The average cost to repair termite damage ranges from $1,000 to $10,000, with a national average of $3,000. Structural home damage is the most severe and is expensive to fix.
With termite damage repair costs ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 or more, termites can eat through your budget quickly if they swarm without intervention. The average cost of termite damage repair is $3,000, but it can cost up to $37,500 for severe infestations.
Tackling termite damage as soon as you find it is the best way to reduce costly repairs. Swarm size can also significantly impact how much you'll pay to clean up the mess these wood-eating pests have left behind. Learn about common termite damage repair costs to expect when resolving termite damage at your home.
Termite damage repair costs can vary based on the damage’s location, severity, and nature.
| Damage Extent | Description | Average Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Small | Minimal damage, such as a few damaged boards or joists | $250–$1,000 |
| Medium | Medium-scale damage, such as damaged walls, flooring, or framing | $1,000–$3,000 |
| Large | Replacing major structural components such as beams and load-bearing walls | $3,000–$10,000+ |
When gauging the amount of termite damage, time is a major factor. If you catch termites early, you’re looking at a small cleanup or minimal damage. If termites have had time to establish a nearby colony and work deeper into your house, it’ll require a medium-sized repair. Unfortunately, if termites aren’t caught for a long time, you’re looking at major damage, including structural problems. You’ll need to hire a termite control professional to determine the severity level of your infestation and how to treat it effectively.
Termite damage cost varies based on whether the pests caused cosmetic or structural damage.
Cosmetic termite is much less expensive to repair than structural damage. Homeowners can perform DIY fixes on many cosmetic termite issues. Cosmetic damage includes:
Floor discoloration: $1–$3 per square foot
Wall discoloration: $2–$6 per square foot
Bending or buckling flooring: $5–$25 per square foot
Chipping paint: $4–$8 per square
Structural termite damage is far more severe and difficult to resolve. Structural damage occurs when termites eat their way through your home, including structural beams and walls. Common structure repairs following termite damage include:
Replacing rotted beams: $1,500–$5,000 each
Drywall repair: $60–$200 per small hole
Wood siding replacement: $1,000 and $37,500, depending on home size
Electrical repair: $130 to $350 to basic outlet wiring repairs
| Wood Siding Type | Average Cost per Square Foot |
|---|---|
| Pine | $1–$5 |
| Douglas fir | $3–$5 |
| Cypress | $5–$12 |
| Hardwood | $5–$20 |
| Redwood | $4–$20 |
| Cedar | $3–$30 |
One of the most obvious costs associated with repairing termite damage is the cost of replacing damaged wood.
| Type of Wood Damage | Cost to Replace |
|---|---|
| Replacing wood siding | $2,000–$20,500 |
| Replacing rotted beams | $1,500–$4,000 each |
| Replacing drywall | $60–$90 per panel |
| Repairing warped flooring | $5–$25 per square foot |
| Repainting interior walls | $4–$8 per square foot |
These costs can vary greatly for several reasons:
Wood species: A common variety like red oak will be much more affordable to replace than a more expensive species like cherry or walnut.
Engineered vs. hardwood: A natural hardwood will be much more expensive to replace than engineered planks with a veneer of the hardwood on top.
Indoor or outdoor wood: Outdoor wood may cost more than indoor wood because it needs additional weather protection.
Milling work: A carefully milled, complex crown molding will cost significantly more than basic plank replacement.
Certification: If you are interested in eco-friendly certifications like an FSC rating, you’ll have to pay more for this kind of lumber.
It's important to consider termite remediation and prevention as you're repairing termite damage to ensure that termites don't return to undo all of your repairs. Here's a look at some additional costs to consider when you're making repairs.
Before dealing with termite damage, it’s important to make sure the colony is gone for good. The larger the colony, the more expensive it will be to destroy it. This job calls for professional pest control, which can use bait traps, sprays, and repeated inspections to fully exterminate the termites. You can expect this kind of extermination to cost between $250 and $1,000 for the average termite infestation. Extreme methods like fumigation, while rare, will cost significantly more.
Termites can cause a lot of damage to the structure of your home, and a structural engineer will be able to tell you if the damage is significant enough to warrant repairs. If your home has a serious termite infestation, you should strongly consider hiring a structural engineer to assess your walls, foundation, roof, and flooring. Hiring a structural engineer costs an average of $530.
Cleaning vents and ducts can help bring dry air into your home’s wet areas that attract termites. The average cost for professional vent and duct cleaning is $270 to $500.
Once you eliminate your home’s termites, it's important to protect your investment in home repairs using routine termite monitoring. Professional termite monitoring costs around $400 per year.
Once you've repaired the immediate damage caused by termites, you'll need to take steps to prevent them from coming back. This task usually involves hiring a local termite control company to regularly treat your home and property for termites. Depending on the size of your home and property, this project can cost several hundred dollars per year.
While you may be able to make many repairs on your own, you should always start with a professional termite inspection, which costs around $400. The termite pros have experience, skills, and tools necessary to determine whether the colony is officially gone. It’s a vital step to catch any remaining termites before you start repairs.
Then, you can divide up repair tasks between those you can handle yourself and those you need to hire a contractor for. For example, if you want to replace floor planks or baseboards, it’s often a task fit for homeowners and costs $100 to $500 each. But if structural or support damage is involved, it’s best to call in an expert contractor for these vital repairs. Some examples of pro-only repairs include repairing or replacing floor joists and replacing vertical support beams.
When making plans to repair termite damage in your home, keep these cost-saving tips in mind.
Bundle Other Projects: When making termite damage repairs, it's sometimes advantageous to use the destruction caused by termites as inspiration to make updates on your home. For example, if you need to replace structural beams, it might be a good time to create an open floor plan while your contractor is opening up the walls. Talk with your contractor about bundling these projects for potential savings:
Get Regular Termite Inspections: One of the best ways to save money on termite repairs is to catch an infestation before it spreads. The best way to stop termites in their tracks is to hire a pro to inspect your home for termites regularly. Most pest control companies offer this service, and it can help you catch an infestation early.
Pre-Treat Your New Home: If you're in the process of buying a new home, you may want to consider having it pre-treated for termites. This is something that most pest control companies offer as well, and it can save you a lot of money down the road.
Get Multiple Quotes: Collect price quotes from three professionals to find the best option to save money without sacrificing quality.
Remodel to an Open Floor Plan: If your house has wall damage but relatively little support or beam damage, you may be able to pivot to an open floor plan, or at least to remove a dividing wall. This can often be less expensive than replacing ruined walls.
Dry Out Moisture Issues: Moisture not only attracts termites, it also worsens the damage they cause. Leaks, condensation from humidity issues and other problems can add to termite damage while creating additional problems like mildew or rot. Solve any home moisture issues, and even if termites invade they won’t be able to do as much damage.
You might not know what’s going on within the depths of your walls, but there are some tell-tale signs of termite damage. While not all of these signs will be noticeable in every circumstance, a good majority of these will be enough to call a professional:
Hollow-sounding wood when tapping
Small pinholes in drywall
Crumbing wood
Stuck doors and windows
Wings left behind near doors
Patterns that resemble mazes on furniture or walls
Peeling paint resembling water damage
Moldy smells in your home
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Not all wood that termites softened needs to be replaced. You may be able to salvage wood using a wood hardener instead of replacing beams. However, you’ll need to hire a structural engineer to assess the stability of the wood before making a replacement plan.
If termites have eaten into multiple areas of your home, the repair process involves going room by room to resolve issues. Paying a contractor to replace damaged wood to "start from scratch" in highly affected areas offers the fastest solution for getting your house restored. If you have opted for a chemical termite barrier to protect your home from future damage, you can expect it to last between 5 and 8 years.
Generally speaking, termite damage is not covered by a homeowners insurance policy. That’s because insurance companies consider these types of infestations to be preventable with routine home maintenance. However, some policies stipulate that if termites were to cause a home fire by chewing through wiring, they might be able to help offset some of the associated fire costs.
If you’re considering buying a home with known termite damage, you can negotiate with the seller to lower the costs of the house. They might be able to make the damage repairs before handing over the keys or lower the asking price before the deal is agreed upon. It’s vital though that even if you’re winning the negotiation, a home inspection contingency might be a good idea in case of future issues.
