If your termite report has a Section 2 list, there is a good chance the phrase
“wood-to-earth contact” or “faulty grade” appears on it. It is the most common
conducive condition we record, and the one homeowners are most likely to dismiss.
It is also, more often than not, the reason the house had a problem in the first
place.
The short answer
Subterranean termites live in soil and need a protected route into wood. Where
wood touches dirt directly, that route already exists — no shelter tube required.
Soil also holds moisture against the wood, which invites fungus decay at the same
time. It is one condition that creates two problems.
Why it is a Section 2 item and not Section 1
Section 2 covers conditions likely to lead to infestation
rather than damage that already exists. Wood in contact with soil is the textbook
example: nothing may be wrong yet, but the door is open.
That classification is also why it gets ignored. Section 2 items do not usually
block a closing, so they get deferred, and then deferred again. Ten years later
someone is looking at a Section 1 finding in the same location.
Where it actually hides
Some instances are obvious. Most are not:
- Fence posts and deck posts set directly into the ground rather than on
raised bases - Siding that extends down to or below grade, particularly after landscaping
was added or a path was raised - Planter boxes built against the house, which put damp soil in permanent
contact with the wall - Mulch and bark piled against siding, which behaves like soil
- Stored lumber, firewood or scrap stacked against an exterior wall or left
in the crawl space - Concrete steps or patios poured against wood trim
- Form boards left in place under the structure after construction — a
surprisingly common find in older houses
The last two are the ones nobody thinks about, because they were created decades
ago by someone else and have looked normal ever since.
Faulty grade is the same problem in slower motion
“Faulty grade” means the soil level around the structure has risen close to or
above the bottom of the wood framing or siding.
This usually happens gradually and innocently: new landscaping, a raised bed,
a path replaced at a higher level, years of mulch added on top of mulch. Nobody
made a decision to bury the siding. It just ended up buried.
The effect is the same as direct contact. Water sits where it should drain, and
the framing stays damp.
What correcting it involves
Most corrections are unglamorous and inexpensive relative to the cost of what
they prevent:
- Lower the grade where soil has crept up, restoring separation between the
ground and any wood - Pull mulch and plantings back from the foundation
- Set posts on raised bases rather than in the soil
- Remove stored wood from crawl spaces and from against the walls
- Redirect irrigation so sprinklers are not spraying siding
- Remove construction debris left under the structure
Nearly all of it is landscaping and cleanup rather than construction. The
exception is where damage has already occurred, in which case the affected
framing has to come out — and that is a repair, not a correction.
The maintenance argument
Here is the part worth internalizing. Treatment addresses termites that are
present. It does not change the conditions that made the house appealing.
A structure that gets treated and keeps its wood-to-soil contact is a structure
with a treatment date and a countdown. The condition is the underlying issue; the
infestation is the symptom.
Which is why the most durable outcome usually is not the biggest treatment. It is
an appropriate treatment plus the tedious perimeter work that nobody puts on a
brochure.
What to do with the list
If your report has Section 2 findings, do not treat them as optional forever.
Treat them as a maintenance schedule.
Sort them by how much water they involve. Anything where soil, irrigation or
plumbing is holding moisture against wood goes first — those are the ones that
turn into
fungus damage or a live infestation
fastest. Items that are purely about contact without a moisture source can wait
longer.
Then walk the perimeter of your house once a year with the list in hand. It takes
twenty minutes and it is the single highest-return maintenance habit for a house
in this region.
J&M Termite Control has inspected and corrected conducive conditions on Bay
Area properties since 1973, under California Branch 3 registration #5223 and CSLB
general building license #983001.
