Termite damage in Canberra homes: what a carpenter repairs

Published 29 September 2026 · Updated 13 October 2026

Termites in Canberra

Canberra's cold winters don't keep termites away. ACT City Services says the ACT region has about 30 kinds of termites, but "only a few cause extensive damage to sound timber". The two that do the most damage are Coptotermes frenchi and Nasutitermes exitiosus; C. acinaciformis can cause severe damage but is uncommon. It also notes Heterotermes ferox is sometimes found feeding on weathered paling fences, and Porotermes adamsoni nests in living eucalypts and damp wood.

Australia-wide, the National Construction Code requires termite management for new homes where subterranean termites are a risk, and its explanatory notes say termites are not considered a risk in Tasmania. In practice that means new houses outside Tasmania, Canberra included, are generally built with a termite management system, and the code requires a durable notice on the building advising that the system should be inspected and maintained.

Signs of termite damage

• Skirting, architraves or door jambs that sound hollow when tapped, or that a screwdriver pushes into easily
• Thin mud tubes (galleries) running up piers, slab edges, walls or fence posts
• Paint that bubbles or ripples over timber, or plaster that cracks along a timber line
• Doors and windows that suddenly bind as the frame distorts
• Fence palings, garden edging or deck timbers crumbling near the ground

The order of jobs: inspection, treatment, then repairs

Repairing timber while termites are still active just gives them new timber to eat, so carpentry comes last.

1. Timber pest inspection

A pest manager inspects the house, finds where the termites are and how far the damage goes, and recommends treatment. Queensland's building regulator, the QBCC, recommends inspections at least every 12 months, or more often in high-risk areas; follow your own inspector's advice.

2. Treatment

The pest manager treats the colony and, where needed, the soil or a barrier around the house. Ask how long to wait before damaged timber can be removed.

3. Assess the damage

Once the termites are dealt with, the damaged timber can be opened up. This is where it becomes clear whether the damage is in trims and linings or in the frame that carries the house.

4. Repairs

Non-structural timber is replaced by a carpenter; structural framing by a licensed builder. Keep the inspection report and treatment certificate with the house papers.

What a carpenter repairs

Termite damage to timber that doesn't carry the house is ordinary carpentry repair. That's the work we do:

• Skirting boards and architraves replaced and matched to the existing profile (see skirting and architraves)
• Door jambs and window sills cut out and replaced
• Weatherboards, fascias and trims replaced
• Damaged floorboards replaced where the joists below are sound (see floorboard repairs)
• Fence palings, rails and gate timbers, and deck boards and steps

Replacement timber in contact with the ground, such as fence posts, should be treated pine rated for in-ground use (H4) or a naturally durable, termite-resistant species.

When it's a job for a licensed builder

If the damage is in wall studs, top or bottom plates, bearers, joists, roof rafters or a beam over an opening, the repair is structural. In the ACT that's building work for a licensed builder, and may need a building approval. The same applies to restumping. We'll tell you if what we find when we open up a wall or floor turns out to be structural, and stop there.

Buying or selling a house in the ACT

When a house is sold in the ACT, the seller must make a pest inspection report available if the home has been occupied (Civil Law (Sale of Residential Property) Act 2003, s 9). The regulation says that report must be done in accordance with AS 4349.3, the timber pest inspection standard, and can't be relied on for a contract entered into more than 180 days after the inspection. If you've bought a house and the report noted past termite damage, that's a good place to start when planning repairs.

Pre-2003 houses come with one more check: WorkSafe ACT says they must be assumed to contain asbestos, and some old linings around windows and eaves are fibre cement. Tell us the year the house was built before anything is cut; see the asbestos guide.

Questions about termite damage