Gap between siding and sheathing & foundation?

Wiscbldr · 08-17-2011, 03:53 PM

On the house I own I noticed that there was a crack in some of the ornamental plastic sheeting that was covering the foundation exposed area. (It ran between from the ground up under the siding). The crack in the plastic was large enough that there were ants coming and going out of there and upon investigating further, it cracked off, exposing the concrete foundation and a small bit of wood sheathing.

Since I wanted it to look uniform, I pulled off a small section of siding, exposing the sheathing and thick foam insulation on the corner section. I didnt see any tyvek or moisture control. I removed the bottom metal siding hook plate, trimmed back the sheathing that was hanging lower then the siding height, reattached the flat metal J hook section in the same spot, and put the siding back on.

It looks fine aesthetically, but, when I look up from the ground level up underneath at the siding, theres a gap of an inch or so from the siding to the wood/foam sheathing. Before that gap was covered by the plastic covering that went from under the siding to buried in the ground).

Sorry if this is a dumb question, but I guess this an area I never noticed the area up underneath before...

Am I going to have problems with that gap? Is there supposed to be something else there covering that area up if I dont use that flat plastic sheeting that covers the foundation?

When I look up in other areas around the house that dont have that plastic sheeting, theres no gap as the siding comes tight to the foundation wall. Is the wood, insulation sheathing sticking out too far because its the wrong size, or am I simply missing some trim or something?

The house is 11 years old and that plastic sheeting trim from ground to siding is around the entire house except for areas by the garage where the concrete foundation is exposed.

Ill see if I cant post some pics this week, but till then, any ideas on if thats normal, or if that gap is too big and I need to readdress that section again? Is it normal to be able to look up under the siding and see wood? Is the gap there so that it can air dry if wet?

Sorry for the dumb question, but I havent spent much time looking up under the siding from the ground up.

Thanks!

Ron6519 · 08-17-2011, 04:53 PM

Post some pictures.

Wiscbldr · 08-18-2011, 07:56 AM

Wmethen, thats exactly correct. The sill plate is even with the foundation, so the sheathing and foam insulation pushes out further, and the siding covers that. So when I look underneath, theres a gap from siding to foundation.

In reading other searches on the subject, its sounds also that when people do siding, they likely started with the area thats tightest to the wall/foundation first, then work their way around, so other areas end up sitting out further. Im guessing that if the foundation is not flush/perfectly flat/straight, there would be areas where it sticks our further as well.

Everything does sit even on the wall, and theres no doubt that the sill plate and foundation, etc all line up flush, so I think Wmethens response is exactly whats happening. I guess I just never looked up underneath before in order to notice that.

If I get a chance, Ill try to still post a pic so others can see what Im talking about, just in case what Im describing isnt accurate, but it sure sounds like Wmethen pegged it. Thanks!