Beauteous Rot

Well, not rot, as much as termite induced damage.  During the original home inspection prior to the purchase of our home, termite mud tunnels were found in the cellar, leading to a corner of the house where the living room met a small bedroom on the other side.  The only visible damage was the edge of a sill plate, which we had the replacement of said sill plate one of the items to be done prior to purchase of the home (as well as spraying and whatnot for termites).

Fast forward a few months after purchase and when we started ripping up carpet to expose the parquet wood floors, it seems that the sill plate wasn't the only thing the termites found tasty.  All of the darker wood border inlay in the very most corner of the living room was dust.  Oddly enough, they left the lighter wood that also composed the border untouched.  We just added that to the list of potential future repairs, though, it was in no way a priority.

Fast forward a few years for when we start scrapping the paint off that side of the house as well as off all of the decorative trim.  Well, this same section of the house proved to be an interesting challenge.  Mainly due to the fact that in some areas, when paint scraper met house, there was no house (or trim) underneath, only many layers of paint that created a realistic looking facsimile.

It seems the termites decided to go vertical.

They ate through a majority of the wood in that area of the house, and as seen in the photo, in parts, they left no wood, just the numerous layers of paint (which in some spots was close to a quarter of an inch thick, leaving just an outer shell of what once was there).  Our mission has always been to repair, but in the case where there is no wood, in this instance, we have no choice but to replace.

As we continue to find out with this house, nothing is ever easy (or cheap :)