Termite Inspection & Written Report in San Francisco, CA
- What's included: exterior and interior walk, crawlspace or basement entry where accessible, probing of suspect wood, identification of evidence (mud tubes, frass, damaged galleries, swarmer wings), notes on moisture and wood-to-soil contact, plus a written report with photos and a sketch of affected areas.
- How fast: most single-family homes and flats take 45–90 minutes on site; the written report is emailed within 1–2 business days of the visit.
- What it costs: termite inspection with written report in San Francisco starts at $250 and typically runs $250–$450 for a house or flat; multi-unit buildings are quoted after a quick walkthrough. Ballpark figures — the exact price is confirmed before any work begins.
- What we take away: photographs, measurements, a diagram of the areas of concern, and notes on conducive conditions such as standing water, poor crawlspace ventilation or fence and deck boards touching soil.
- How to book: call (628) 278-5478 with the address, the building type (Victorian flat, in-law unit, garage-under, mixed-use) and whether the crawlspace or basement can be opened. We confirm a set arrival time — no all-day window, no 12-month contract to get one inspection.
San Francisco's termite pressure is a moisture story more than a heat story. In the fog belt — Outer Sunset blocks toward Ocean Beach, the avenues of the Inner Richmond, the western edge of Golden Gate Park — wood stays damp for weeks at a time, which suits the Pacific dampwood termite and keeps subterranean termites working comfortably in soil right up against mudsills and garage framing. On the sunnier east side, in Mission District Victorians, Bernal Heights in-law conversions and Potrero Hill homes built into a slope, the usual finding is <strong>western subterranean termite activity entering through wood-to-soil contact</strong> at a cripple wall, a rear stair stringer or a planter box built against the siding. Because subterranean colonies live in the ground and forage outward, a neighbor's old stump, shared fence post or damp light well can keep re-seeding a building that was treated last year. That is exactly what the report is for: it maps the entry points so repairs and treatment are aimed, not sprayed at random.
An inspection with a written report is the right choice when you need documentation or a scope of work — a pending sale or escrow in Noe Valley or Glen Park, a property manager building a paper trail before a tenant complaint escalates, a contractor who needs to know how far damage runs before opening a wall in North Beach, or an owner in Bayview-Hunters Point or the Excelsior who found frass on a windowsill and wants a straight read before spending money. The alternative is the free "termite check" that ends in a sales quote. That has its place if you already know you want treatment and only need a price. The trade-off is honest: <strong>we charge for diagnostic time because the deliverable is the document, not the upsell</strong>. If the finding is old, inactive damage from a repair made twenty years ago, the report says so — and you spend nothing further.
Access drives the quality of any termite report in San Francisco County, so it helps to plan for it. Many Sunset and Richmond homes have a garage-under with a low crawlspace behind stored boxes; Bernal and Potrero crawlspaces can taper to a few inches at the uphill wall; Mission and North Beach flats often hide the sub-area behind a locked rear door shared with another unit. <strong>Anything not accessible is listed as inaccessible in the report rather than guessed at</strong>, which matters if the document is going to a buyer or an insurer. Clearing a path to the crawlspace hatch and unlocking the rear yard before the appointment usually buys you a more complete report for the same fee.
The method is IPM, and the free part comes first. <strong>Moisture and contact corrections do more long-term good than any chemical</strong>: cut fence and deck boards clear of soil, pull mulch and planter fill back from the siding, fix the downspout dumping beside the garage slab, and open blocked crawlspace vents so fog-soaked framing can actually dry. We put those recommendations in writing whether or not you hire us for treatment. If treatment is warranted, the report explains the options in plain language — targeted localized work, soil treatment, or repair of damaged members by a contractor — with the reasoning stated so you can tell what would be applied and where before anyone brings a product into a home with a toddler, a cat or an asthma inhaler in it. <strong>No total-eradication promises</strong>: subterranean colonies are in the ground and the goal is a sealed, dried, defended structure. Find the entry. Seal it. Stay gone.
Call (628) 278-5478Termite Inspection & Written Report pricing in San Francisco
| Single-family home or flat — inspection + written report | $250–$375 |
| Victorian / Edwardian with basement and crawlspace entry | $300–$450 |
| 2–4 unit building (common areas, sub-area, accessible units) | $400–$700 |
| Pre-purchase / escrow report, standard written format | $325–$550 |
| Detached garage, deck, fence and rear-stair review added to a home inspection | $300–$475 total |
| Follow-up re-inspection after repairs or corrections | $250–$400 |
Exact price confirmed free on-site before any work.