How To Look At A House
McGarry and Madsen's home inspection blog for buyers of
site-built, mobile/manufactured and modular homes
What is a clean WDO?
Saturday, September 29, 2018
“WDO” stands for Wood Destroying Organism and is an acronym for the what most people know as the “termite inspection” done before purchasing a house. But the inspector must look for multiple organisms that can destroy the wood in a home—which includes not only termites, but also several different wood-eating beetles and wood-rot fungi. A “clean WDO” means a report that states that no evidence of wood destroying organisms or their damage was found.
Because areas of rotten wood in the siding and trim of the exterior of a home, or beetle infestation in the wood, are both considered evidence of wood destroying organism damage, a WDO report that found no termite activity could still not be “clean.” See our blog post Why is the inspector calling out rotten wood on my termite inspection? for more on this.
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To learn more about termites, see these other blog posts:
• Should I be worried about termites if my neighbor's house is being tented?
• Is the WDO (termite) inspector allowed to poke holes in my wood siding and trim?
• Do carpenter ants cause structural damage to houses in Florida?
• How long before closing can you have a WDO (termite) inspection done?
• How long does Bora-Care® last?
• Why is it a mistake to store lumber in the crawl space under a house?
• Does the presence of carpenter ants in a house indicate that there are probably also termites?
• How do termites infest a house and remain hidden while doing major damage?
• Are homes in Florida required to have termite protection?
• If termite damage appears to be old, does that mean that termites may no longer be present?
• How do I know if my WDO/termite report is "clear"?
• When do termites swarm in Florida?
• Does a recent termite company inspection sticker mean there are no termites?
• Can a mobile/manufactured home get termites?
• Do I have to tent the house if I have termites?
• What is the difference between a subterranean termite and a drywood termite?
• What are the green plastic discs in the ground around the house?
• How do termites get into a concrete block house?
• How do I treat wood rot that's listed in my termite-WDO report?
• Do I really need a termite-WDO inspection?
• What's causing those holes in the fascia?
• Does wood chip mulch in the yard attract termites?
• I think I have termites. What does a termite look like?
• I'm buying a concrete block house. Do I still need a termite inspection?
• I saw a little termite damage on the baseboard. Should I be concerned?
Visit our TERMITES, WOOD ROT AND PESTS page for other related blog posts on this subject, or go to the INDEX for a complete listing of all our articles.
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