New Construction Termite Soil Pretreatment in Orlando
Termite Pretreatment for Central Florida Builders
Florida building code requires new construction to be protected against subterranean termites before the slab goes down, and the certificate of that treatment is part of what the building inspector will look for. We handle pretreatment for residential and commercial builders across Orlando, Orange, Seminole, Osceola and Lake counties, and the thing builders care about most is that we show up when we said we would, because a missed pretreat stops the pour.
There are two ways to do it, and on a lot of jobs the right answer is both.
Conventional Soil Pretreatment
A termiticide is applied to the soil and the fill under and around the slab before concrete is placed, creating a treated zone between the ground and the structure. Plumbing penetrations, the interior footing area and the perimeter all get treated to label rate, and the application is documented.
Two things determine whether a soil pretreat is worth anything. The first is timing: the treatment goes down immediately before the pour, not days ahead where rain and grading will move it. The second is the re-treat. If the soil is disturbed after treatment, and on a real job site it usually is, that area has to be treated again. We come back and do it rather than sign off on a barrier that has a hole in it.
You get the treatment certificate for your permit file and the buyer’s closing package.
Bora-Care Wood Pretreatment
Bora-Care takes the opposite approach: instead of treating the soil, a borate solution is applied to the framing at the dry-in stage, and it penetrates into the wood itself. Termites, wood-destroying beetles and decay fungi will not use treated lumber, and because the borate stays in the wood, the protection does not wash out of the soil or degrade with grading.
It is a good fit for Central Florida because it protects against drywood termites as well as subterranean, which a soil barrier does nothing about, and because it does not depend on the soil around the structure staying undisturbed. It also suits builders who want a lower-impact option to put in front of a buyer.
Working With Builders
The most important part of a pre-construction termite treatment is that it actually gets done properly on a schedule nobody controls. We coordinate with the super, we treat at the right point in the sequence, we come back after soil disturbance, and we get the paperwork to you without being chased for it.
There is a separate soil pretreatment FAQ covering the questions builders ask most often about timing, re-treats and certificates.
Call 407-580-7124 to get on the schedule.
Satisfaction Guaranteed
We treat when the schedule says treat, and we come back when the soil gets moved. That is most of what a builder needs from a pretreat company.
