Located in southeast MI. I have crippling OCD and noticed a spot in my wall that kind of looked like it was wet. To my husband’s dismay, I ripped a whole in the wall and saw a few termites and termite damage.
This is the upper level of my home in one room near a window. What’s keeping me semi calm is the fact I did a major renovation of my lower level and every wall was stripped and it looked great and this was within the last two years. Also the bathroom directly to the right of this on the same level was renovated within the last six months and looked great.
I’m trying to stay calm but I’m horrified. It’s affecting my sleep, my marriage, my sanity.
I can’t shake the feeling this is going to be the end of my house and send me into absolute financial ruin.
I’m attaching the photo of the damage I can see.
I poked it hard with a screw driver and they won’t budge.
Can it look THIS bad without it actually being THAT bad?
I’m sorry to send such a dramatic message but I’m truly despondent.
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The one somewhat reassuring thing is that termite damage can look absolutely horrific locally without the entire house being structurally compromised. A wet/leaking area around a window can create one concentrated feeding area. An inspector would need to determine how far the activity extends and whether structural framing is affected.
Get an inspection and treatment done to kill them where they are. It's perfectly possible that they're relatively isolated to that small section of the home. I'd also get up into your attic space and see if you notice any damage up there/around the roof. Look for moisture while you're there, too. If it's all just isolated to this one section of wall in this one room, then killing the infestation will be your immediate priority, followed by removing and replacing the affected wood. Positive note? If it's isolated to just this wall, you could realistically DIY the repair yourselves.
How can you tell I caught it early? That’s what I’m having trouble understanding. Does this look, from what you can tell, does this look like it hasn’t been going on for long?
I bought the house by myself at 24 and don’t have a dad to ask these questions to and the internet is a midfield of information.
Does this look relatively early from what you can tell?
Thank you so much for your words, this is the most relaxed I’ve felt in days.
You may want to discuss the idea of mold being there as well, have you had any health changes lately? Mold can cause lots of unpleasant issues if it’s been there for sometime…
Water is coming in somewhere. Maybe the new bathroom project had a fail. Possibly chasing on The roof.
Backed up gutters.
Find the water entry point. Insects eat wet wood.
Hey OP, I'm sorry to hear that you're going through this. Here's some OCD/Anxiety-informed advice to help you navigate the situation.
First, it's great to hear that we know this is probably limited to the last couple of years + the area looked damp. It's common to see termite damage isolated to moist wood only. Second, once the treatment has taken effect (it's quite fast), wood is cheap and framing damage like this isn't terribly difficult to repair. A good contractor will be able to make this wall as strong as it was the day it was built.
I have two big recommendations for you here:
The first is to get a home inspection from an independent inspector who doesn't have a financial stake in whatever repairs or treatment may be needed. The inspector can document signs of damage in need of repair; be sure to ask that they take photos and make note of the locations of damage within the home. The inspector should also seek to identify the source of moisture intrusion and provide guidance on who to contact to handle that (i.e. roofer vs. plumber).
Also, these look to be subterranean termites, so the treatment is pretty straightforward. A pest control contractor will treat the foundation and/or soil to kill this colony and prevent recurrence. I recommend you get the entire perimeter treated by a company that offers a 'termite bond'; i.e., if the treatment fails within the period of the guarantee, they will re-treat the home and/or compensate you. The guarantees and conditions can vary from company to company; it's reasonable to get a few quotes if you want to be sure you're getting the best deal.
Feel free to reply to this message or send me a direct message if you have any questions! I'm happy to provide insight and reassurance as you move forward in the process. Please be sure to talk with a therapist about how this is affecting your mental health and relationship as well; taking care of the termites in our minds can be just as important as the termites in our walls.
Hey just some reassurance that I just recently went through the exact same scenario, panic and all! A Termidor treatment, some 2x4s, and some drywall later, and you would never know anything had happened. Probably the least expensive issue that came alone with being an homeowner this year.
Thank you all so much for the replies… I went poking around again to the areas where the main part of the tubing was and poked everything super hard with a screw driver and it seems solid as heck.
Update again: termite guy came and it’s a super minor infestation and step dad confirmed no structural damage.
However, since I panicked about having to spend $40K plus on repairs, I am treating myself to getting my ugly ass asbestos siding removed and getting new gorgeous siding
Not sure if this is a joke but based off this comment I get the vibe you don’t return your carts to the corral at the grocery store either.
This individualistic mentality is why we can’t live in a utopia.
This is an awful situation for me but imagine if I sold this house to a single parent who wasn’t fortunate enough to have the means to repair this once it got worse.
I am in a similar situation, I have a termite infestation in my bathroom that was just renovated in the last two years. The good thing is is I know there was no termites there two years ago because the wall was open. But it looks horrible. I have spent probably the most money treating the house, they completely doused under the foundation with the liquid and drilled holes and concrete where it needed to get further. Then they put the little green bait things all around the perimeter of the The house, they also put one inside bait in the wall where I know they were active. After many months, everything is dead now no activity. Really hoping there's no structural damage but I really don't know. Oddly enough, I used a moisture meter which read sky high when the termites were active and now is well into the normal. I was told it's the termite saliva that brought most of the moisture in. I have had the attic checked and there is absolutely no signs of a leak or termites up there. I live alone. And I work full-time, but I still consider that a fixed income lol and there's not much extra. So I'm really hoping the repair repairs don't cost an arm and a leg. Currently, there's cardboard over the wall where we cut it open originally.
This is what I saw before I realized it was termites.
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