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I once walked away from a home purchase because my insurer refused to insure it against termite damage. Why? Synthetic stucco siding in the US south.
by glimshe 2y ago
I once walked away from a home purchase because my insurer refused to insure it against termite damage. Why? Synthetic stucco siding in the US south.
- SoftTalker 2y agoDo termites like synthetic stucco? What is it made of? Sawdust?
- mandevil 2y agoNo, it's the wood framing underneath the synthetic stucco that can't really be easily monitored or checked that's the problem. I'm not familiar with the termite threat, but water damage issues with EIFS (the technical name for synthetic stucco is Exterior Insulation and Finish System) is a big and famous deal: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leaky_condo_crisis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leaky_condo_crisis The basic issue is that you can't really check what's going inside the EIFS so if water (or termites, I suppose) does get inside it can't get out and you can't really know until it collapses because the wood framing is gone. Even if you check every year, if the probe missed the bad spot then you've no way of knowing.
- rawgabbit 2y agoFor such a wet damp environment like British Columbia what is the recommended or tried and true way to build without suffering rot?
- staticman2 2y agoI just searched online and homeowners insurance policies typically don't cover termite damage. I assume this isn't actually a huge financial risk since mortgage companies don't care if you have it? In other words you'd self insure for it.
- SoftTalker 2y agoIn most parts of the country it's not a very big risk. Most insurance doesn't cover earthquake damage either by default, though it can often be added.
- glimshe 2y agoMine does cover as long I use a termite service for prevention. But wouldn't for this house.