Stucco repair costs in Honolulu

In Honolulu, one of the pests that matter most to a wall is one you rarely see. University of Hawaii extension calls the Formosan subterranean termite one of the most economically significant pests in Hawaii. It was first officially recorded in Honolulu in 1913, and an old newspaper story suggests it was here as early as 1869.

These termites live mostly underground, but they must have moisture, and they'll take it where they find it. The extension guide says they sometimes build colonies above ground when a leaky roof, leaking plumbing, air-conditioner condensation or an irrigation system keeps part of a house wet. A crack that lets rain soak the framing behind your stucco is the same kind of invitation. A new pair also can't start a colony on a bare, smooth surface. It needs a hole, crack or joint to seal itself into.

They get past concrete, too. The guide says the link to the ground nest can run through narrow cracks in a foundation, and their mud tubes can bridge right over it. If you spot thin dirt tubes climbing your stucco near the ground, have a termite company look before anyone patches over them.

Not every stucco wall here hides wood. Historic Hawaii Foundation describes a 1946 Green Street cottage, built during the post-World War II housing shortage, with stucco-concrete hollow tile walls. It calls hollow tile a fairly rare choice for a house of that decade.