What Kind of Damage is That?
Damage will occur to the wood members used to build your home. It is inevitable. Not only will the wood succumb to normal wear and tear, but there are other factors that can also cause decay.
Damaged members should either be repaired or replaced to ensure structural integrity. Also, you must identify the root of the problem so that the damage does not reoccur.
Knowing how to identify the type of damage will help you make smart decisions regarding maintenance services needed to restore and maintain the structural integrity of your home.
Damage will occur to the wood members used to build your home. It is inevitable. Not only will the wood succumb to normal wear and tear, but there are other factors that can also cause decay.
Damaged members should either be repaired or replaced to ensure structural integrity. Also, you must identify the root of the problem so that the damage does not reoccur.
Knowing how to identify the type of damage will help you make smart decisions regarding maintenance services needed to restore and maintain the structural integrity of your home.
Termite Damage
Termites cause an estimated $5 billion in repairs each year in the U.S. alone.
If you identify and repair termite damage in its early stages, then you can save thousands of dollars down the road.
In Southern California, you’re most likely to experience damage caused by drywood termites or subterranean termites.
This damage is easily identified by two types of abnormalities in the wood.
The first image is evidence of termites tunneling in the wood. Termite tunnels look smooth like those in this picture.
Damage can also look as if chunks of wood are missing from what otherwise would be a fully-solid wood member, like in this first image.
While these pictures are a good indicator of termite damage on wood, there are many other ways and symptoms that can help you identify a possible termite infestation itself learn about termite identification.
Fungus Rot
Moisture in the environment or water that is directly introduced to wood can lead to fungus.
This is commonly known as wood-rot. Fungus-rot metabolizes infected wood members causing wood damage.
In its early stages, it looks like the wood member is collapsing into itself, almost like it’s being sucked from within.
This can cause the paint to crack and chip, as shown in these pictures.
More advanced wood-rot causes wood to look broken and splintered, like in this second picture.
The best way to spot wood-rot is to look for abnormalities in the paint. Painted wood members do not show wood-rot damage until something causes the paint to break apart. Unfortunately, damage can grow unnoticed, like in these pictures.
Spotting termite damage or wood-rot damage can be tricky. In many cases, once damage is noticed to an untrained eye, it is excessive. Give it a try, what kind of damage is this?
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Want to try again? What kind of damage do you spot in this wood fence?
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If you correctly guessed termite damage, chances are that it was a lucky guess.
And you would not have thought to look for termite damage in this fence, just like the homeowners had no idea they had extensive termite damage in their fence until it was exposed on inspection.
It is good to be aware of potential damage in your home. However, smart homeowners have their homes inspected by a trained and licensed expert once a year.
Doing a once a year checkup on your home will save you thousands in surprise costs due to termite or fungus rot damage at home.
We continue to be Southern California’s preferred termite and pest control service, provider. We pride ourselves in being the number one provider of dependable and convenient termite inspection and services for escrow.
