There's Something Rotten in the State of California

A couple of months ago, I discovered what I thought was a termite nest on the outside of my townhouse. So I called in a termite company to do an inspection. Fortunately, it wasn't a termite nest. But the company did discover quite a bit of dry rot.

One thing that makes it worse is that in several areas of my home, various parts of the siding have been covered by plywood for what appears to be aesthetic reasons. Unfortunately, this also creates a perfect breeding ground for dry rot fungus, like the example above.

Usually dry rot just causes wood to fall apart. I think a lump of fuzzy mold is actually rare. Here's a wider shot of that same area:



I'm glad my homeowners' association is paying for this, because the sprinklers ensure that the rot continues all along the edge of the unit:



Actually, the worst part is the noise. I've been listening to banging for the past couple of days and I'm really ready for it to end.