Termites In Your Neighborhood?
There’s no need to move to another town from Gilbert just because termites have started nesting in your home. It would make sense to either build or remodel our homes with the intention of preventing termites rather than waiting until we have a major termite problem and then working overtime to eradicate the problem. This article will take into account several techniques and materials that may help prevent termites from becoming a problem…
The primary thing to recognize is that termites need food and water to stay alive. If we can create or remodel our homes in ways that eliminate termite’s access to food and water, the danger will be reduced considerably. Although that sounds simple, the details are somewhat more complex.
The 3 basic steps in preventative remodeling are:
1) good defensive design that includes a variety of tactics,
2) use of termite-resistant building materials, and
3) installing barriers to inhibit access by termites.
Defensive design includes keeping the structure dry, controlling moisture in and around the home and permitting straightforward termite inspection. Research demonstrates that most infestations start with wood-to-ground contact.
A high-quality design will eliminate wood-to-ground contact. The next thing is to prevent moisture problems. Moist wood is a termite magnet. Make sure the soil slopes away from the home. Lower the humidity in crawl spaces.
Termite-resistant materials are a key component of termite prevention. Possibilities include using steel framing rather than wood and using treated lumber or naturally resistant woods such as heartwood of cypress. A newer alternative is composite wood or plastic. These are 100% plastic or wood mixed with plastic leftovers such as sawdust.
A number of grades are available. One way to increase the termite-resistance of existing wood is to paint or spray with any preventative mixture. This is a better option if you’ll be installing new wall so the framing is totally open. Termite preventative solutions penetrate the wood. this makes them hard to break down over time and will last a very long time.
Physical barriers for termites also mean that the home must be sealed completely. After the remodel is complete, use caulk and expanding foam to seal every little crack and crevice. Leaving even one tiny breach means the termites have a way into your home. Eventually, one of them will get in and create a colony.
The most secure way to approach termite remodeling is to employ all possible technique and technology. Time and money are limited, however. Go with the most valuable techniques and materials first.
Get rid of wood-to-ground contact. Slope the soil away from the structure. Include access panels. Spray a preventative solution on open wood. Use termite resistant construction materials. Seal the remodel project thoroughly. And get a termite inspection once a year.
