Concrete Porch Termite Damage
Here's a good view of what termites can actually
do to wood framing when a concrete porch is poured directly up against
the framing. The concrete actually acts like a sponge sucking moisture
from the dirt or soil up towards the wood itself.
This sounds hard to believe but even if it is not true and I just made
all that up you should consider this, concrete next to wood equals wood
damage.
You can see here the termites have been quite busy with this section of
the house. Most of this damage will not be visible to a home inspector
because they will not be removing drywall or stucco in the search for
termites.
This gives you an idea as a home inspector or home owner what not to do
when pouring a concrete porch next to a wood framed house.
A Tip for the Home Inspector
When a situation like this occurs in a house you are inspecting make
sure you use your awl if you can possibly poke into any soft stucco or
wood without creating a large hole in the building exterior to locate
possible wood damage.
Sometimes this can be done through the flooring on the other side of the
wall by using the awl to see how soft the floor is.
Not only will this hole look bad it will increase the moisture damage
over a period of time with a spot for moisture to enter into the wood
framing.
Don't poke the awl in too hard, if the awl won't go easy don't force it
or damage the house in any way, find another approach for finding the
wood damage