In our last article, we talked about the how the Top 3 Ways to Reduce Termite Risk involve removing conducive conditions. So, if you haven’t read that article, first follow the link here to get caught up. 

In this article we’ll be continuing our discussion by examining 3 more highly common conducive conditions and how to rectify them, therefore reducing the risk of future infestation from wood destroying insects like termites and increasing the probability of a smooth home buying transaction.

Wood piles touching the home are an easily overlooked condition for many homeowners. Keeping firewood for fireplaces and fire pits near the home means it’s easily accessible, however, when that wood is touching the structure it can make a highway for insects to enter the home. Thankfully removing this condition is as simple as removing the wood or getting it as far as possible from the home, preferably on a raised non-wood rack.

A less common condition, Wood to ground contact could be considered as anywhere wood connects the structure to the ground. On most WDI inspections it refers specifically to an area where the soil line is so high that it touches the wood siding. This is one of the more serious conditions because many times when we see this and the soil is pulled away, we find an active infestation or evidence of previous activity. The good news is that this condition is as simple to fix as lowering the soil level while maintaining a good slope away from the home. In the case that the wood to ground contact is a wooden structure like stairs. The structure can either be removed or modified so that it no longer makes direct contact with the soil or the building.

Low decks are a conducive condition that many people don’t know about. The issue here is that many low decks connect the home to the ground and in many cases, it can’t be seen because no one can physically get under the deck. Of course, this raises some concern. Some fixes for this include raising decks off the ground to a height that someone can easily crawl under to inspect for insects and using concrete and metal post fastening techniques to protect the wood from the ground, therefore, creating the necessary disconnect.

Those are our 3 conducive conditions for today. Keep a look out for next week’s post where we continue the subject.

If you, a friend, or client are buying a home and worried that it might have conducive conditions and want to know how to get rid of them Panther Inspections can add a termite inspection to our home inspections so our clients get valuable knowledge on the current condition of the home including information concerning wood destroying insects. They walk away with a next plan of action and contacts for the correct, trusted contractors to call who can help remove conducive conditions quickly for those who can’t or don’t want to do it themselves.