Why is the soil line the place to start?
UC ANR says subterranean termites infest wood that is in contact with soil, so the soil line is where the risk concentrates. The inspection starts there and works both ways from it.
The soil line is the boundary where the insects travel from the ground into the wood. A piece of wood a few inches above the soil may be at risk if soil or mulch has built up against it. The inspector measures the gap between the soil and the lowest wood on each side of the house.
Working both ways means checking the wood above the line for signs of tunnelling and the foundation below it for tubes and cracks. A single sign at the line can lead the inspector to a route that runs through a wall, and the report records that route.
What does the underground nest mean for the inspection?
UC ANR describes subterranean termites as living in underground nests, which means the colony is not visible from the house. The inspection looks for the routes the colony uses to reach the wood.
A nest in the soil is not seen, so the inspection reads the signs the nest leaves: tubes, damaged wood and swarmers. The inspector follows each sign to the wood it reaches and records whether the activity appears to be current or old.
The inspection does not dig for the nest. Digging can damage a service line and disturb the soil the inspector needs to read, and the report says where a deeper look would be needed and who should carry it out.
Why does UC ANR advise against do-it-yourself treatment?
UC ANR says do-it-yourself termite treatments are not recommended and are often not effective. The inspection report therefore recommends a licensed treatment where one is needed, rather than a product bought for home use.
A product placed by a homeowner rarely reaches the colony, which lives underground and may be connected to the wood by a route the homeowner cannot see. A treatment placed in the wrong spot can leave the colony untouched while the homeowner believes the problem is solved.
A licensed applicator places a treatment after the inspection and against the findings. The report says what was placed, where and why, and it sets a follow-up to check the result.
How should the homeowner read the report?
The report is read by location. Each finding is tied to a position, and each recommendation is tied to a finding. A line that says the sill was sound at the points probed is useful, because it can be checked later.
A homeowner should look for the list of what was not reached. A section behind a finished wall or under a fixed cabinet is a gap in the check, and the report says so. The homeowner can then decide whether that section should be opened.
The recommendations are ordered by urgency. A soil-contact fix that needs doing before the rainy season comes before a cosmetic repair, and the report says which is which.
What does a buyer or lender need from the report?
A buyer or lender needs the scope, the findings by location, the readings, the limits of the check and the recommendations, in one document that can be read without the inspector present.
The scope section tells the reader what was looked at. A report that says the crawl space was entered on one side only leaves the buyer to ask about the other side. The findings are listed with positions, so a contractor can find each one on the day of the repair.
A pre-sale report is written to the scope the buyer or lender states. This site does not set that scope, and the buyer or lender should say what they need when the inspection is booked.
How the inspection differs in a house on a slab
A house on a slab has no crawl space, so the inspection looks at the slab edge, the wood trim close to the soil, the garage connection and any penetration through the slab. The report states the foundation type first.
The slab edge is checked for cracks and for soil that has built up against it. Wood trim and fascia boards that sit low against the stucco or siding are read for contact with the ground. The garage connection, where the slab of the house meets the garage, is checked for gaps.
A house on a slab can still have wood on the ground at the front step, the porch or a fence, and those contacts are recorded in the same way as in a crawl-space house.
