Doors with Termite and Water Damage – Blog

PEST CONTROL SERVICES: Experts in termite prevention and eradication

Termites in a home or commercial building are nothing to be taken lightly, particularly in areas of the country where Formosan Termites are a problem. So I am still surprised to this day how many clients of my home repair business even consider taking on the problem on their own. Somehow they got it stuck in their heads that with a visit to the local hardware store they can equip themselves to wipe out a termite infestation on their own.

I like to point out to them that the first big clue to how tenacious an adversary termites are is that they have survived and, in fact, thrived for untold millions of years on this planet. Then the food that they eat is always readily available and was plentiful long before the first log cabin was built in North America. Given all that’s at stake, it just makes good sense to hand the job over to experienced experts. For starters, truly effective insecticide for treating a termite infestation is nothing to mess around with. Then, considering that termites live in the ground and find cement patios, foundations, and walkways to be their preferred habitat.

Then the final chunk of info I relay to them is that in many buildings where an infestation is the most extreme, a strategy of encirclement is the only method for complete extermination. That is, holes need to be drilled into concrete, and high-pressure injectors employed to fully encircle a building underground such that there is no way in and no way out for the troublesome pests. What I find is that all too often people wait until they decide to put their home on the market before they have a termite inspection and subsequent treatment. By then, though, it can be too late. A late-stage diagnosis and treatment plan often means that potential buyers and their finance provider can become involved with their own set of demands. So all things considered, when it comes to termites and a home, an ounce of prevention truly is worth a pound of cure.

WATER DAMAGE RESTORATION SERVICES: Experts in water damage remediation in homes

There is just no sense in comparing the option of water damage remediation by an expert and a supposed option of a DIY job done by a homeowner on their own. In all the years I have been operating a general contracting business, I have never heard of such a thing. DIY water damage remediation just isn’t done, and there are several good reasons for that. For starters, there is the minor issue of contaminated materials and toxicity.

There are, of course, exceptions, but the vast majority of water damage issues come as the result of fire and the ensuing water that is dumped on it. This is the water damage. Without going into the mold problems, plastics in a home go through chemical changes when they burn to release toxic substances. Then in homes built as recently as the nineteen-seventies, there is the specter of possible lead contamination. California has zero tolerance rules regulating lead remediation that are nothing short of draconian, with first-time penalties up into five figures. So water damage restoration services deal with some real nasty stuff. Then, as if building codes and inspections on a new construction project aren’t bad enough, try to imagine navigating this issue with a building that has been damaged by fire and water.

But even if there isn’t fire involved, water damage on its own carries with it its own host of risks and problems to be navigated. Mold is a big one, and mold can set in and take root quickly if the circumstances are right for it. Particularly in an income property where tenants are involved, it’s imperative that a licensed expert backed up with insurance and bond be brought in to handle the job. I often tell my clients that if they want to gamble, then go to a casino, but don’t gamble with your home.

DOOR MATERIAL SUPPLIERS: Providers of termite and water-resistant door materials

It’s a fact: Not all hardware stores are the same, and this particularly holds true when it comes to door materials. Then, when you narrow your search down to termite and water-resistant materials, the problem only gets worse. So, why not just ask store employees for some advice? The answer to that is simple: They all too often just want to make a sale, if they even know the first thing about the subject matter.

So here is what I like to advise my clients when they ask. I tell them that as far as frames are concerned, they can build their own out of redwood. Redwood is naturally resistant to termites and water damage. Termites hate it, and water has little effect on it. To find the best and least expensive redwood, they are going to have to travel to the source along the north coast of Northern California. Lumber suppliers in the San Francisco Bay Area are great for this. Or if they want to opt for spray or brush-on wood preservatives, they can check out products available at either of the popular big-box hardware outlets. The most effective of them rely on copper sulfate or borate.

Then when it comes to the doors themselves, for water and termite resistance, I recommend fiberglass. Steel works great on termites but can fall short in wet climates due to issues with rust. But in the end, something to consider is that the most effective solutions are directed at the source. So, it just makes good sense to make sure that a yard or lot has good drainage so water isn’t pooling. Then look to make sure that water sprinklers are directed towards a building. Then bringing in an expert on termite eradication and prevention can only help to nip a potential infestation in the bud before it becomes a serious issue.

HOME IMPROVEMENT STORES: Retail locations offering materials for doors damaged by termites or water

I get calls all the time from home and business owners looking to have a damaged door replaced. It’s just the first thing that comes to mind. In response, however, I like to point out a good handful of solid reasons for repairing a door and that the materials needed for the DIY project are all available at most home improvement stores if they just know what to look for. So reason #1 is that replacing a damaged door is often no easy task.

This for sure holds true in older homes where the doors installed often decades ago weren’t a standard size. Reason #2 is a new door still needs to be painted, and if the hardware is in an odd location, the new door needs to be routed and carved out to install new hardware that will function correctly. Reason #3 is that the damaged door may be of a quality high enough rendering it worth saving. Quality doors don’t come cheap, and trashing a valuable door over some damage that can be repaired just doesn’t make good sense. Reason #4 is the damage may look worse than it is.

A good home repair person can work wonders, and all it may take them is a few hours to have the damage repaired. Then reason #5 is that matching paint may not be available at local home improvement stores. Doing minor touch-ups on areas that have been repaired is possible with paint colors that come close, particularly if the person doing the repair work is practiced at color blending. But if you have to paint an entire door and don’t have a can of matching paint set aside, you may need to paint all doors so they match. Then reason #6 for visiting home improvement stores for repair supplies is if it is an exterior door, having the door inoperable while a new door is purchased and installed may not be feasible when doing a fast repair will suffice.

HOME INSPECTION SERVICES: Professionals who can assess the extent of termite and water damage beyond visible areas

Most home and income property owners don’t consider bringing in a home inspection service unless they are buying or selling. So while these are for sure great reasons to bring in a pro to have a look and write up a report, I like to remind my clients that if they have never had an inspection of this type, now is better than any. To begin with, termite and water damage are both similar to an iceberg. That is, if there is damage that you can see, you can be sure that the real significant damage is well below the surface, waiting to be discovered.

Then, if you are selling or considering buying a home, having an inspection done just makes so much good sense. A finance company may require a seller to have an inspection done, but in the end, he or she is working and being paid by them. Do you really want to rely on them? Or would you rather that an inspector who is beholden to only you be the person to write the report you will read? After all, none of them have taken an oath to always tell the truth, so it’s better that you be the person writing the check to pay for the inspection and report that you ordered. Then the last thing I tell my clients is that if they haven’t witnessed how fast termites work and water damage turns into a toxic mold issue, they would be amazed when they are hit with it. Putting an inspection off to save money can lead to losses that far outstrip any perceived savings incurred.

WEATHERPROOFING SOLUTIONS: Products and techniques for protecting doors and their frames from future water damage

One thing that people living in arid desert regions don’t need to concern themselves with is water damage. A home repair service specializing in dry rot repair in these types of climates and regions need not even get a phone hooked up. They just won’t get any calls from clients. For the rest of us, though, the specter of water damage is an ever-present risk if we allow it to take hold through neglect. Sure, there are spray and brush-on treatment products that actually work quite well. They can be found on the shelves of your local hardware store.

But those are surface solutions that offer protection after the water has made contact. The best weatherproofing solutions stop the water from entering in the first place. So step #1 is to make sure that you have the right exterior door and that it’s painted with good-quality paint. Fiberglass doors stand up well to water because they aren’t made of wood. Then step #2 is to make sure that exterior wood trim is sealed well with caulk to prevent any water from entering wall cavities. Leaking rain gutters should get the same sealing treatment.

Then another thing you can do is avoid getting water on your doors through cleaning with a hose or watering potted plants on your porch near the door. Then if an exterior door is getting hit by rainwater during rainstorms, consider having a security door installed. Even a light screen door will work to take the brunt of the water to avoid it hitting the door. Then finally, pooling water around a home is never a good thing. Pooling can lead to foundation settling that, in turn, will have a negative effect on windows and doors opening and closing properly.

INSURANCE COMPANIES: Providers that may cover damage repair costs

Dealing with insurance companies is tricky at best. Sure, there are few if any problems when you are paying them money. Rather, it’s after you come calling on them regarding damages and a payout that problems can arise. Volumes have been written on the topic, and with regards to water damage alone, where and how the water even got there can be a deal-breaker. Did it fall from the sky? Was it the result of a broken pipe? Was it due to ambient humidity? Was the water damage the result of a fire hose spraying water on a fire? All you need to do is look to the central coast of Florida to see how bad it can get. Insurance rates on old vacation cottages shot up in many cases to over two thousand dollars per month. Then they got hit by a Category Four hurricane in 2023.

Then, because small enclaves there were overwhelmed by utilities and services damaged, they turned to FEMA for help. Yes, FEMA did a great job of cleaning things up, but then they stipulated that damaged homes needed to be repaired immediately lest they be labeled a nuisance and demolished. So FEMA set about demolishing entire blocks of homes, leveling over sixty in one day in one small enclave. Then they required any rebuilding be done on top of sixteen-foot pillars. So, needless to say, only the very few who had large amounts of cash on hand and moved quickly survived. So that is an extreme example.

It also is a fine example of how big government and its ability to make sweeping proclamations in what they determine to be emergencies can trump insurance companies. So, in the end, it demonstrates the importance of reading fine print on contracts and not learning lessons on the fly as things transpire. Also, it pays to familiarize yourself with labor costs in your area because what may at first appear to be fair settlement may turn out to fall short of what is actually needed to do the repairs in accordance with municipal code.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL SERVICES: Solutions for controlling humidity and moisture levels in a home

It’s no secret that sealing a home up is a good thing. It conserves energy. But what about when moisture becomes a problem in a sealed-up home? And it can. It can even lead to toxic mold issues, and for some people, that can be a huge issue. So step #1 is to make sure that all vents in bathrooms and the kitchen stove are working correctly. That includes making sure vent grates are free of accumulated dust and grease. Step #2 is to check the air conditioning condensation drain is not clogged such that outflow is inhibited.

Window air conditioners drain out the back, and central air conditioners have a drain line that starts at the pan up in the attic. Climb up there and check it out to see if any insulation in the pan is causing a problem. Then head outside to check the other end of the drain line to make sure water is flowing out. Then step #3 is to make sure that the clothes dryer vent line is free of obstructions. You may need to pull the dryer away from the wall to make sure the line isn’t kinked by being scrunched behind the dryer. Then finally, if a home is being shared by a larger than average group of people, don’t be afraid to open the windows on a mild weather day to allow it to air out or buy a dehumidifier and put it to use if the air begins to smell musty.

DIY REPAIR GUIDES: Online tutorials Pros and Cons

No matter what you want to do these days, you can rest assured that there is a slew of online tutorials to select from to make you an instant expert; or will they? The good news is that because there are so many homes out there, a budding craftsman or woman need not look far to find a tutorial covering the topic you are looking for. Some are good while some are better and some are great. But far too many of them seem to have one glaring deficiency in common, and that is they don’t mention potential problems and pitfalls. They just make it all look too easy.

They never get handed the wrong part at the hardware store, and they never get stuck waiting days for glue to dry on cold, wet winter days. They also never have a young child pour out an open can of paint onto the floor when they are distracted. But as long as you are aware of these potential problem areas, tutorials can be a great help. Too many of them are promoting one thing or another. Tool manufacturers, for example, tout their products and leave out tips like scoring yard sales and flea markets for tools on the cheap. But for projects like installing flooring and doors, online tutorials are a great source of guidance for beginners.

IDENTIFYING TERMITE AND WATER DAMAGE:

How can homeowners identify the early signs of termite and water damage on their doors?

If termites have found their way to your door or door frame, then rest assured that you have a substantial problem. The reason here is there is so much delicious wood they have had to chew their way through in order to make it to your door. So if you suspect that termites have set up housekeeping in your doors, the place to look is on the perimeters. Check the floor areas up close to the door. You will be looking for tiny wood pellets roughly the size of the tip of a pencil. Those are termite poop, and if they are visible, that means that they have been eating wood.

They love the stuff. Water damage in doors is another story. You can have a water-damaged door that is in relatively bad shape while everything around and under it is in pristine condition. The place to look for water damage on doors is at the very bottom. Something as simple as a settled cement patio that is directing rainwater back towards the home rather than draining it off can create a substantial problem. But more often than not, it is the wood trim on the outside of a door that is the culprit. Trim that wasn’t caulked and sealed correctly or where the caulk has aged out and cracked, leaving gaps, can allow water to enter and damage the door and door frame. Rotten wood will be soft and easy to detect by gently poking it with a pointed object.

Differences between termite and water damage:

Water damage and termite damage are two separate issues, yet at the same time, they are oddly related. For instance, termites need a constant source of water to survive, yet water can be present intermittently to cause damage to a door and its framework. Even though the damage they cause are both separate issues, they are often found in the same place doing their separate types of damage. Water damage causes things to swell and come apart if they are glued or laminated, which is not good for doors and door frames.

Water can also cause dry rot problems. Termites, on the other hand, eat wood, and in small areas where they are only taking small nibbles, it isn’t much of a problem. However, it’s when termites present themselves as voracious eaters that it becomes a problem. In the end, though, the solution to both termite and water damage issues is early detection and elimination of the source of water. The ideal situation is absolutely no water on the ground around a home. But that doesn’t look good. So as a compromise, drought-resistant landscaping and minimal irrigation sprinklers and drippers are a great help along with periodic inspections.

Immediate actions following damage discovery:

So there you are, staring unbelievably at the back door of your vacant rental property that has been kicked in. You know it was kicked in because there is a big shoe print dead center on the door about three feet up from the bottom. So then what to do now? Of course, you want the damage repaired, but that will have to wait until tomorrow or maybe even the next day. So step one is to call a door repair service to check on pricing and how soon they can get to it if you plan on going that route. They will want to see pics, so take a few moments to memorialize the event with your phone camera. What you don’t want to do is gather up the pieces and throw them out.

This is because there are door repair services that can glue and clamp the door back together, then sand it and paint it. Another thing to do is to try to shove the broken door back into its place and try to secure it by driving some wedges into the space along its edges. Things like plastic kitchen utensils and rolled-up paper work great for improvising in a pinch. Or if you are up to it, you can try calling a door repair service that fields emergency calls. They will charge a premium for after-hours responses, but in cases where the home can’t be left open, they can be a lifesaver.

CHOOSING BETWEEN REPAIR AND REPLACEMENT: The kicked-in door blues

Over the years, I have certainly seen a lot of damaged doors. One of the big reasons for a lot of the calls for service that come in is kicked-in doors. In fact, I can pretty much count on at least one call come Sunday morning as the result of someone having too much to drink the night before. For most callers dealing with something like this, they simply assume that the door is ruined and their only option is complete replacement. But after I explain what I can do and show them some before and after photos of busted-in doors I have brought back to life in the past, a good number of them are willing to go the repair route. For the others, though, the choice is a complete replacement, and there are a few good reasons for this I have found.

Reason #1 is that they are taken aback by how easily the door was broken in, and often there is a big shoe print on the door giving testament to it. For these folks, what they have in mind is a stronger door, and more often than not, a security door installed as well. Reason #2 is they take the opportunity to do some decorating. That is, rather than seeing the old door repaired, they opt to have a better-grade door installed to take its place. Then reason #3, when the door has been broken in as the result of a domestic dispute, in the aftermath, things get smoothed over with a promise by the kicker to pay for a brand new door.

For those who are on the fence and having trouble deciding, the price of a new door is often the deal-breaker. I explain to them that a new door needs to be painted or finished with a clear coat surface treatment and then often cut to fit. Also, someone has to go select then bring the door to the job site, and that takes time, and time is money. Still, another deal-breaker is when a homeowner is unaware of the value of the existing door even if it is damaged. Particularly on older homes, many are surprised to learn how much it will cost to buy a door of similar quality.

PROFESSIONAL REPAIR SERVICES: Are they qualified?

There are just so many reasons why someone faced with termite and/or water damage should forgo going the DIY route to opt for a professional repair service, so I only jotted down a few of them. First of all, if termites are the problem, the issue is often larger than it might appear to be to the untrained eye. Termites have survived and even thrived for untold millions of years, and they aren’t going to stop for you and your hand sprayer filled with something you picked up at Home Depot. It might feel good when you’re blasting away at the surface issues you can see, but you most likely are trying to treat an amputation with a bandaid so to speak. Termites are for sure a problem in and around a home, but if they are munching away on structural elements of a home such as bearing walls, they can be a catastrophe. It’s a similar problem and considerations with water damage to a home. It’s the water damage that you can’t see that can end up being the biggest problem. Its source needs to be found and dealt with before it expands.

Here again, professional repair services bring with them the experience that can make the difference. Mold is a big one, and water damage if left on its own or not dealt with properly can and will, if given enough time, become a mold problem. Contractors licensing schools also offer courses for mold and lead abatement certificates. Both take but a few days to attend and complete, so there is no reason why a professional repair service for homes should not be certified in both of them. It also sure is a big plus if any service provider you are checking out is insured, and that for sure includes workers’ compensation insurance if they plan on having employees working on your job site.

PREVENTING FUTURE DAMAGE: Water and termites

Unless a home is built entirely out of bricks and mortar, then it is vulnerable to termites and water damage. It never ceases to amaze me just how many of my new callers and existing clients are unaware of this. Some are more vulnerable than others, but all of them have one thing in common. That is that there are things that can be done to lessen the risk, and if a lot is done, the risk can be almost completely eliminated.

Take wood chip ground cover as a fine example. This type of ground cover has become hugely popular in more recent times, so popular that the price for redwood wood chips has shot up as supplies have dwindled. So now landscapes and nursery suppliers are stocking standard wood chips, a by-product of timber milling, as a cheaper replacement. The problem here is that termites hate redwood and love standard wood like Douglas fir. So if you spread this type of ground cover around your place, you will be spreading what effectively is termite food. Termites also need water to thrive, but that’s not the only risk water presents.

Any water around a home can be a problem, and that particularly holds true for standing water in puddles. So a water downspout on a rain gutter should not be the end of the line for water that flows into it. Rather, you also need to attach an extension pipe on the bottom end to effectively deliver the water well away from your home. Standing water can cause all sorts of problems, but the biggest one is the potential for foundation settling. A settling foundation, if given enough time to sink, will lead to doors and windows not functioning properly, sloping floors, water pooling in a shower, and even plumbing drainage problems due to drain pipes losing the slope.

What about waterproofing products?

Of course, there are waterproofing products out there, and they can be easily had at any one of the leading local big box hardware stores. Some work better than others, and some are easier to apply, and still, others have little to no smell. The waterproofing products that happen to work quite well contain copper sulfate as their main active ingredient. It’s green, hence the name Copper Green on one of the more popular. In areas of the Southern United States where water and Formosan termites are a big problem, people have been known to paint things like fence posts with motor oil to seal them up. It works, but you can bet that inspectors won’t like it if they catch wind of you doing it. In the end though, you just can’t beat a nice coat of oil-based primer on dry wood for providing water resistance.

This particularly holds true after the wood has been treated with one of the standard waterproofing products. But if water is predicted to be a constant and unavoidable problem, redwood is a great choice to build with if it can be done. Redwood is loaded with substances that provide a natural resistance to decay, and termites hate redwood. Then if you really want to fight the good fight against future water issues, treat redwood with a waterproofing product, let it dry thoroughly, then lay on a primer coat of top-quality oil-based primer paint. In the end though, standard wood such as Douglas Fir left on its own exposed to water will in short order begin to show the signs of decay and termites too if it has contact with the ground.

INSURANCE CLAIMS FOR DAMAGED DOORS: Show me the money.

For an insurance company to prosper and remain profitable, it needs to do two things well: collect money from clients in the form of premiums and avoid paying out money on claims that are filed. It’s good for your insurance provider but not so good for you if your door gets damaged. The first thing you run up against is your deductible. There are doors that run well into the thousands to replace if they need to be, but on average, most doors tend to be more reasonably priced. Then doors can get heavily used, with some being more used than others.

So insurance claims adjusters like to pass the blame around to do what is called shared responsibility. What you may find is that it’s all your fault in their eyes because you failed to do something to prevent or foresee the problem. Then they are real picky about what caused the problem in the first place. Was it caused by a bad storm and perhaps a flood? Or were the doors damaged in the course of a burglary? As a general rule of thumb, the more costly insurance is, the better the service you can expect when things go wrong. It also helps if the level of damage is great enough that it’s worth hiring an attorney to come in and help out as a hired gun of sorts. For some reason, insurance companies seem to deliver more lucrative payouts when a lawyer is doing the negotiating than when Joe or Jane Six Pack is doing the haggling.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL AND HOME MAINTENANCE: A comfy home is a happy home.

Humidity in a home will not only make it uncomfortable to live in, but in terms of damage, it can over time be the silent killer. Water in any form, be it vapor or liquid, is in no way good for a home. It leads to all sorts of nasty stuff like termites, mold, and dry rot. It also over time can damage furniture, artwork, carpeting, and sheetrock. So doing things to get ahead of the problem of humidity in the home environment can’t be understated. Start by taking the time it takes to crawl under your home if it’s on a raised foundation to look around for leaking and standing water.

Having a small lake of water under a home can only lead to bad things. For this, a sump pump can provide the solution, and they are now more affordable than ever at your local big box hardware store. Next, take a good look at your air conditioning system to see where the condensation is draining off to. Window air conditioners are supposed to be installed so they have a slight backward lean. This is so the condensed water flows out, not into a home.

Central air conditioners have a condensation drain line that ends up somewhere outside your home. Go and find it to make sure that water is flowing out of it when the system is turned on. Then if you haven’t changed the air filter on your unit in some time, then it’s high time that you did. Particularly if you have shedding pets in your home, these filters need to be replaced regularly so they won’t inhibit airflow. Then lastly, if your home has a musty humid smell in it, that’s for sure not good. Check your bathroom, kitchen, and clothes dryer vents to make sure all of them are clean and working properly.