This article focuses on wooden structures attached to homes, rooftop decks, and raised backyard decks common across LA from the 1980s through 2010s. You’ll learn how to identify termite activity, assess urgency, reduce moisture and access points, and understand when to call both a professional pest control company and a structural engineer. The Sterling-Watson Collective, a Los Angeles–based structural engineering and design-build firm, specializes in deck repairs and retrofits as part of broader home safety upgrades.

Wood rot is a fungal process in which microscopic organisms digest cellulose and hemicellulose—the primary structural components of deck lumber. As fungi colonize damp wood, they break down these polymers, leaving behind weakened, crumbly, or spongy material that can no longer support weight safely.