I don't need a termite inspection...

...or do I?

I got a call to take a look at a structural problem with a house. A younger couple bought a ranch style house 5 years ago.

They put new shingles on last year then decided to work on changing the kitchen and family room walls.

When they pulled off the drywall they found some unwelcome visitors. Termites!



Here is a door header for example.

There is damage from the basement to the roof. From one end of the house to the other. Walls, floor and roof joists, sill plates, sub-floor, everwhere.



Here I am pushing...yes pushing my finger into a roof joist.

The couple never had a termite inspection done when they bought it.

Unfortunately the damage was so severe and so extensive to the structure I had no choice but to recommend they pull the house down, rather than try to repair it.

I felt so sorry for them I'm not going to bill them for my work. What a mess.

 

Oh man, that's terrible.
On the bright side,......they get a new house.
Wonder if insurance will cover anything.

 

Unfortunately it won't.

 

And lesson learned...unfortunately a very expensive lesson. Hard not to feel bad for the young couple.

 

That is just so terrible, I can't imagine how they feel. It just goes to show, when you think you got problems, someone always has it worse. It was very nice of you schlot not to bill them for your work. Karma owes you big time.

 

Agreed. It made me sick to my stomach. The wife was on the verge of tears. I gave her a half a hug...seemed like the thing to do.

I didn't do much, just thought they had enough bills looking at them they didn't need one more.

Uggg.

 

Too many young people will trip over a dollar to pick up a dime.

I see this all the time. My family sells real estate and I help part time when needed.
"Saving" a few hundred by not doing inspections leads to crap like this. We have to talk people into getting inspections all the time. Same goes with surveys.

It also makes you wonder if the seller had any knowledge of it, and didn't disclose it on the sellers disclosure.

Regardless, that's a dayum shame for this young couple. Nice of you to waive your fees.

 

Great points. And it's not only the young...like you said, we see it all the time with land surveys.

I'm surprised more banks don't require inspections and surveys.

We talked about whether the previous owner knew. Nothing was disclosed but I suggested talking to termite companies or local contractors if they were called out to the house. But it's a fairly new house so it could have easily been ignored or wasn't evident unless they were looking for it.

 

Up here most banks won't issue mortgages or loans unless a building inspection is done. Fortunately we don't have termites in this area but carpenter ants can be found. Dry rot is the main issue.

What a terrible situation for this couple.

 

And insurance won't cover because why?

 

Guessing because they didn't have it surveyed or inspected before hand?

 

I have only bought two houses in my life to date. They were both "screaming deals" that I was able to pay in full, so no banks and their requirements were involved. But you better believe they were inspected, first by me, then by an expert. The first inspection paid for itself, it provided a basis for negotiating some changes with the seller. Even then there were enough surprises to be found later. Same with title insurance - not required, but no way I was going without it.

 

I bought my house as a repo and then as I started remodeling the basement found a similar thing. The contractor that built the house was in such a hurry to throw it up that some of the walls in the basement were put up before the cement floor was poured then they poured the floor around the walls so the wood was in direct contact with the ground........hacks I tell you, and they built a lot of the homes close to me. Fortunately I was able to rip out he dmg, have a heavy termite treatment (back when they still had good stuff) and rebuild.

 

What a mess!


That's exactly the problem they had with a basement bearing wall. Who would do that??

 

Unfortunately too many get away building like this. By the time the problems arise, they're long gone.
Shade tree general contractors are a bane to the construction industry.

 

I had some water damage to my house over the summer and was told insurance only covers things that happen suddenly. Events that cause damage over a long period of time (like my pin hole water leak) are considered homeowner neglect.

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I don't know much about termites. Don't they need moist wood to survive?

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