There are many household health hazards to look out for when buying or owning a home, such as pests that can create an unsafe living environment. Termites aren’t just any pest either. They eat away at your home, destroying its structural integrity and its value. Not only are they unsightly, but they can put the health of you and your family at risk.
In this article, we’ll discuss the causes of a termite infestation, signs to watch out for and how to prevent or repair the damage.
What Causes Termite Infestations?
Termites are widespread throughout most of the world. They’re adaptable critters that can infest not only a home, but other wooden structures like fences and sheds. There are a few major reasons why a new colony may choose to set up shop on your property.
Moisture
Ample moisture is essential for termites. Subterranean termites do everything they can to avoid dry conditions. Most termites forage wood in wet areas because the moisture insulates and protects them.
Common issues that could attract termites include:
- Standing water
- Clogged gutters
- Leaky pipes
- Water buildup around the outside of your house
Maintenance to prevent clogs or leaks and making changes to divert water away from your home will help keep the termites away.
Cracks Or Openings In Your Home’s Structure
It’s one thing to have termites breaking down the mulch outside. It’s another thing entirely to have them inside eating your walls. Cracks caused by foundation issues or other structural flaws can be the entry point for a full-blown termite infestation.
Look out for cracks and outside entry points when inspecting your home or a property you’re looking to buy. This will help you avoid termite issues down the road.
Wood Making Contact With Your Home
Wood that touches or leans against your home can be a hot spot for a termite colony, especially if that wood is also in contact with the ground.
Make sure you check these areas for possible termite infestation before those pests can make their way into your house:
- Fence posts
- Wood piles
- Fallen or cut-off tree branches
If you need to store wood, keep it in a dry location at a distance from your house.
Ready to get approved?
What Does Termite Damage Look Like?
It’s crucial to identify potential termite damage in order to take steps to eradicate the termites and repair the damage. Termite damage is often mistaken for water damage, but there are several differences between the two. Water damage causes cube-shaped scaling in wood, whereas termite damage can be spotted through long tunnels along the grain, buckled wood, the smell of mold or mildew, and bowed walls or ceilings.
Learn how to spot termites and signs of termite damage by keeping an eye out for these indicators.
Swarming
Swarming alates are your best chance for spotting termites. Subterranean and dampwood termites typically swarm on warm spring and summer days. Drywood termites swarm in late summer and into fall.
Visible swarms of termites around your home are a clear indicator of a termite infestation. Residual evidence of swarms, like termite wings and frass (droppings that look like coffee grounds or sawdust), are telltale signs of their presence.
Buckling Wood
Wood buckles when it’s exposed to excessive moisture, but it also buckles when it’s infested with termites. Wood buckling or blistering can occur anywhere from floorboards and structural beams to crown molding and wood furniture. If you see buckling wood, you may have a termite problem and should investigate further.
Swollen Floors And Ceilings
Like buckling wood, swelling floors and ceilings are an indicator of water damage or a termite colony. Termites burrowing into the wood causes it to swell and bulge. This swelling is more than an eyesore. It’s a sign of dangerous structural damage. With enough damage, unsteady floors and ceilings will cave in.
‘Mazes’ In Walls Or Furniture
One of the most obvious signs of termite damage is visible tunnels in wood around your home. These “mazes” are created by the termites chewing a path through your walls or furniture.
Smell Of Mold Or Mildew
Severe termite infestations stink of mold and mildew. If you have recently removed mold from an area and the smell persists, you may have a termite issue. Consult a professional to do a termite inspection as soon as possible.
How To Repair Termite Damage
Termites aren’t just one of those things that goes away. They’ll keep eating away at your home until they’re out of food and you’re out of a home. As soon as you suspect termite presence, take action. The sooner you act, the less time termites will have to cause damage. If termites are there, you’re going to have to make repairs.
1. Make Sure All Termites Are Eradicated
The most vital part of the process of repairing termite damage is eradicating the termites. If you don’t get rid of the termites first, any wood you replace is just fresh food for them to feed on. Hire professional pest control to inspect and eliminate the termites from your home. Once the termites are gone, then you can start repairing the damage.
2. Remove Or Replace Damaged Wood
Whether it’s damaged wall studs, floorboards or dresser drawers, the damaged wood needs to be removed and replaced. Severe damage to wooden furniture may mean you should replace the piece altogether.
Wood responsible for maintaining the structure of your house needs to be replaced with urgency. It’s wise to hire a contractor to ensure safe removal and replacement. In replacing decorative pieces of wood, such as trim and molding, there’s less risk to your safety, but you may want to hire a carpenter anyway, depending on your skill.
Experts use three primary means of repairing wood that has been damaged by termites:
- Sealants to trap and kill any termites left in the damaged wood
- Hardeners to reinforce wood that is only slightly damaged
- Fillers to repair existing cracks
3. Reinforce Damaged Wood With New Wood
If the termite-damaged wood is not integral to the structure of the house, you can reinforce it with new wood. Wood that isn’t severely damaged can also be repaired with a synthetic wood filler. Patching or reinforcing wood that’s decorative and not badly damaged is a simple job completed with a couple of tools and a little know-how.
Need to lower your mortgage payment?
How Much Does It Cost To Repair Termite Damage?
It’s estimated termites do tens of billions of dollars’ worth of damage every year in the United States. For your home, the cost could range depending on the amount of damage and complexity of the repair.
Homeowners can expect to pay anywhere between $1,000 – $3,000 on average to repair structural and cosmetic termite damage, according to Angi. Most homeowners insurance policies don’t cover termite damage, as termite prevention is seen as regular home maintenance.
How To Prevent Future Infestations
Being proactive can go a long way in preventing a termite infestation. Know where your home may be vulnerable to termites. Take the proper steps to inspect for damage and maintain your property. With a little work, you can make sure your home doesn’t become a termite hotbed.
1. Prioritize Home Inspections
If you’re house hunting and looking to buy a home, you need to place a high priority on a professional home inspection. Having a pest inspection to check for termite damage will help avoid infestations in the future should you choose to purchase the property.
A professional home inspector has the experience and the eye to spot problems most people would not see. With a quality home inspection, you can be aware of termite damage before it becomes your problem.
2. Conduct Regular Checks For Damage
Part of being a homeowner is doing regular examinations of your house for damage. Walk around the outside of your property and check for damage to wooden fences, decks and porches. Get on a ladder and check to make sure your gutters are draining properly and the wood behind them isn’t rotting.
With a critical eye, look around the inside of your home for damaged wood. If you have a basement or crawl space, investigate the beams and floorboards with a flashlight. Do these inspections as part of your spring or fall cleaning to ensure you aren’t missing any potential new infestations. This way, if something unusual pops up, you’ll recognize it and be able to address it before it becomes a bigger problem.
3. Hire A Professional
If you find what you suspect to be a termite problem, hire a professional. It’s inadvisable to tackle a termite problem yourself. Once termites show signs of being in your home, it’s likely they’ve already been there for years and have spread to large numbers. A pest control professional can remove the termites and take steps to ensure future infestations don’t set up shop in your home.
The Bottom Line
Spotting termites is the first step to removing them. Hire a qualified inspector when you’re looking to buy a home to make sure the house is termite-free. When you own the home, check the interior and exterior semi-yearly for termites. Chances are if you spot them, they’ve already been there for a while. Move with urgency before they spread and do more damage.
A cash-out refinance is an attractive option to many, as it provides an opportunity to leverage your existing home equity to invest in your home. If you’re looking for ways to fund repairs, start the process to get a cash-out refinance.