Wood rot and your home.

Wood rot = wood decaying fungus as a type of fungus that digests wet/moist wood causing it to rot. Often times the mere correction of the wood is enough to salvage the wood. Is the wood in contact with the dirt? Is there a water leak and the wood is getting wet or staying wet for extended periods of time? Obviously if you see a fungus growing in the wood, it would be a dead giveaway (in the picture above). If you’ve read any of my blogs you know that I highly recommend performing a monthly home inspection. What should the homeowner look for?

• Any water leaks, no matter how insignificant should be investigated.
• Lingering moisture around the foundation of your home, correct sprinklers and/or flood irrigation.
• Some times bushes can hold the water close to the house, avoid vines.
• Inspect window sills, door frames and underneath sinks.
• Painting or resealing wood really helps to prevent the water from getting in.
• Decks need to be checked often.
• Roofs should be checked.
• Caulking can also help, but make sure you’re not covering up a problem.

Problems and Issues

The key is to find the problems and issues before they become major catastrophes. An ounce of prevention may save you $1000s of dollars and a real headache. Homeowners can simply get screens fixed and may keep the bugs out and in the same way a simple fix of a gutter leak may save you hours of time to rebuild a section of your house. Did you know that its usually a moisture content of over 20% that causes the problem, and I know you’re thinking we don’t have that kind of moisture in Arizona. Remember that thing we call monsoon?  That fungus really needs good temps, oxygen and a food source and that could be your home.

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