Termite treatment is usually the largest single pest control expense a homeowner faces, and the quotes are harder to compare than most because two companies may be proposing genuinely different treatment methods. Understanding what is being priced makes the comparison possible.
Why it is priced by linear footage
The thing most people expect to drive the price — square footage of living space — barely matters. Subterranean termite treatment works on the soil around and beneath the structure, so what counts is linear footage of the foundation perimeter.
A wide single-storey house with a long perimeter can cost more to treat than a two-storey house with the same floor area but a compact footprint. This surprises people, and it is worth knowing before you assume a quote is wrong.
The two treatment methods
Liquid barrier treatment
A continuous treated zone is established in the soil around the foundation. This typically involves trenching around the perimeter, and drilling through concrete where a patio, driveway or garage slab abuts the house so the barrier can be continued underneath.
Cost drivers: perimeter length, how much concrete needs drilling, whether landscaping or hardscaping obstructs access, and soil conditions.
Bait systems
Stations are installed in the soil around the structure at intervals and monitored on an ongoing basis. Termites feed on the bait and carry it back to the colony.
Cost structure differs: the initial installation may be comparable to or lower than a liquid treatment, but bait systems carry an ongoing monitoring fee. Across several years the total can exceed a one-time liquid treatment — while providing continuous monitoring, which a liquid barrier does not.
Neither method is universally better. Which suits depends on construction, soil, how much concrete is in the way, and whether you want ongoing monitoring.
What else moves the number
- Concrete drilling. Attached garages, patios, driveways and porches all require drilling through slab to maintain a continuous barrier. A house with extensive hardscaping against it costs meaningfully more.
- Access obstructions. Dense foundation plantings, retaining walls, decks and air conditioning units against the wall all add labour.
- Construction type. Slab-on-grade, pier-and-beam and basement construction each require different approaches. Pier-and-beam allows access underneath but means more surfaces to treat.
- Existing damage. Treatment stops the termites. Repairing what they ate is separate work, often by a different trade, and is not usually in a termite quote.
- Extent of activity. Localised activity may allow spot treatment; established activity generally means full perimeter work.
Before anything else, check whether the house already has a termite warranty. Termite treatments are commonly sold with renewable warranties that can run for years and sometimes transfer with the property. If one is live, the company that holds it may be obliged to re-treat at no cost. Homeowners pay for work they were already entitled to more often than you would expect — particularly after buying a house.
The warranty is part of the price
This is where quotes most often differ without it being obvious. A termite treatment sold with a renewable warranty and annual inspection is a different product from a one-time treatment with no ongoing cover, and it should cost more.
Worth establishing for any quote:
- Is a warranty included, and for how long?
- Is it renewable, and at what annual cost?
- Does it cover re-treatment only, or also damage repair? Re-treatment-only is far more common — do not assume repair is covered.
- Is an annual inspection included?
- Does it transfer if you sell the house?
Where to be careful
- A quote without an inspection. Perimeter footage, concrete and access cannot be assessed remotely.
- Spot treatment offered for widespread activity. Treating one area of an active colony rarely resolves it.
- High-pressure urgency. Termite damage accumulates over years, not days. There is time to get a second quote.
- Vagueness about method. You should be told whether it is liquid or bait, which product, and how the barrier will be made continuous.
What to do before you call
Find out whether the house has been treated before, and who holds any warranty. Then document what prompted this — mud tubes, swarmers or shed wings, damaged wood — with photographs and locations, undisturbed. A free inspection then produces a figure based on your actual foundation rather than an average.
Document it before you call anyone
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