InspectAPedia®   -   Search InspectApedia

Termite damage case © Daniel Friedman at InspectApedia.com Repair Damage from Wood Destroying Insects
5 Basic Steps for Repair

Steps to repair building damage from wood destroying insects:

How do we find and repair the areas of insect damage in a building.

This article series addresses how building construction details increase the risk of insect damage, and how we evaluate the extent of structural impact of existing insect damage on a building.

InspectAPedia tolerates no conflicts of interest. We have no relationship with advertisers, products, or services discussed at this website.

- Daniel Friedman, Publisher/Editor/Author - See WHO ARE WE?

5 Basic Steps in Repair of Damage by Wood Destroying Insects

Carpenter Ant damaged wood © Daniel Friedman at InspectApedia.comThe general approach to repairing damage from wood destroying insects involves these steps:

  1. Find and fix the cause 

    of insect infestation, typically an building leak of some kind
  2. Identify the areas of insect infestation 

    and the extent of damage, using a combination of visual inspection, probing, and where appropriate, demolition.

    See STRUCTURAL DAMAGE PROBING
  3. Repair or replaced damaged structural and finish components as needed.

    During repairs, where feasible, amend the structure or design to reduce the risk of insect attack by reducing the risk of leaks, moisture traps, or wood materials close to the ground surface.

    See SIDING CLEARANCE TO GROUND

    and WATER BARRIERS, EXTERIOR BUILDING
  4. If appropriate (see below), choose and implement an insect damage prevention strategy 

    such as termite shield, chemical barrier, use of insect resistant materials, etc.

    See TERMITE SHIELDS vs TERMITICIDE
  5. Reinspect periodically 

    to assure that there is no renewed wood-destroying insect activity

The Point of View of the Termite Inspector May Affect the Strategy as Well as The Cost to Cure an Active Insect Problem

Signs of risk of termite attack © Daniel Friedman at InspectApedia.com Watch out: Many of the large number of expert sources available on the detection and prevention of building damage from wood destroying insects

(see References, related articles) have been written from the viewpoint of academics or by pest control and related industry associations.

These experts offer valuable information about insect pests, often from the pest control operator's viewpoint.

Our own point of view is that of very experienced building inspectors, diagnosticians, and repair contractors.

Taking this more broad view of the topic adds two benefits: an improved ability to detect insect infestation by knowing where to look (as do experienced pest inspectors) and additional options that may reduce the ultimate cost of building insect damage repair or insect damage prevention.


Example of WDI Inspection Report Concluding Treatment of Active Infestation was Not Feasible

During a building inspection for a home buyer in Hyde Park, NY the pest control inspector (from a local pest control operator or PCO) observed termite infestation in the first floor structure of a home. He also observed that a private water well was located just a few feet from the foundation wall. This pest control operator issued a "WDI Termite Report" report that concluded:

Active termite infestation, house cannot be treated.

Needless to say, the home seller, buyer, realtor, were all quite upset with this result. What was less obvious was the thinking of the PCO which went as follows:

I see active termites and a well close to the foundation and also some dirt crawl spaces in the home. That means we cannot treat the home by conventional means (which for this PCO meant applying termiticide in the soils around the home).

I think they'd have to move the well - something that is very expensive, probably cost prohibitive.

And even then, I'd have to trench around the house and remove treat and return soil, as I can't just pump into the ground where there is a dirt crawl space.

The whole job, moving the well and soil trench treatment would be tens of thousands of dollars and I think it would just be too expensive for the value of the home.

In other words, as the adage [with some rewording] goes:

To a pest control company every termite problem needs to be solved by using pest control methods.

But wait! Let's go back to the original adage:

To a carpenter every problem looks like a nail.

I [DF] was asked for a "second opinion" about the un-solvable termite problem at this Hyde Park home. I am no smarter than the PCO inspector, and I saw the same things he did.

But I also noticed and confirmed by some probing and poking into the area of damage that the actual termite infestation had entered up one narrow area of the foundation wall and entered the wood floor structure beneath a leaky toilet in a first floor bathroom.

The entire area of infestation was less than ten square feet of material. That suggested an alternative five-step solution to the active termite problem, a "carpentry approach" and perhaps for that reason, one that the PCO had not considered.


5-Step Termite Damage Repairs Without Requirement for Chemical Treatment

The building owner hired a contractor who cured the termite infestation by the following steps:

  1. Fix the plumbing leak 

    that had invited termites into the floor structure
  2. Demolish and remove all of the termite-infested wood, 

    e.g. flooring, consisting of a few feet of sill, subflooring, finish flooring, and one floor joist.
  3. Re-build the damaged area 

    using pressure-treated lumber for sill and joist repairs and conventional materials for the remaining repair
  4. Completely clean 

    all debris, sawdust, mud-tubes, etc.
  5. Provide a document 

    of all repairs made

Following these repairs the building owner hired the same PCO to perform a follow-up inspection. All of the investigation, repair, and PCO report documentation was provided to the home buyer and buyer's lender. The result was a "clear" or no infestation found report, permitting the home sale to proceed.

Read more about termite prevention and treatment

at TERMITE SHIELDS vs TERMITICIDE


...




ADVERTISEMENT





Reader Comments, Questions & Answers About The Article Above

Below you will find questions and answers previously posted on this page at its page bottom reader comment box.

Reader Q&A - also see RECOMMENDED ARTICLES & FAQs

On 2020-11-19 by Katy Guzek

I'm concerned about carpenter ant damage done on our wood beam foundation in our 1840 built home. Not sure where to begin. Some times the beams sound hollow when I knock on them

On 2020-11-19 - by (mod) -

Katy

You can look yourself for signs of building movement - crushed supporting joists or beams, plaster cracks, sagging floors, etc. but a normal homeowner won't have the experienced eye of someone who is trained and experienced in this topic.

You may want an experienced home inspector, builder, or wood destroying insect inspector to make a thorough survey of the home, mapping the extent of insect damage (and rot) to the structure and giving you an outline of the stability and safety of the building and of the priority of repairs as well as, of course, telling you if there's evidence of active infestation that needs treatment.

On 2020-09-08 by Anita

I had a painter that used masking tape to "protect" the doors etc inside but damaged the wood. What kind of professional can estimate the cost of the damage done to repair?

On 2020-09-09 - by (mod) -

A handyman who is skilled at finish trim carpentry


...

Continue reading at CARPENTER ANTS or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see INSECT INFESTATION / DAMAGE - questions & replies posted originally on this page.

Or see these

Recommended Articles

Suggested citation for this web page

INSECT DAMAGE - WOOD REPAIR STEPS at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.


Or see this

INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to INSECT DAMAGE

Or use the SEARCH BOX found below to Ask a Question or Search InspectApedia

Ask a Question or Search InspectApedia

Try the search box just below, or if you prefer, post a question or comment in the Comments box below and we will respond promptly.

Search the InspectApedia website

Note: appearance of your Comment below may be delayed: if your comment contains an image, photograph, web link, or text that looks to the software as if it might be a web link, your posting will appear after it has been approved by a moderator. Apologies for the delay.

Only one image can be added per comment but you can post as many comments, and therefore images, as you like.
You will not receive a notification
when a response to your question has been posted.
Please bookmark this page to make it easy for you to check back for our response.
Our Comment Box is provided by Countable Web Productions countable.ca

Comment Form is loading comments...

Citations & References

In addition to any citations in the article above, a full list is available on request.



ADVERTISEMENT