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Hunnybee_420 · Sep 11, 2011, 01:53 PM

On one side of my house there is a gap about 2 inches between the bottom most piece of siding and where the house goes underground where the wood foundation is exposed. 1. Should I be losing sleep over this? 2. How could I go about covering it sealing it? Or 3. Who could I call to come do it? I really want to get this taken care of before winter in case it is going to cause me larger headaches down the road. I just tried to seal it with some spray foam and goodness that was not the way to go. Another person told me silicone, like caulk, but I hadn't been to the hardware store yet and could only find small tubes of it. What should I be looking for exactly? OR Who can I hire to fix it for me?
Thanks!

ma0641 · Sep 11, 2011, 02:21 PM

Maybe I'm reading this wrong but you said, "where the wood foundation goes underground". Are you sure you have a wood foundation OR a wood rim joist on a block or concrete foundation? A picture would really help. What type of siding? Generally speaking, any siding should be 6 inches above the ground so termites have a harder time getting to the wood.

ballengerb1 · Sep 11, 2011, 06:57 PM

I have seen 2 wood foundations in my life, are you sure the actually foundation is wood? Try to answer ma's questions.

SpringtimeHomes · Sep 12, 2011, 07:24 AM

Wood foundations are apparently common in some areas. There was a good article on them in a recent JLC whose author was from Michigan. The fact that OP is attempting sealing measures makes it sound like this 2" gap is a pathway into the house, crawl or basement which would definitely be a reason to lose sleep at night. Surely this is not the case?

pattyg2 · Sep 13, 2011, 12:03 PM

I think she is saying the siding doesn't go down far enough to cover the bottom(sole) plate. There should be a termite shield and the siding should extend a little below that.

ma0641 · Sep 13, 2011, 02:28 PM

I'm still waiting for a reply from the original poster. Not much sense guessing what it might be.

twinkiedooter · Sep 13, 2011, 06:01 PM

You could have a handyman fix this for you if he knows what he's doing. And how long has this been like that? Did you just buy this home? Is it a new construction? If is new construction, call up the builder and demand this problem be fixed immediately as this is shoddy workmanship on his part.

ballengerb1 · Sep 13, 2011, 06:04 PM

ma0641 has noticed what I am seeing, its just us folks. Hunnybee has never been back to answer any questions or give further details. I'm about to jump ship on this unless hunnybee returns.

Hunnybee_420 · Sep 14, 2011, 02:00 PM

I am sorry I didnt come back, I didnt realize that the notices for answers were going into my junk box. I'm sorry. I used to answer questions back in the day under my old account but I'm not very helpful. Let me review these answers and add my replies below. Again so sorry, I didnt realize my question had been answered.

OK! we've been in the house for almost two years and learning as we go. House is 40 years old. Not very handy but eager to learn less the expense of causing more damage. Vinyl siding extends to the ground on all sides of the house but one, no doors, or entry on this side of the house it's just a straight wall *along the driveway. Where the house meets the ground (and essentially would go underground) a section of foundation is exposed about 2" and it is indeed wood, seems to be two boards and the top one seems worn and where I see the other one it's solid. I can try to get a handyman but he's almost impossible to get, I'm going to try and message him. Obviously it's something that needs to be addressed but I needed to know if I SHOULD in fact be losing sleep over this, and/or what do I need to do to fix it???
Pics coming.... The white line you see in the pic is old caulk that must have been put on by the previous owners.

Again I am so so sorry I was not receiving notice. I appreciate everyone in this communities efforts to help as I am lost. Homes do not come with an user manual and people dont tell you the things you need to make sure to take care of but with everyone's help I am slowly learning....

ballengerb1 · Sep 14, 2011, 03:44 PM

I'd be concerned over the fact that conrete has been poued up againist the wood, that makes rot.

ma0641 · Sep 14, 2011, 03:49 PM

Couple of things I note. It does not appear to be vinyl siding, it appears to be a composite material. Never saw vinyl with a joint like that. The visible piece of wood is plywood since you can see the ply turned around under the knot hole. If an inspection was done on this house prior to purchase, they should have noted the direct contact between concrete and the house. My concern here is termites coming up the wall behind the siding. If this were my house, I would remove a couple of strips of siding, see what the plywood is covering and then replace it with either a solid vinyl strip, fiberglass or possible hardie plank. The simplest thing would be to get some Aluminum flashing, set it behind the bottom siding strip and cover the wood, going all the way to the ground. and setting a caulk strip as there appears to be one in 001JPG. It could be glued on with construction adhesive or nailed with Aluminum nails. Unfortunately, this does not remove the potential termite issue.

SpringtimeHomes · Sep 14, 2011, 08:36 PM

Not great craftsmanship but not something to lose sleep over either. You might want to have a termite inspection and treatment. I don't know if I would address a fix until its time to replace the siding unless there are other signs of rot going on.

pattyg2 · Sep 15, 2011, 04:40 AM

It looks the wood was used a forms when they poured the concrete. I would pry the would out and replace with expansion joint material.
Is this a sloped driveway that was added?
http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-100318479/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053