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Building a home with treated wood instead of untreated wood
Posted on 6/17/20 at 10:10 am
Posted on 6/17/20 at 10:10 am
Why aren't homes these days built with treated wood instead of untreated wood? I know it would be more expensive but as a homeowner who has spent lots of money repairing termite damage this year, it would be worth the peace of mind in the future. If it adds 5%-10% to the overall cost, I'd do it in a heartbeat.
13
Posted on 6/17/20 at 10:11 am to TDsngumbo
I’m building my shed with all treated
Baller
Baller
Posted on 6/17/20 at 10:17 am to TDsngumbo
The termites will still eat the plywood/ OSB board unless you install treated wood on that as well which would be $$$
Posted on 6/17/20 at 10:18 am to TDsngumbo
Treated wood isn’t treated for termites, is it?
Posted on 6/17/20 at 10:33 am to Coon
I think it is, actually. It's treated to resist rot, decay, and damage from wood-destroying insects. It's resistant to termite damage for at least a couple decades.
In repairing the damage at my home, the bottom plate of the walls was constructed with treated wood but the studs were not. All the bottom plates are in pristine condition but lots of the studs were damaged. My home is 45 years old.
In repairing the damage at my home, the bottom plate of the walls was constructed with treated wood but the studs were not. All the bottom plates are in pristine condition but lots of the studs were damaged. My home is 45 years old.
This post was edited on 6/17/20 at 10:34 am
Posted on 6/17/20 at 10:37 am to TDsngumbo
I don't know that this is a reason but it's a pretty good guess that treated wood would need to be dried prior to trying to build anything structural like a house with it.
treated tends to move a lot after drying.
Again, this is speculation on my part.
treated tends to move a lot after drying.
Again, this is speculation on my part.
This post was edited on 6/17/20 at 10:38 am
Posted on 6/17/20 at 10:47 am to bbvdd
quote:
I don't know that this is a reason but it's a pretty good guess that treated wood would need to be dried prior to trying to build anything structural like a house with it.
treated tends to move a lot after drying.
Again, this is speculation on my part.
That's a good point.
Posted on 6/17/20 at 11:28 am to TDsngumbo
Can you imagine the attorney commercials? Remember the FEMA trailers and the lawsuits that went with those?
Posted on 6/17/20 at 11:47 am to TDsngumbo
Also, treated wood today is vastly different than treated wood from 45 years ago.
Posted on 6/17/20 at 11:51 am to TDsngumbo
individuals that are building may consider it but contractors builidng spec houses will never. its amazing how cheap this market is when it comes to putting slight upgrades into houses. a lot of times they wont spend an extra $100 to do a fiberglass door instead of steel even though its basically indestructible.
Posted on 6/17/20 at 12:18 pm to TDsngumbo
All fasteners would also have to become hot dipped galvanized which they currently are not.
Posted on 6/17/20 at 12:20 pm to TheGodfather
When Bob Odom was Agricultural Commissioner he was pushing that idea to require houses be built with treated lumber or steel framing.He was concerned primarily with Formosa termites if I remember correctly.
The ideal treatment is borax treated lumber,it’s fairly cheap and there is no issues with it corroding nails and screws.It can’t be used for exposed projects because the borax leaches out with water contact.One lumber place in Alexandria stocked it at one time,not sure if they still do.
The ideal treatment is borax treated lumber,it’s fairly cheap and there is no issues with it corroding nails and screws.It can’t be used for exposed projects because the borax leaches out with water contact.One lumber place in Alexandria stocked it at one time,not sure if they still do.
Posted on 6/17/20 at 12:30 pm to TDsngumbo
You can have your termite control treat your lumber as they build. They did this for my pre slab and my studs when I built my garage.
Posted on 6/17/20 at 12:55 pm to Aristo
if you added 5% to the cost of your avg new build of $400,000 that's $20,000. It just doesn't make sense financially. There's a lot of stuff like that you could do, and it would add $25-50,000 in initial costs at least. You'd be better off dealing with things down the road like termites as is. What percentage of homes are affected by termites every year?
Posted on 6/17/20 at 12:55 pm to bbvdd
This is a valid concern with treated lumber. Contractor would have to make purchases about a month in advance to let it dry before using it. Or else buy the even more expensive wood that gets kiln dried after treatment.
All in all, I would guess that a termite bond is cheaper than going with 100% treated lumber, galvanized fasteners, etc.
All in all, I would guess that a termite bond is cheaper than going with 100% treated lumber, galvanized fasteners, etc.
Posted on 6/17/20 at 2:30 pm to baldona
It was only 900 dollars for Orkin to come spray before we poured the slab, spray the studs, and then set their termite traps every so often around the perimeter.
Posted on 6/17/20 at 6:53 pm to TDsngumbo
It would be too cost and time prohibitive. Everything would have to be kiln dried after treated. You could do it but it will never be a standard practice.
There are also borate treated lumber products that you can buy. Termites will eat treated lumber. They don’t like it but they will sacrifice a few to get through treated to the good stuff. They will not touch borate treated. If you really want to take some time and spend money you could spray your whole house with bora care. I did 2-3 feet up from my plates. Cost about $600 in material. Doesn’t spray very easy though.
There are also borate treated lumber products that you can buy. Termites will eat treated lumber. They don’t like it but they will sacrifice a few to get through treated to the good stuff. They will not touch borate treated. If you really want to take some time and spend money you could spray your whole house with bora care. I did 2-3 feet up from my plates. Cost about $600 in material. Doesn’t spray very easy though.
Posted on 6/17/20 at 8:39 pm to Art Vandelay
You can by KDAT wood (Kiln Dried After Treatment). It costs even more than regular treated wood. The Bora Care mentioned above is a good idea for termites but I don't think it will work on rot from moisture issues. Did a lot of it on houses repaired after Harvey.
Posted on 6/17/20 at 10:22 pm to Hank R Hill
Boracare with Moldcare is the way to go. It's not that expensive (relatively speaking), or hard to use. We DIY'd it while our house was opened to the studs for renovations.
Posted on 6/17/20 at 10:58 pm to TDsngumbo
Why did you have termites? Did you have a leak?
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