Subterranean termite treatment typically costs between $500 and $2,500 for a standard home, with most homeowners paying $3 to $20 per linear foot of foundation depending on the method used. The final number depends on your home’s size, the treatment type, how severe the infestation is, and how easy it is for technicians to access the affected areas.
Cost by Treatment Method
The two main approaches to subterranean termites, liquid soil barriers and bait station systems, differ not just in how they work but in how they cost you over time.
Liquid soil treatments run $3 to $20 per linear foot of foundation. For a standard 2,000-square-foot home, that translates to roughly $500 to $2,500 as a one-time application fee. The technician trenches around your foundation and injects termiticide into the soil, creating a chemical barrier that kills termites on contact. Some contractors offer renewable warranties that require periodic retreatment, but the upfront cost is generally the bulk of your expense.
Bait station systems cost $7 to $12 per linear foot, with initial installation typically running $800 to $1,500. The catch is ongoing monitoring: you’ll pay $200 to $400 per year for a technician to check and service the stations. Over five years, that adds up to significantly more than a liquid treatment on a similarly sized property. One common system uses cartridges designed to last up to seven years before replacement, but you’re still paying annual service fees on top of that. A 20-station installation might cost as little as $350 from some companies, though the $300 annual renewal fee quickly makes up the difference.
For localized problems caught early, a professional spot treatment runs $200 to $700 and includes inspection, targeted treatment, and a written report. A whole-structure treatment without tenting falls in the $600 to $1,500 range, typically with a three-year warranty. Fumigation, reserved for widespread infestations, starts at $1,200 and can exceed $3,000.
What Drives the Price Up or Down
Your home’s size is the most straightforward factor. Soil treatments are priced by the linear footage of your foundation. Bait station programs factor in the perimeter of your lot. The bigger the home, the more product and labor the job requires.
Infestation severity matters just as much. A small colony discovered early might need only a targeted spot application. But termites that have been active for years can spread through multiple structural members, requiring broader treatment coverage and possibly wood repair afterward. Catching the problem early consistently leads to lower treatment costs.
Accessibility is the factor homeowners most often overlook. If the affected wood sits in a tight crawl space, behind finished walls, or in an attic with limited entry points, the technician needs more time. Difficult access means more labor hours, and that adds to your bill in ways that don’t show up in a per-linear-foot estimate. Treating an existing structure also requires drilling through concrete, working around finished surfaces and landscaping, all of which push prices up compared to a pre-construction treatment applied to bare soil before a slab is poured.
Termite Bonds and Warranty Costs
A termite bond is essentially a service contract. You pay an annual fee, and if termites show up between inspections, the company retreats at no additional cost. That’s the core protection most homeowners are paying for.
Initial inspections are often free, though some companies charge up to $150. The annual renewal fee, which is the number to focus on when comparing companies, typically runs $150 to $400 per year. For a standard single-family home, most pest control companies charge $150 to $300. If you want a damage warranty (the company covers repair costs, not just retreatment), expect an additional $100 to $300 per year on top of the renewal fee.
Why DIY Treatment Rarely Works
Consumer-grade products are tempting. A DIY bait station kit runs $80 to $200 for installation and $50 to $100 per year in replacement bait. Spot treatments like borate injections cost $40 to $150 per application. But these products intercept foraging termites without eliminating the colony, and they don’t come with an inspection from someone trained to find the full extent of the problem.
Professional soil treatment requires applying 100 to 300 gallons of termiticide at precise rates across the entire foundation, using equipment and application volumes that simply aren’t available to homeowners. Fumigation-grade chemicals are restricted-use pesticides that require professional licensing and are illegal for residential DIY use.
The real cost of DIY isn’t the products. The average homeowner who calls a professional after attempting DIY has already spent $150 to $400 on products and lived with 6 to 18 months of false confidence before scheduling a proper inspection. By then, the combined cost of actual treatment plus wood repair typically runs $2,000 to $8,000 or more, compared to the $400 to $800 a professional inspection and targeted treatment would have cost at the start.
Repair Costs if Damage Has Spread
Treatment kills the termites, but it doesn’t fix the wood they’ve already eaten. Repair costs depend on which structural components are compromised.
- Floor joist repair: $1,500 to $7,000, averaging around $3,500. Damaged joists are reinforced by bolting a new joist alongside the damaged one, or replaced entirely if the damage is severe. The subfloor may also need replacement.
- Wall framing repair: $2,000 to $10,000, averaging $5,000. This involves opening up drywall, removing damaged studs and headers above windows and doors, and replacing them. Load-bearing walls cost more because the structure needs temporary support during the work.
- Sill plate replacement: $2,500 to $8,000, averaging $5,000. The sill plate sits directly on the foundation and is the most common point of termite entry, making it the most frequently damaged component. Replacement requires jacking the framing up, pulling the damaged lumber, and installing new pressure-treated material.
- Comprehensive structural repair: $8,000 to $30,000 for homes with long-term undetected infestations. When damage spans floor joists, wall studs, subfloor, and foundation framing, the project resembles partial reconstruction and requires a licensed structural contractor.
Most homes fall in the $2,000 to $8,000 range for total repair costs. The homes that hit $15,000 to $30,000 are typically cases where the infestation went undetected for years, reinforcing the value of annual inspections and catching the problem when treatment alone can solve it.