Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Termites...Oh yes, I said It...

Yesterday the air conditioning in my office died. It was quite unpleasant. So unpleasant in fact that my boss sent us home at 1:30. Since I had a free afternoon I decided to be productive. I wasn't just productive, I was Monica Gellar/Bing productive. I mowed, edged, dusted, vacuumed, mopped, did laundry and managed to watch an episode of True Blood via DVD all before heading to CrossFit.

During these afternoon adventures I made an interesting discovery in my backyard...it seems we have termites. Yes friends, termites. I was unsure of the actual diagnosis until this afternoon. My bug man went over to investigate and called with the good news. Yes, I have a termite problem, but it is due to rotting wood which could be due to some sort of water damage. Double score! I noticed it while I was in the backyard mowing and edging. I saw about a 4'x4x area around the laundry room area that had a small piece of siding/wood that had cracked and opened up. I also noticed a trail of "mud tunnels" around the cracks of the exterior of the house in this area. I immediately thought it was either termites or some sort of water leak/mold. Turns out I am probably right on both accounts.

Don't worry...homeowners insurance does not cover termites or rotting wood.

The good news. (Yes, actual good news not sarcastic good news like this entire post): My bug guy came out right away this morning when I called him. He was awesome. They are going by tomorrow to treat the house and install a bait system. Normally, I would probably do more research on this type of thing. However, Kody is out of town all month and I visit him on the weekends. I don't have time to bring out three or four people to get multiple opinions. Plus, I trust these guys. They have taken are of us all three years we have been in this house. Frankly, I just want it taken care of ASAP. Next, they have a contractor that will come out and evaluate what the problem is that caused the wood rot and he will fix it and all will be golden. Doesn't that sound gross? Wood rot. Nasty. I promise my house is not gross. It is actually very cute and clean! My homeowners insurance told me to call back when I know what the deal is there because they may cover that. USAA has been super friendly and helpful. Thank you USAA!

I checked the entire inside of the house...no loose or soft walls, not water stains...hopefully the structural damage is very minimal. I guess another "good" thing is that the termites came because of the damaged wood. The termites did not cause the damage. I'm hoping that means the termite thing is fairly new. I have never noticed this before and I am out there all the time. I hope I caught it early! This is the good thing about getting in obsessive cleaning moods....you find problems and fix them!

Twilight Update:
I fully expect to finish the saga this evening. I feel like I should be shocked by things that happen, but I'm really not anymore. The odd has become normal. My heart is sad it is almost over. What a wonderful ride it has been.

2 comments:

Crislyn said...

Ginny, I'm SORRY about the termites--yuck!! We are going to Wicked on July 24th. What night are y'all going?

Alexandra said...

Oh no, I hate things like that, they start small and before you know it, there is a bulldozer in your back yard and men everywhere, hehe jk. I know it wont be that bad! Way to get things done!