Follow termite company's advice to get rid of pests

Homeowners with problems caused by termites or other pests should take care of dangerous construction defects before focusing on their extermination options.

Q. While doing some home repairs, I discovered some termite damage in the beams that hold up my home's roof. I then hired a termite company to perform an inspection, and it says that the infestation is very serious. The company's report suggests that I hire a contractor to repair the damage and then have the home "tented" to exterminate the pests, but a friend says that paying for a full-blown extermination would be a waste of money because the insects will move back into my home after the poison wears off. What do you think I should do? Also, what type of termite-extermination process works best?

A. The first thing you should do is follow the termite company's advice by calling a few professional construction contractors and asking them to assess the damage that the termites have caused to your home's roof, beams and related components. Also ask them for a written quote for repairs.

If the roofing system's problems are indeed severe, hire the contractor you trust most and have the work begun soon. Termites and other wood-eating pests work very slowly, but a roof that's weakened by their long-term damage can start leaking at any time -- thus creating all sorts of other dangerous problems, including mold -- or might even collapse.

After any urgently needed repair work is done, you can then start thinking about your pest-extermination problems.

Companies use different methods to kill termites and other pests. Some throw a tent over the house and then gas it with poison, while others try to "freeze" the bugs to death or kill them by injecting parts of the house with various oils that are toxic to certain types of species.

The authoritative National Pesticide Information Center says that regardless of which option you choose, a job that's properly done by the extermination company will keep your home protected from termites for about five years.

The information center is jointly operated by the federal Environmental Protection Agency and researchers at Oregon State University. It has a terrific Internet site, www.npic.orst.edu, that has all sorts of information about termites and other pests, and will even provide free answers to individuals who call the group at (800) 858-7378.

Q. What is "clear lumber"?

A. It's wood that's "clear" of knots and other natural defects. Most clear lumber is used to make furniture and cabinets, rather than being used in the framing of a home that will be covered with drywall.

Q. Last year, my husband and I formed the type of inexpensive living trust that you often write about, so our home and other assets can be passed quickly to our heirs after we die. My stepson (from my husband's previous marriage) is demanding a copy of the trust documents so he can determine how the assets will be divided. We don't want to give him a copy because we don't think our "final wishes" are any of his business, and I'm personally afraid that he'll cause trouble with the rest of the family if he doesn't think we plan on treating him fairly. Does my stepson have the right to review our trust documents while my husband and I are still alive?

A. No, your stepson has no legal right to review the trust paperwork to see how you and your spouse plan to eventually distribute your assets. A trust is a private document, which means he's got no more right to see it now than he would to read your daily mail or inspect your monthly banking statements.

You certainly could provide him with the name and address of the successor trustee you have selected to distribute your assets after both you and your husband die. But even that simple disclosure could cause family problems if the stepson doesn't think the successor trustee will do a good job, or will try to cheat him out of any assets you may have decided to leave to him.

Many parents and grandparents face this sort of problem as they grow older, regardless of whether they have an old-fashioned will or have instead chosen to create a money-saving trust. But one key benefit of creating a trust is that the document likely will remain private even after both you and your spouse pass away: Your heirs will get their due, but your final wishes won't become a matter of public record for everyone else to see, because trusts are not subject to costly and lengthy probate-court proceedings.

Wills, on the other hand, almost always must go to probate court and thus become a public document that can be viewed by virtually anyone.

© 2007, Cowles Syndicate Inc.