Timber Treatment Testing

Timber treatment testing helps you to make critical decisions, especially if your house was built between 1992 and 2005 (the ‘leaky homes era’), when untreated or undertreated H1 timber was commonly used.

Moisture in untreated framing can cause decay to start and spread very quickly whereas very well treated framing can withstand a lot of leaks before decay starts. 

Therefore, if you are buying an untreated house, you need to allow more money for future maintenance and reduce your offer accordingly.  If you own an untreated house, you need to act quickly to find and stop any leaks and decay.

• If you own a house framed with untreated or undertreated timber, it is most important that you find and fix leaks quickly before it is damaged.
• If you are buying a house framed with untreated or undertreated timber, you need to know this because it has a direct impact on the value of the house, and the risk you take buying it.  We can discreetly collect and test samples (with the vendor’s permission) during your ‘due diligence’ period so you know what you are buying.
• If you are a builder, consultant or inspector giving advice on purchasing, repairing or renovating a house, particularly built during 1992 – 2005, this impacts on your recommendations, the likely scope of repair and cost of the work

We offer an independent timber treatment testing service using laboratory grade reagents at a fraction of the price of traditional laboratories.  We can;

• Tell you whether your timber is untreated, or treated with one of the common timber treatments (i.e. boron, CCA, LOSP (tin),
• Tell you how strong the treatment is compared with modern treatment standards,
• Provide a Timber Treatment Certificate with photographs of the tested samples contrasted against known treated and untreated ‘control’ samples.

Moisture Detection Company can either come to the house and collect the samples (recommended), or we can give you instructions on how to collect and send us meaningful samples.

• These are tested and you are advised of the results. 
• A *Certificate can be provided at a small additional charge

* If Moisture Detection Company collect the samples, then we can certify that the samples came from the specific address.

The cost varies depending on whether we collect the samples, where the house is, how fast you need the results and how many samples/tests we conduct.

Our commercial service for builders can include writing a technical compliance report.

Typically, for timber treatment testing for a house of four samples supplied to us, for Boron, LOSP (tin) or CCA the cost is starting from $455 plus GST. If we extract the samples ourselves from the house, the cost is starting from $695 plus GST (Auckland Metropolitan Area and not urgent).

Further samples can be tested for an additional $25 plus GST per test.

Providing a Certificate is an additional $50.00 plus GST.

Prices for commercial treatment testing and reporting are available on request.

If the house is built using untreated or under-treated timber, Moisture Detection Company offers an in-place timber treatment service (link to RotStop page) to protect the house from future decay.

This normally follows the installation of our Mdu Moisture Probe System (link to page) which locates the areas of moisture and decay in the house, allowing targeted remediation of leaks, decay and untreated timber.

By installing an Mdu Moisture Probe System, treating vulnerable timber and carrying out normal repairs and maintenance, owners of plaster clad homes can keep their houses safe and dry without needing expensive, disruptive, reclads.

Contact us now, if you need to know the treatment level of a house quickly and accurately.