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termites
Denis, first of all, yes termites are very common.
The amount of termite damage is the key, it's like a car wreck, was it a fender bender, or was it totalled, only an inspection can tell.
The norm up here for any kind of damage found during a pre-sale inspection, is to do 1 of 2 things.
1) The vendor does all repairs, at their cost, to the satisfaction of the inspector who signs off on it, I.E. his insurance is on the hook.
2) Negotiate a discount and take the gamble that you will come out money ahead.
The advantage of 2) is that if you can do the owrk yourself you can save *really* big, and even if you can't, at least you know the work ewas done properly and by your choice of contractors, and under your supervision.
You also need to determine the CAUSE of the termites getting in, if you don't cut of the problem of them getting in, you will NEVER stop the infestation.
Best of luck.
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termites
As all have mentioned, moisture is the key.
If you can keep the ground around the building as dry as possible, you will go a long way to stopping them in the first place. Termites hate dry soil.
Wood / earth contact is the other big no-no. Even something as seemingly harmless as a pile of firewood next to the house can provide a bridge in for the little pests.
I don't know if it really works or not, but an old guy who had been a builder his whole life in an area known for termite problems said to be sure that there was 2' of clear brick sand around the perimiter of the house, and to do everything humanly possible to ensure that it stayed dry and there would never be an issue with termites. He claimed that 2' of sand did two things, it kept a dry 'moat' around the house that they didn't like, and the soft sand prevented them from making and keeping the tunnels necessary for underground travel.
He swore that no house he had ever built this way had had a problem with termites.
Best of luck.
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termites
Denis, before you trash that concrete patio, check and see if there is a SlabJackers franchise in your area.
They can inject a mixture under the existing slab and lift it back up to where it should be, or even higher.
You are a little off with the sand, topsoil contains both organics and clay or silt, sand is nothing but small pieces of stone, it has NO ability to hold water. It has bigger voids to allow waer to pass through, but by it's very composition it is unable to HOLD water.
You are on the right track though, the biggest hurdle is to get the water running AWAY from the house, not to it.
As for the garage, if the elevations allow it, you can often dig a shallow ditch around the perimiter of a building, called a swale, which will carry the water off to where it can run to a ditch, or if not possible, a drain pipe which can then take it to either a surface outlet (ditch, ravine, etc.) or to a dry well, a hole in the ground filled with stone to act as a collector for rain water until the ground can absorb it later.
Best of luck.
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termites
Ahh, my mistake, I misunderstood you, I meant 2' of sand out from the wall, from the surface to the footings.
I agree, a slab at grade and flush with the door sill is not good.
Best of luck.
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