Dedant Building and Pest

More people than ever are embracing green living. If you’re looking to live a greener, cleaner life, you should plan a sustainable garden. With this garden, you can build an edible landscape and literally enjoy the fruits (and vegetables!) of your labour. Why sustainable gardening? Building a sustainable garden where you can grow fruits and vegetables has so many benefits. By growing your own food, you know it is safe and healthy for your family to eat. In the long run, a sustainable garden may even save you money. Eventually, you will find that you recycle your produce into self-made compost and avoid spending hundreds of dollars a week on groceries. Building your sustainable garden Coming up with a plan to build a sustainable garden requires consideration of space, resources and specific plants. Choose a space that has quality soil with good sun exposure and access to plenty of water. Select crops that suit the season and climate. If you don’t choose the right plants, they will not ...

With Coronavirus keeping us all indoors, everyone has a bit more time on their hands. Having a clean home is more important now than it has ever been. By spending so much time in your home, you might start to notice every little fault. Every stain, every bit of clutter and every odd smell will suddenly become very apparent to you. If you’re looking for something to do that is both productive and helpful, you might consider developing new habits to keep your house neat and spotless. As such, we have come up with four tips you can practice to have a neater, clean home. 1)  Purge the clutter The first thing you should do if you have a messy or cluttered house is get rid of unused items. These take up vital space. It has been said that we only use 20% of the stuff we own and 80% of the stuff we own is either unused or kept for purely sentimental reasons. You don’t need to get rid of every bit of the remaining 80%, but you should definitely start from there. 2)  A place for everyth...

Cockroaches are among the most common and bothersome pests that you will ever find around your home. You’ll want to remove cockroaches as soon as possible as not only are they disgusting but they can also contaminate food and spread bacteria. As such, we have created this blog to inform you of the best way to get rid of cockroaches. 1)     Make sure your house is clean The best thing you can do to ensure a cockroach free home is to make sure you never get cockroaches in the first place. Cockroaches are attracted to grease, food left out of the counter, piles of dirty dishes in the sink and other forms of mess. As such, you should always seek to clean your plates and maintain cleanliness in the kitchen. 2)     Don’t give them any places to hide You should do all that you can to make sure cockroaches have nowhere to hide. Start by reducing the clutter in your home. Cockroaches love to hide in every nook and cranny they can find. Every pile of rubbis...

Spiders are among the most bothersome and disliked pests that you can find in your home. As such, many people often want to know how to remove spiders from their home. In truth, while they may disgust many people, spiders are an important part of the ecosystem. They eat smaller bugs like ants, flies, mosquitoes and moths that can transmit diseases. Regardless, it is completely understandable not to want them around your home. Thus, here are 4 ways you can keep spiders from your home. 1)     Destroy any webs you find Spiders construct webs to catch and eat their prey. These webs become an eyesore and a hindrance in your home. As such, you should take a broom or vacuum and destroy any webs you find around your property. By doing this, you are instinctively warning the spider that the area is not safe, which will force them to move on. 2)     Get rid of hiding places for spiders Spiders love having places that they can hide in. They will take advant...

Silverfish are a pest that can be very bothersome. Though they are not generally a health risk, you should still seek to get rid of silverfish. This is because they can damage household goods, property and get into your food supply. These pests feed on starchy material and protein-rich items. They eat away at books, textiles clothing and stored away foods such as grains, vegetables, cereal, and dried meat provisions. As such, we have put together this helpful guide to assist you in getting rid of these pests. 1)     Keep food sealed away When dealing with pests, prevention is always the best method of treatment. Keep easy to reach food such as cereals, dry cat/dog food and pasta in airtight containers. Make sure cat goods and properly closed also. Depriving silverfish of their food source lowers the risk of them infesting your home. It is especially important to protect food sources at night, as silverfish are nocturnal. 2)     Remove places for ...

Cleaning around the home can be a chore. However, if cleaning is avoided, negative consequences can arise. Thus, we have decided to put together a list of negative consequences that show the health impact of an unclean home. If left unchecked, the results of an unclean, messy house can impact all aspects of your life, including your health and happiness. We hope this list will motivate you to stop putting off the occasionally bothersome task of household cleaning. Hay fever Hay fever can be triggered by pollen, dust mites and spores. Allergens such as these can be common in homes that are not regularly cleaned. The impact of hay fever includes a runny or blocked nose, watery eyes, and congestion. If you are someone who does not regularly dust, vacuum or wash your sheets and linen, this may be the cause of your hay fever. Similarly, mould can cause spores to enter the air and upset your allergies too. Identify areas that may be at risk of producing mould, like your bathroom, and vigilan...

Water damage poses a major threat to any property. By allowing water build up and excess moisture in your home, you risk the safety and liveability of the home you love. Moisture attracts dangerous pests, such as cockroaches , silverfish and termites . It also breeds mould which releases toxic spores into the air which can impact your health. Such moisture and excess water can also cause structural and aesthetic damage as well. Given the risks associated with excess moisture, you should do all that you can to avoid it. Here are our top tips to stop moisture build up in your home. 1) Keep gutters clear Gutters are designed to control the flow of water off roofs and into an area that will not damage the house. However, gutters can become blocked by the build-up of debris such as leaves. A blocked gutter can’t carry water. Instead, water overflows and travels down walls. This water can seep into your home’s electrical system, pool around your foundation and ruin the external walls of you...

Finding cracks around your home can be evidence of a serious problem. As such, you should be cautious if you've found cracks around your property. This blog will guide you through the causes of cracks , where they're commonly found and what you can do about them. 1)     Cracks found in flooring Cracks in your floor are generally caused by problems with the foundation. These cracks can worsen over time, which can result in water leaks and other issues. Changes in soil are generally the cause of such cracks. When the ground around the foundation of your home becomes too dry, the soil around the foundation can shrink. This shrinking weakens the support for the foundation and causes it to move or sink, resulting in cracks. Similarly, when the soil becomes filled with groundwater , it can expand and push the foundation up, also resulting in cracks. 2)     Cracks found in walls Cracks can also be found in the walls of your home. The cause of such cracks...

Our inspectors at Dedant see many regularly occurring faults with houses. However, one of the most common and most damaging is rust. You should know how to prevent rust in order to protect your home. Rust is what occurs when metal is exposed to oxygen and moisture. It causes an orange-brown discolouration that erodes the metal, causing it to become brittle and prone to breaking. Rust has even been known to cause bridges to collapse. You can take these steps to prevent rust in the metals around your home. 1)     Keep metals dry Rust needs the right conditions to occur – namely, a high amount of moisture and exposure to the sun. As such, you should endeavour to keep metals dry. Keep all your metal items and surfaces as clean as possible. One of the most common places to find rust in your gutters, because water gets caught and causes metal to oxidise, producing rust. Thus, you should keep your gutters clean to prevent a build-up of moisture. 2)     K...

Mould is a major threat to your home, health and overall quality of life. You should take proactive steps to prevent mould from growing in your home before it becomes too large a problem. Mould has been known to cause health issues of all types, including a weakened immune system, allergies, severe asthma, nausea and lung disease. It is also a major eyesore to any home and can bring down the value of your home considerably if you’re looking to sell it. We have put together this guide to help you prevent a mould infestation in your home. 1)     Prevent moisture build-up Mould needs moisture and humidity to survive. As such, the first thing you should do is to prevent the build up of moisture . You can do this by first finding all places where mould builds up – do you have pipes that leak? Do you have a basement prone to flooding? Is there condensation around windows? Are your gutters clogged? Fixing leaky pipes, unclogging gutters and making an effort to dry the wet ...

You are looking at purchasing a house and your building and pest inspection has noted that there is evidence of cracking in the stumps or house footings and you should engage a qualified house restumping contractor. What does this mean? House foundations are a crucial part of the construction process. What are stumps? Typically houses in Australia in the 1950s-1970s were built on timber or concrete stumps. There is a range of reasons why this was done and may still be done when building today. For one thing, the earth naturally has lots of uneven ground and many foundations can slope or be unstable. Furthermore, the ground has pests like ants and termites that would have an easier time entering your home undetected if they sat on the ground. It also helps protect against groundwater and flooding. Thus, stumps were created to allow for houses to be elevated off the ground. They are pillars made from wood, steel or concrete. Stumps also elevate a house and allow for better views above, ...

When house hunting, looking out for water damage is essential. Water is the cause of many major household problems that can end up costing you thousands of dollars down the line. It's important to know the signs of water damage and what to look for when buying. 1)     Musty smell Before even walking through the door, one obvious sign of water damage when buying might be the smell. Houses with water damage produce a smell like wet cardboard or paper. The smell can waft through the entire property, but it is strongest in areas that have water damage. These are generally the bathroom, kitchen and laundry. 2)     Poorly maintained gutters Poorly maintained gutters are another sign of water damage. Gutters are designed to divert water away from the house and safely into the garden or municipal damage. When they are damaged, this can cause rainwater to spill onto your property and damage it. 3)     Pools of water near the founda...

 Australia has been experiencing one of the worst droughts in history, causing more and bigger cracking in houses than has been seen previously. When you first notice a crack, it might not seem like much. Before too long, that annoying little crack creeps further and widens becoming concerning. Depending on the size of the crack and where it is, it can indicate different things. However, all cracks need to be taken seriously. It is very common to notice cracking in houses during a building inspection. Cracks can often be seen in flooring (particularly garage floors that are uncovered), walls, fences, and driveways. In this blog we discuss the causes of cracks and what they mean for your property. 1)    Cracking in houses and hot, dry weather Most house cracks are caused because of the ground under the foundation shifting. This shifting is commonly caused by soil drying out and contracting, which moves the house footing. Often, this movement is uneven, and this i...

As this Christmas approaches, one thing you should prepare for is keeping your home safe over the holidays. Holidays are a time where people tend to travel and be away from the house. This is the perfect time for burglars and other home invaders to strike. Unfortunately, not everyone is fortunate enough to be able to have someone to housesit for them. As such you should follow our list of tips to keep your home safe over the holidays. Lock doors and windows This is perhaps the simplest tip to follow, but it would shock you how many people forget. When burglars are interviewed and asked, they mostly broke in through an unlocked door or window. 32% of Australian burglaries occur through an unlocked door. As such, you should always ensure all doors into your home are locked when you leave. That includes gates as well. Security window screens should also be an option. Furthermore, ensure that pet doors and garage doors are secured from the inside. Intruders must not be able to reach door l...