Facebook Twitter
azoomed.com

Checking Exterior Wood

Posted on August 21, 2021 by James Whitten

You will need to be very careful before committing to the purchase of a home. If the house has brick and wood on the outside, you want to take into account the following issues.

Wood Issues

Wood is a gorgeous material, particularly when it's used on the outside of a house. In comparison to stucco and other substances, it's a wonder wood is not used more often. The reason, obviously, is wood simply does not hold up as well as manmade substances. If you're taking a look at a house with a heavy emphasis on exterior wood siding, trim etc, here are a few things to watch out for when assessing the opportunity.

1. The first thing to understand is the look of timber has almost no relevance to the condition. A perfectly good looking piece of wood trim may be infested with termites or rotting and you'll never know by just glancing at it. When inspecting wood exteriors, never trust your eyes.

2. Among the biggest issues with timber is degradation. When looking at particular places, make absolutely sure you touch the wood. In actuality, you're likely best off giving it a pretty good poke with a finger. In doing this, you should be looking for soft places. Soft regions are indicative of rust in 1 form or another. Finding rot in 1 area should make you quite concerned about finding decay throughout the structure. Put another way, you might want to begin looking at other houses on your list.

3. Locating soft spots in timber can be upsetting, but there's something worse. If you poke or squeeze a bit of wood and dust or pieces fall off, then run for the maintenance. This sort of degradation is often a sign of termite issues. Termite problems ought to be a huge red flag for any potential home. If you buy the home, you're likely to need to tent it to kill the bugs and cover to inspect and repair the harm done by the wicked little bugs. In short, you're getting minor, but pricey, nightmare.

Make no mistake, wood can be quite appealing on the outside of a house. Just ensure you don't rely solely on a visual inspection of it when deciding on the merits of the home.