termite invitation: Because One Thing Leads To Another
- 08/09/18 02:31 AM
I have the tendency to notice things about a house I am to inspect when I am driving up to it. When pulling up to this seven year old house I noticed even before I got into the driveway that the front porch roof seemed to incline toward the house. Looking closer I determined that it did!
That isn't good. Because one thing leads to another.
Then I noticed the staining on the brick. You can see it running from the inside corner of the porch roof all the way to ground beside the garage door. It also caused efflorescence on the brick.
Beside … (49 comments)
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termite invitation: When Wood Siding Is Too Close To The Ground
- 11/28/16 03:09 AM
This is what happens when wood siding is too close to the ground.
It gets wet, it rots, and it attracts termites!
Wood siding should be 4" or so from the ground whether that be soil or solid surface. Six inches would not be too far.
The further the better. When it is higher from the ground splashing water onto the wood is minimized.
The wood is not sitting in a moist or wet condition, so it is not wicking moisture.
And termites are less inclined to try to reach it with their mud tunnels.
But if wood siding is too close, even siding that has been … (7 comments)
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termite invitation: The Leaning Alcove
- 04/07/16 08:59 PM
Not entirely described in the photograph, I noticed the leaning alcove from the outside.
Then, when indoors, the floor going toward the door had a definite slope to it.
It is perched on a deck. It appeared to have been built much later than the house.
There can be only one reason why it would lean so much.
It lacks support. But why?
Resting on a deck, which was built very near to the ground, and in a shady yard, rot would be an issue.
And even termites.
If termites are attracted to the deck, they would therefore be attracted to the house.
But being so close to … (9 comments)
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termite invitation: Water Takes The Easiest Path - And Kills Houses.
- 12/09/15 06:43 PM
Water takes the easiest path - and kills houses.
It's called physics. And gravity always works. And physics and gravity make water work in predictable ways.
So consider - this house was built 10' lower than the street that runs horizontally along its front.
You MUST consider regrading and some means of sending the house. If you don't, water will always flow toward the house.
The water from the street continues to flow down the hill in front of the house and then toward the house. Water has to be redirected!
So, what to do?
Build a concrete block retaining wall!
But if you don't redirect the street … (15 comments)
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termite invitation: Termite Damage And Fungal Decomposition, To Say The Least
- 11/04/15 07:42 PM
This crawl space demonstrated termite damage and fungal decomposition, to say the least.
And all over the place.
The area has been so moist for so long the vapor retarder, the wax paper on the insulation, has deteriorated and fallen off! Yes, the insulation was placed with the vapor retarder facing the wrong side.
While in the living area, and walking around, here and there the floor felt weak and saggy.
Going below I found out why!
Where does the moisture come from?
---> The soil had no plastic covering anywhere.
---> The space was not vented anywhere.
---> The insulation was placed incorrectly everywhere.
---> The grading sent … (9 comments)
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termite invitation: Too Close Is Too Close
- 06/24/15 07:52 PM
Wood siding should be 4-6" from the soil, as too close is too close.
When it's too close to the soil wood siding becomes an invitation to moisture (and therefore rot) and termites.
Termites are looking for wet wood. That's their objective. Eating it and returning to the colony is their job!
And they are good at it.
Looking at the photo to the far right, the green algae is evident, the mushy wood is evident, and moisture retention is evident, and in the center, highlighted by the cropped section, termite damage is evident.
Are they active? THAT is another inspection yet to happen.
If I was to see … (13 comments)
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termite invitation: Under The Front Door Vestibule
- 10/02/14 08:56 PM
Whenever I pull up to a house and see an inviting vestibule (where the front door protrudes with a welcoming enclosed entrance) I can hardly wait to have a look under the front door vestibule.
Sing with me now!
(Under the vestibule) out of the suuuunnnn!
(Under the vestibule) we'll be havin' some fuuuunnnn!
(Under the vestibule) people walkin' aboooovvvve!
(Under the vestibule) the termites will be makin' loooovvvve!
Under the vestibule ... vestibule!
Now, the termite guys tell me that 90% of the time when termites are found in a house, it is under the front door.
Why?
Because the front door is … (17 comments)
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termite invitation: Pay No Attention To The Termites Under The Mattress
- 07/13/14 07:48 PM
This is a seller who is asking that a buyer pay no attention to the termites under the mattress.
I am surprised sometimes at the lengths people will go to hide problems with their house. Some people are VERY good at it. Others are not.
Outdoors I could see a potential problem inside.
The wood siding on this older house had been buried behind a sidewalk poured many years ago across the front of the house.
Not only was the wood getting soft, but burying the siding like this invites termites to enter the house from underneath. It's an invitation really.
… (94 comments)
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termite invitation: Custom-Fit Patio
- 07/08/14 09:02 PM
Walking around back I saw a custom-fit patio.
There's nothing wrong with that, if it is professional and takes common sense into account.
In this case there is not a lot that takes common sense into account.
For example, a small pocket was created in the patio to house the AC compressor.
OK, it's custom fit.
Is there a problem with that? In my opinion yes.
1. The compressor is 16 years old. How much longer will it last?
2. When it is replaced, will the new unit have exactly the same footprint as this one? Will it fit so precisely … (37 comments)
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termite invitation: Honey, Did You Remember To Send An Invitation To The Termites?
- 02/21/14 08:12 PM
Honey, did you remember to send an invitation to the termites?
Having a house party?
Let's say you are, oh, remodeling an old farmhouse. It's listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and has a listing in both the local county and city.
The process has taken a long time and cost a lot of money. You are so proud of this effort that you have invited every person who has had a hand in the house's restoration to a big party.
Including the termites!
Wondering how will you know the termites … (28 comments)
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termite invitation: When An Oil Tank Is Too Heavy, It's Too Heavy!
- 05/14/13 06:23 PM
Coming around to the rear of this house I immediately thought that when an oil tank is too heavy, it's too heavy!
This is an old tank! It has been here quite a while.
Certainly this patio was not made to handle its weight.
This is settling that has happened for some time.
It brings other problems with it. The differential settlement of the patio leaves the four legs of the tank unevenly planted. The front right leg is off the ground, putting more strain on the rear leg. This could lead to a catastrophic collapse one day when that … (34 comments)
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termite invitation: Yep, Definitely A Trip Hazard!
- 03/20/13 08:41 PM
A recent home inspection found two locations that wanted to reach out and trip someone - yep, definitely a trip hazard!
The first was a very fun location! Right at the top of 13 concrete stairs!
These pavers don't look like they were flush to the top of the landing ever.
But certainly, since they have settled, they are a bigger problem now!
Yep, definitely a trip hazard!
It's an easy fix, but why was that not done?
The second had its own issues, including a trip potential.
Now, this staircase has its own problems:
1. It settling dramatically and pulling … (42 comments)
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termite invitation: Rounding Up Or Rounding Down, An Accounting Still Needs To Be Made
- 07/20/12 08:32 PM
All of the houses on this block have the same situation at the rear door - it is about 4' high from the ground. So something needs to be done - stairs of some kind, small deck, maybe a patio.
When buyers want to do their own thing the builder will leave some form of barrier so the rear door cannot be used until the rear exit is accommodated by the homeowner.
Coming around to the back yard, what did I spy with my little eye?
What I call the "ice cream cone" staircase!
My first problem with this kind of … (20 comments)
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termite invitation: Be A Preposition On A Home Inspection
- 02/09/12 11:01 PM
What is a preposition? My 8th grade English teacher, Miss Braun, taught me that a preposition was anything you can do to a house.
What? I mean, you can go inside, or be outside, over or under, beside or behind or in between, before or after, up and down. All those kinds of words are prepositions. They describe relation to a noun and govern it.
So, things you can do to describe your relation to a house would be a preposition. How prescient since that is what I do today!
So, when I pull up to a house and see a … (25 comments)
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I have the tendency to notice things about a house I am to inspect when I am driving up to it. When pulling up to this seven year old house I noticed even before I got into the driveway that the front porch roof seemed to incline toward the house. Looking closer I determined that it did!
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