Severe Termite Damage, How Far Do You Go?

beachremodlr

I looked at some work on a house that has some termite damage. There was some water under the house and with my first look, I saw an area 8'x8' that had some joist and subfloor damage. I quoted making the repairs @ $(A), sent in my bid and the realator called and said out other bid was $(Z) ...not $(B). She asked if my bid included the whole house and the other damage...I said no, so she sent me a Insect inspection report. Its called a CL100 here and it is required that these inspections pass when your are buying a home... You cant finance any money on a house without it.

So I went back today with the report and found lots of evidence of their existance, Many block pilars with tunnels and the damage is from the bottom up. In order to fix every sq. inch of touched arae, you would have to gut the kitch floor, remove several divider walls, bath floor, closet floor, divider wall, w/d dryer floor... who know what the int wall studs will look like...I would have a disclaimer for anything unseen but...

Do you make a judgement call on what to remove, or do you remove all wood that is affected at all costs, hope to speak to the bug man that made the report before I make any decisions, but I feel like asking you guys if you have had experience with this, and did you strip the house down, or ,fix what was obviously severly weak and damaged? Its probably a 1500 sq ft rach on a crawl space. The report says that sills, joists, and subfloor is damaged throughout, They have definetly gotten around, but Iis not your worst nightmare, unless you tried to fix every sq. inch. Might as well push it over, in my opinion.

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Bill in VaBeach

Beach Remodlr,

Sounds familiar! Similar size houses, and a bit larger, on slab here. See severe damage, typically the sole plate is gone and studs are damaged up to about 2 12/ - 3 feet above the slab. For some reason the interior garage walls are a favorite.

Since it's on a slab, and the exterminators have completed their treatment so there are no remaining external signs, I'll pull the baseboard and visually inspect, driving nails or poking with an awl as I follow the studs up. The scope of work then is to repair structural damage, which is essentially any area where the sole plate and studs have been eaten away (removing damaged wood and also sistering up). Lots of drywall work. In your case this would include the joists and subfloors/underlayment.

Depends on what level or repair the homeowner has to demonstrate, but as a minimum do a whole house inspection and address all structural damage.

Sad to see very nice homes that have as much as 30% of the sole plate and attached framing destroyed.

beachremodlr

Learned alot today and last night researching.
I guess the scope of repairs are different for different situations. Since the house is under contract and being sold, legally all that has to be done, is repair what is mentioned as damaged on the bugmans report and anything that has lost its structural strength or integrity. If I was fixing these problems for someone who was not in the market of "selling a rental", then I would see how much damage they were interested in fixing, above and beyond the obvious. Realotors just want to move forward.
When I posted this originally, I thought maybe termites would nest or live in wood, But I learned that they don't, as long as the moisure content is no high. That is the main reason I was unsure if ALL contaminated areas needed to be replaced.
HMMM, so that why my signature says what is says....Love to learn...maybe I should have asked to question differently!

__________________
Knowledge is Power. Learning more about what I do, Is all in a days work!

ddb maine

It's not entirely what the law states but instead are you going to be able to drive by that house and see the smiles on the faces of the new owners, and are you going to be able to walk up and tell them "I'm the one who solved your problems, and I can tell you there are no more problems" or are you going to tuck your head and keep driving. Always figure out what you have to do by law, but never stop there. Walking the lines of laws will only cause problems. If the realtor isnt willing to properly rid this house of its problems, then that is not the client to be working for. Most people still have their decency though and can be negotiated with.

How far would you go in your own house? ya know the one that your children and wife sleep in... that is our responsibility as contractors/carpenters/plumbers etc. to take our clients lives are seriously and deerly as our own.

works4me

Definately try to get the job, we make very good money in termite structural repairs. The most important thing to make sure is you cover all the structural stuff (sill plates, floor sheathing, joists, beams, and load walls), but like ddb said definately go a little beyond just fixing the structural. Its not to hard to replace a stud or two in door openings with jambs if needed, just remove jambs, sawzall out nails or screws from drywall to studs and slip them out the side. Slide new ones in and you might not even have to repair any drywall.
It is a little harder when their is no actual owner to discuss what level to take it to with and everyone (realtor, banks, etc.) really doesn't care and just wants to push it through. You just have to remember to take it to the level you know it will be "safe" at, and charge for it, because once you take it it's your baby - that's why we charge alot (not to mention th eliability).
Make sure you follow the "rules" for your area - we have found we don't need permits here for most (not all) structural repairs (we also fix alot of foundation problems - cracked/bowing walls), as long as we are just replacing and repairing with no changes to structural layout, we are considered to only be doing "maintenance" work, which does not require a permit here. BUT know the "rules" for your area. Good luck.