Dry Rot and Termite Damage in Culver City: Fascia, Trim and Siding

Rot on a house rarely shows early. It starts under paint, behind siding or at the bottom of a board, and by the time you can see it, the wood is often soft all the way through. Two of our jobs show where it hides and what fixing it takes: a trim painting job in Culver City that turned into termite damage restoration, and a siding job in Palms where the rot was behind the old siding.

1. Where Rot and Termite Damage Hide

On our jobs, the damage was in these places:

Fascia boards, the boards along the edge of the roof. On the Culver City job, the fascia had severe termite damage that had been hidden under paint for years.

Trim boards around the windows and the corners of the house.

Window sills. On the Palms job, the sills were rotted.

The sheathing behind the siding. On the Palms job, it was rotted in places, like the section below a window.

The framing at the corners. On the Palms job, it was damaged.

2. Signs to Look For

Paint that peels, bubbles or cracks in the same spot again and again.

Wood that feels soft, or gives when you press it with a screwdriver.

Gaps opening at the joints of the trim and the fascia.

Small piles of tiny pellets on a sill or a ledge below the wood. Drywood termites push their pellets out through small openings in the wood, and the pellets collect on flat surfaces below (UC IPM, Subterranean and Other Termites).

On the Culver City job, the original wood trim had been breaking down behind layers of old paint. You do not see it until you start prepping.

Buildda Tip

Press any wood that looks wrong with a screwdriver. Sound wood resists. Rotted wood gives.

3. Rot or Termites: Who Does What

Rot comes from water: wood that stays wet breaks down. Termites eat wood. Dampwood termites infest decayed wood that stays moist, from contact with the soil or a water leak, according to UC IPM. Either way, the damaged wood has to come out.

When termites are active, a licensed pest control company inspects the house and treats them. In California, the Structural Pest Control Board licenses these companies, and UC IPM notes that an inspection by a licensed pest professional comes before any treatment. Once that is done, we replace the damaged wood and finish it.

4. What We Found on Two Jobs

The Culver City job

The homeowner in Sunkist Park called us about trim painting. During the first inspection, we found the job was much bigger. The fascia boards had severe termite damage, not on the surface but deep in the wood, hidden under paint for years. Multiple boards needed full replacement. We also found windows that needed sealing, and a major stucco crack along the second story that was a water intrusion risk. The homeowner had no idea about the termite damage or the stucco problem.

The Palms job

The plan was new siding, six new windows and paint. When the old siding came off, the sheathing behind it was rotted in places. The framing at the corners was damaged, and the window sills were rotted too. Damage like this usually stays hidden until the siding comes off.

Rotted sheathing exposed below a window after the old wood siding came off a Palms home — Palms: rotted sheathing below a window, found when the old siding came off.

5. How We Fixed It

Fascia and trim in Culver City

We replaced all the damaged fascia and trim boards with new wood, primed the new wood with Sherwin-Williams primer, and finished with two coats of Sherwin-Williams Emerald on all the trim and fascia. We also sealed the windows and repaired the second-story stucco crack with matching texture, so the repair blends with the original finish.

Sherwin-Williams Emerald premium exterior paint gallons at the store for Culver City trim painting project — Culver City: Sherwin-Williams Emerald for the new trim and fascia.

Behind the siding in Palms

We replaced the rotted sheathing, the damaged corner framing and the rotted window sills. New siding needs a sound wall under it. The new sheathing was covered with a weather barrier before the new fiber-cement siding went on.

Crew installing new sheathing on the upper wall from scaffolding on a Palms siding job — Palms: new sheathing going on before the weather barrier and the siding.

Buildda Tip

Paint over soft wood keeps failing, because the wood under it keeps breaking down. Replace the soft wood first, prime the new wood, then paint.

6. How Long It Takes

The Culver City job took about a week: the new fascia and trim, the stucco crack repair, sealing the windows and two coats of paint. The Palms job took about seven weeks, because it also replaced the siding on the front and both sides, put in six new windows and painted the whole house. How big the job gets depends on how far the damage goes, and you often learn that only once the old wood or the siding comes off.

7. When the Job Gets Bigger

Both jobs grew once the wood was open. When we find more damage, we show you what we found and agree on the added work in writing before we do it.

8. Frequently Asked Questions

Can I paint over dry rot?

Paint over soft wood keeps failing, because the wood under it keeps breaking down. On our Culver City job, the termite damage had been under paint for years. We replaced the damaged boards, primed the new wood and then painted.

Who treats termites?

A licensed pest control company inspects the house and treats active termites. In California, the Structural Pest Control Board licenses these companies. After the treatment, we replace the damaged wood and paint it.

How do I know how far the damage goes?

Press the wood with a screwdriver: sound wood resists, rotted wood gives. Damage behind siding usually stays hidden until the siding comes off. Text us a photo or a short description, and we will tell you what we see.

Do I need a permit to replace rotted wood?

It depends on the city and the work. The Palms job, which also replaced the siding and six windows, was permitted. Tell us what you see, and we check the city's rules for your job.

How long does a dry rot repair take?

On our jobs, about a week for new fascia and trim with a stucco crack repair and paint in Culver City, and about seven weeks for new siding, sheathing, six windows and paint in Palms.

Next Step

See soft or rotted wood on your house in Culver City or nearby? Text us a photo or a short description, or tell us about it on our quote request page.