We are replacing our siding with hardie board and want to put it all the way down so the lowest board would rest on our concrete driveway. Are there any problems with this? I heard that SF code is to leave 8 inches exposed above the ground. Don’t know if this is accurate. It doesn’t look very nice aesthetically. The alternative would be to leave a few inches of concrete exposed and try to make it blend in by painting it. Any thoughts?
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Unless you live in the desert, leave at least two inches between the bottom edge of siding and any "sorta" horizontal surface below, be it concrete or roofing or sod or whatever. You need about that much clearace to keep water from soaking into the bottom edge of the siding. And ideally, for truly horizontal surfaces, you should leave 6-12 inches to account for splashing and "pooling" water.
You could presumably make an exception for plastic or aluminum siding, but you would want to be sure that no structure behind the siding would be damaged by moisture held in place by the siding. (Hardie, on the other hand, is not impervious to water, and should be held above the surface like other materials.)
Subterranean termites.
If you live where there are subterranean termites (SF = San Francisco??) you need 6 or 8 inches of foundation exposed in order to see their tunnels. If not they can eat your house undetected. California is subterranean termite county. Stucco color coat the exposed foundation.
User
Refer to the Hardie install directions for this and other details that could mean the voiding of the warranty or you might find yourself in trouble.
Hardies recommendation is 1-2'' above a slab. 6'' above earth. dont need to follow those recommendations but if you ever have a problem with the siding youll be on your own.
Howsabout BEHIND Concrete?
Got a kick out of seeing this thread; at least poster's asking first!
House we moved into last Nov (SW Wisc) has what looks like Hardiboard composition siding. Front entry has concrete slab porch (poured atop full-depth foundation walls forming a 'root cellar' in basement) poured partly in front of the bottom course of siding.
Glad porch is under substantial overhanging roof & not exposed directly to severe weather but still....
Gonna be a PITA to deal with when/if residing's ever contemplated.g
Yeah, our front stoop was
Yeah, our front stoop (in SE Minn) was poured up against the "beaverboard" sheathing. When I resided I dug that out and replaced with a piece of 1/2" cement board, and made a fillet from thinset. Looks decent and has held up about 20 years so far.