Wood rot or wood decay, as it’s also known, is a type of fungus that destroys wood. Naturally, if your home has wood rot, it needs to be treated. Otherwise, you will find yourself with a major problem on your hands. Let’s look at some areas of a house that may be susceptible to wood decay.
To begin with, it’s helpful to know a couple of things about wood rot. It needs moisture, oxygen, and a food source to survive and does particularly well in warm, humid environments. It is always best to have this type of problem diagnosed by a professional, though, because other things will damage the wood in a house, like termites and carpenter ants.
So, where should you check for wood rot in your house? Here are just a few of the places it may develop:
- Decks, in particular, support posts and exterior ground floor decking.
- Any wood that is in direct contact with concrete, soil, or masonry.
- Underneath windows and sliding doors that are not correctly installed.
- Subfloors surrounding toilets, bathtubs, and leaking or corroded pipes and plumbing fixtures.
- Insufficiently graded areas around the house foundation that have caused water to pool, or any cracks that have developed in the foundations themselves.
- Damaged roof flashing.
If you are concerned about wood decay in your home, the best course of action is to have the home inspected to determine if that is the problem and how severe the decay is.
