Check for any corrosion, rotten timber, or loose
fittings.
At any time, rotten timber can pose a serious safety hazard if
any weight-bearing materials, such as flooring, decking, joists and
stairs are compromised and subject to breakage. Warping
weatherboards and vertical cracks to brickwork may indicate
subfloor failure. It is important to maintain a good protective
paint or stain coating on all exposed timberwork, otherwise
deterioration such as splitting and rotting will occur, and again
this can compromise the protective perimeter.
Gradually warping weatherboards may result because of their
exposure to the elements or the house frame drying and warping.
These are not severe problems and but need annual checking because
they can compromise the protective perimeter. Seal any significant
gaps that develop, in order to prevent damaging water or pests from
entering.
Any termite damage to the external walls or footings will
compromise structure strength and stability. Call a professional to
check for termite infestation, which can cause thousands of dollars
damage to timber frames and timer homes. The Building Code of
Australia provides a range of termite management measures that can
be used, including chemical or physical barriers or a combination
of any of these. A suitable qualified termite management contractor
should perform annual inspections or more often, in high-risk
areas.
External blinds and awnings that protect windows and prevent
direct sunlight entering are a great idea. However, awning fixtures
can rust and come loose in high winds, so check they're secure at
the beginning of summer.
Does your house have a pitched, or gabled roof? If so, the
external end wall takes a tremendous beating during severe storms.
When a house has a pitched roof, the triangle formed by the
upside-down 'V' and the front or back external wall is called the
gable end wall. Once the gable end wall is damaged, strong winds,
rain or hail can enter the house causing much internal damage.
Gable end walls are easy to strengthen and deserve high priority
on your retrofit list. Typically, gable end trusses are directly
attached to the top of gable end walls. The bottom of the truss
must be securely nailed or screwed to the top of the wall and
braced to adjacent trusses. This prevents wind from pushing or
pulling the gable end at its critical point, where the gable truss
is connected along the gable wall. Without adequate bracing, the
end wall may be destroyed during high intensity winds.
