If you have discovered signs of a termite infestation or worse yet, have spotted termites in your house, then you are in for a long fight. Termites are sneaky insects and thus cannot be spotted easily. If you are randomly seeing live termites in your home, then it means that your home has severe termite damage. Termite damage repair for these properties can cost a lot and this is the reason why regular termite inspections are so important.

What to Do About Termite Damage to the House?

Two facts about termites - they tend to eat anything that contains cellulose and they do not like to be seen. Our houses have many hidden nooks and corners with a lot of wooden components in them. Thus, these areas are an easy target for termites.

Initially, the termite damage starts small but when left untreated or unnoticed, it affects the integral parts like the foundation, beams, and more. Soon, this can compromise the structural integrity of the house.

Termite damage repair can be major or minor since it depends on the extent of infestation. If the infestation is caught early, then the damage is usually easily repairable. But for houses with extensive damage, repair may cost the house owners many thousands of dollars.

Here are the steps involved in termite damage repair.

Inspection 

If you suspect termite infestation, then you should call a termite control company and request a termite inspection. This should be done immediately and you should not wait until the date of the next scheduled termite inspection.

The termite inspector will check even the inaccessible places of the property for signs of infestation. If an infestation is not found, then you can be in peace and wait for your scheduled termite inspection. But if an infestation is found, we move on to the next phase.

Also Read: Does Your Drywall Have a Termite Infestation?

Elimination

Once the termite inspector finds the termite infestation, he will further examine it to establish the details like the type of termites, the size of the infestation, and more. This will help in deciding the right course of termite treatment.

For example, if the termites are localized to a single area, then the inspector would suggest simple treatments like spot termite treatment or heat treatment. But if the infestation is large, then extensive measures like termite tenting and such are suggested.

You can get all your doubts answered by the termite inspector and also learn how the particular termite extermination method works. This will help you prepare for the method if needed.

Termite damage repair should never be done before fully eliminating the termites. Repair without elimination is simply giving the termites new wood as a replacement for the old ones.

Assessment and Repair

After you have eliminated the termites, you focus on the state of the property. The termite inspector will help analyze the extent of termite damage to your property.

There are different types of damage and repairs to be done, depending on the severity. For example, damage to non-structural wood can be fixed using minor repair methods like sanding out the damaged wood and filling it with wood filler.

But if the termite damage has spread to the structural wood, then the repair might cost you a lot. While repairing structural wood damage, you need to keep in mind the structural safety of the property.

While the termite damage repair is being done, you also need to make sure that the repair techniques comply with the building codes of the area. This will help maintain the structural integrity of the property and will fetch you a good price in the market if you put it up for sale in the future.

Also Read: Know Your Termite Species - Termites That Infest Homes

Prevention of Future Infestations

The job is not over with just repairing the termite damage. Prevention steps that will keep away future infestations need to be taken.

For example, if you are replacing the damaged wood with new wood, then make sure that the new one is termite-treated. For the protection of the whole property, you can choose termite prevention methods like liquid termite treatment and baiting systems.

Most importantly, make sure that you get a termite inspection done for your property at least twice a year. This will not only help keep the termites at bay but will also identify an infestation early.

HiTech Termite Control

Identifying and getting rid of a termite infestation is a job for experts since termites have proven to be almost indestructible. Schedule regular termite inspections with us and we can help keep your property free of termites. Visit us here.