......quite fascinating if the house doesn't belong to you....

My pergola posts (100x100 oregon) went decidedly spiral about 600 above the ground, when the paint decided it wasn't strong enough to hold up the structure above, but by the time the damage was evident, they had well and truly got stuck into the beams as well. The bottoms were completely intact, the only sign of entry was a small mud tunnel built into the corner of the steel stirrups.

Be afraid.....

P

[bitingmidge]

...but there is a (quite large) cost!

Probably about exactly more dollars per square metre of any form of roofing, but they are a lot easier than draping a tarp over the pergola on the rainy days.

P

[ozwinner]

Originally posted by Gumby
I didnt realise they were in mine until the caroprt got slowly lower.

Did you think you were getting taller Gumby................

[arose62]

I'm sure I've seen vergolas as very $$$, but check for yourself.

http://www.vergola.com.au/contact.htm

Cheers,
Andrew

[Gumby]

Originally posted by ozwinner
Did you think you were getting taller Gumby................

Yeah, I couldn't figure out why the water which used to flow nicely down to the pipe gradually started to pool in the spout. I thought the spout had moved a bit . The last thing I checked was the post and that was only after I saw it starting to lean against the retaining wall and I nearly poked my finger through it.