Currently I offer a free pest inspection (wood destroying organism, or WDO) with every full home inspection. This is a $250 value offered for Free! As a home inspector with a structural pest inspection license, I am uniquely qualified to understand how WDO can affect a home. The phrase I use to express what attracts WDO is “Conducive Conditions.” These are the name of the game when it comes to WDO. Here are three conducive conditions you can eliminate to help prevent wood destroying organism from infesting your home:
- Cellulose material in your crawlspace. This includes scrap wood left during construction, cardboard forms left around the concrete piers supporting the floor of your home, or stored Christmas boxes. Any of these coupled with moisture is a bug magnet for infestation.
- Bushes and trees touching the house. These act as a bridge for exploring bugs to find new areas to build a nest. I always recommend a minimum of 12 inches of space be maintained between the house and vegetation.
- Untreated wood in contact with soil. Common areas for this are exterior deck supports and siding in contact with soil. Moisture in the soil will wick up into the wood and cause wood rot or attract bugs.
In nearly all cases of infestation that I find damage from WDO, there are elevated levels of moisture involved. If the moisture can be eliminated, specifically in the above mentioned areas, the likelihood of infestation is greatly reduced.
