Friday, August 18, 2017

Termite "Inspection" Team Here This Morning

And it sounds more like they're the "Termite DEMOLITION Team".

Granted, I've never watched this being done, so I'm probably gonna get get called "STOOPID" by somebody, but these guys are checking for termite infestation by using a "probe" on a painter's pole, and banginging it against all the exposed wood they can see and reach.,

thump, thump, thump, thump,thump,thump for the last 35 minutes.

And once in a while you hear thump,thump,thump,thump, CRUNCH, thump, thump, thump.....

The "crunch" is not good because it means their "probe" just busted through what was left of a piece of wood that the termites have been feasting on.

So far they've found a couple of spots they're calling "dry rot", a couple of boards on the fascia for the garage, and the 4x4 holding the window A/C unit up.

Orkin was here two years ago and gave the place a clean bill of health, but then they didn't run around banging on stuff, either.

Hopefully this stuff won't be too expensive to repair.


  1. My experience of this is limited to my female friend's house in San Diego. Nice little bungalow with good craftsman details... termite guys did their repairs with hunks of scrap, mismatched wood, and generally earned the title "Wood Butchers". If they propose fixes and you're paying, make sure they are done correctly and aesthetically and not just "structurally." Insist that the repair be indistinguishable in appearance from the original, and document it.

    Otherwise, you'll end up with rafter tails nailed next to hacked off stubs...


  2. Just waiting on a closing date myself. New owner dug up the septic on a sunday to have it inspected, minus my permission naturally. Cant mow the lawn he made such a mess. Just need it to be over. At least nothing needs fixing. Got what we paid, but lost money on every improvement we made. Bought during the boom in late '05.

    1. My wife bought this place in 2000, right as things were taking off. She/we didn't do a lot of "improvements", other than all new double-pane windows, and ceramic tile floors in the kitchen and bathroom. Everything else (new roof, water heater, plumbing repairs, etc) were all items of maintenance.

      I feel for you on the yard. We had to have the sewer line from the garage to the house replaced a couple of years ago, and it trashed about half the backyard. Cost another $500 for our yard service guy to get it all nice and pretty again.

  3. Replies
    1. Easy repairs. About $500 including all materials and paint.


Keep it civil, please....