Homebuyer Tip: Knock on wood

See the title? We mean that literally.

The first thing you need to know when checking wood in your new home or home-to-be is that appearances can be deceiving. How a wooden beam looks like, for example, has no bearing on its condition. A perfect-looking beam or wood trim may hide a rotting interior, courtesy of termites and wear and tear due to extreme temperatures.

When you inspect a house with lots of wooden parts, be it beams, ceilings, or floor and wall panels, make sure to knock, bump, and tap on them. The best tip in handling this is never, ever trust your eyes to do the inspection.

This leads us to the second thing you need to know—and do—when you are considering the purchase of a house with some or many wooden parts. One of the biggest issues hurled at the once-famous wood is degradation.

When going on a tour of that house you are eyeing, make sure you physically touch these wooden parts. Aside from knocking, bumping, and tapping on them, you might want to intensify your inspection by poking and stabbing wooden beams, doors, walls, and windowsills.

Remember that soft areas in thick wood indicate internal rotting. If you find even one wooden part in this state, chances are most wood in the house are either infested with termites or haven’t been replaced since the time you were born. Make haste and go down to the next house on your list.

Why should you have a sudden change of heart when you find soft spots in the wooden parts of the house? It’s because if you find these soft areas troubling, something much worse can and will happen to the wood.

What’s worse than knowing the wood is being eaten from the inside? When you finally get around to doing the physical inspection and start poking wood, you may want to make a run for it if you see dusts and bits—or chunks—of wood falling out or off. This is a sure sign that termites have come, seen, and conquered.

Wood can be very attractive for first-time homebuyers and sentimental people wanting to get their hands on classic homes but, just like most experts say, it’s simply too unreliable a material, especially for houses in a tropical country, where storms and typhoons make short work of flimsy walls and ceilings.



Many thanks to Termite Trap for the lovely image. Speaking of Termite Trap, you may want to check out their great guide to termites.