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This is Roger Tinker, Owner and General Manager of ALL STAR PEST CONTROL located in
Columbus Georgia. I want to first explain what I mean by wood siding needs to be insulated as any
wood attached to a house that is less than six inches above the ground is considered to be in contact
with the ground. The Georgia Department of Agriculture and the Department of Agriculture and
Industries in Alabama use the International Residential Building Code. This code states that any
wood attached to a structure that is less than six inches above grade is in violation of said building
code. Above grade can be defined as the ground.
An example of a violation would be wood siding on a house that is only four inches above the
ground.
The next question I will answer is why is this important. Studies over many years have shown
that this is a condition conductive to a termite infestation. Once termites find an easy source of food
they will quickly invade and have a feast of your home at your expense. These same studies have
shown that clearance more than six inches is not considered to be a condition conductive to termite
infestation.
I remember when the state of Georgia required a clearance of at least eight inches above
grade before the State adopted the International Residential Building Code. To me, this was a better
standard than we have today as it reduces the chance of termite infestation to a structure. The wood
does not have to touch the ground to attract termites, and it stands to reason the higher above grade
that the wood siding is, the less chance of attack from termites will be.
Please walk around the entire perimeter of your home and see how low to the ground your
wood siding is. Make the necessary repairs if you find that the wood siding is too low to the ground. I
can promise you that the cost of this repair is less than the cost to repair damage caused by a termite
infestation.
Please fell free to contact me if I can help you in any way.
