Where is the interior floor level? Because it looks like the slab isn't elevated out of the ground adequately. And the lot is graded incorrectly.

The siding on the concrete would sit in the trim ( j channel).

Siding should be above the finished grade. What's he nailing the siding to where it will be covered with dirt?

Sophie Wheeler, the interior floor level is above the cement driveway, I would guess about a foot or so. There were crawl space vents that were covered by the siding that have to be re-exposed (we don't know why they were covered, but we already discussed that with the contractor) those were at about the level of the drive, so the floor would be above that. What in the picture says the grading is incorrect in this picture? And what do you mean that the slab is not elevated correctly? The cement is sloped away from the house. The cement is new and grading around the cement has not been completed if that's what you mean.

Taylor's, So the siding and the j-channel touching the cement is not a problem?

I don't know off hand what the siding is nailed to on the other side where it is below grade. I will have to check next time I am there, this is a cottage we are not living at. This is an old cottage. The old siding stopped about a foot above the dirt, and the previous owner had put some cheapo insulation below that, so I can't say for sure what the structure looked like under the siding. I did not see what it looked like between tearing off old siding and adding new siding. I do know there is a shallow crawl space under the house here. I will look next time we are there and let you know.

But the siding below grade is incorrect? What is the reasoning for that so I can explain it to the contractor - he said since the vinyl will not be damaged it doesn't matter if it is buried so I need to know the technical reason why it should not be.

Work has been delayed due to other issues so I don't want him to start up again until I can have him correct what is currently wrong.

I was (incorrectly) assuming that the house was on the same level as the concrete in your picture. Since that isn't the case your siding should look similar to the diagram above posted by Sophie.

Do you have a picture of what was there before the siding?

I will post some pictures of the house before the siding was torn off in a couple of hours. Thanks for that diagram, I think I will send it to the contractor. Does that diagram hold true for the side with cement also? Should there be at least a couple of inches from the bottom of the siding to the cement?

There should be 6” of clearance between the siding and finished grade, no matter the material. But that is why I asked you what the finished floor level was on the interior, and commented that it may not be high enough in relation to that external grade.

Also pay attention to the required slope away from the foundation. Which I also mentioned. You don’t pile dirt up against the foundation. You grade the soil away from the foundation.

I have to wonder if he is using any external foam insulation. Or furring strips to attach the siding to. I’d have to wonder about the whole process, actually. And if you did the license and insurance verification processes for this contractor. And where you found him.

Your siding manufacturer will have a whole trove of PDF documents online as to how their product should be installed. I suggest that you get intimately familiar with those instructions. Especially as regards to penetrations like windows and doors and how the flashing should be handled for that.

You don't usually put siding on the foundation, which is why pictures would be helpful.

Vinyl siding has drainage holes to allow the wall system to breathe and rain (pushed in by the wind) to drain out, so if it is butted right up against the ground, or below grade and covered, it is now unable to allow the wall system to breathe or allow drainage as designed, so you risk water and moisture damage.

You are also, as you pointed out, going to increase risk of insect damage. Further, covering up your foundation can be an issue for inspectors who now can't see it to see what may or may not be going on there.

Even where my grade comes up fairly high there is still about 6" of clearance between grade and the siding.

The first picture is the side where he has put the siding below grade. you can see the crawl space vents with the framing around them, so the interior floor would be above those vents.For some reason it looks like those crawl vents are half buried under the ground but it is not as bad as it looks in this picture. For some reason he tore out everything, then dug down below grade and sided all the way down. I was not planning on piling dirt up against the foundation, I was just planning on filling in the trench that he dug up to the point where it was before. I cant tell from this picture if the old siding went all the way to the ground or not, I never reallly noticed.

The second picture is the "before" version of the picture in my original post but from a different angle. The conduit going to the ground in the first picture is under the box in this picture. Here you can see the one crawl space vent about in the center of the picture - it has white styrofoam in it that we put in the winter and had not taken out yet. There is another one on this side blocked by the car. So the interior floor would be above that. I think the last row on this side is the foundation painted the same green color as the siding. We had a driveway poured on this side of the house as seen in the original photo.

So he tore off all of the existing siding, put 1/2 inch rigid foam, then tyvek, then the siding. So based on this, it appears that there should be room to end the siding at least a couple of inches above the ground, which would expose the foundation. Is that the correct way to do it, even on the driveway side?

6” to grade. Download the documents. You are going to have to come up to speed tonight so that you can inspect this better in daylight tomorrow.

Most building codes require a clearance of 6"-7" clear between finished grade and the bottom of the siding. One of the purposes is to prevent groundwater from entering the wall structure. Another reason is to be able to see termite or carpenter ant tunnels into the house.

You need that clear area and any experienced builder or subcontractor should know it.

I am trying to contact the building agency there to see if there is code specifying clearance, I just have not been able to get a call back. I appreciate all the information everyone has given me, I know now that I need to discuss this with my contractor and not take an BS back from him that burying the siding is OK.

One more question. I don't know anything about how siding is attached. Is it possible for him to fix this by removing the bottom row or will he have to take all the siding down and start over. And can you remove siding that has been attached already and then put it back up without it looking bad. I paid a lot of money for new siding and I want it to look new.

He should be able to remove the bottom row or two and then install the starter strip at the bottom of the old siding to lock the bottom locker into. It won't be fun.

Frankly, I wouldn’t move forward with this guy. Fundamental errors usually indicate other errors that you just haven’t noticed. Which is why I suggested that you download the manufacturer’s installation instructions. They rule. And there are likely other details around the penetrations that need to be scrutinized with a copy of those instructions in hand. He can argue with you. He cannot argue with written documentation in front of his eyes.

I suspect at this point it would be very difficult to separate from him. We're far into a larger remodel project, the windows and siding are the last step. Luckily we still owe him 20% of the total amount and that is not due until the project is complete, and he's not getting any of it until we're satisfied with the outcome. I suspect we'd have to involve lawyers and I really don't want to go there. So far even though there have been mistakes, he has been accommodating when fixing them.

I downloaded the installation guide so I can take that with me when I go there. So far I have not seen anything in the installation guide that specifies WHERE to start the siding. It just starts talking about attaching the starter strips, but not where to attach them. I still need to read it more but so far have not found it. It would be nice if they had a diagram like the one Sophie supplied in an earlier post, but no luck with that.

Does anyone know if he could un-install the siding that has been installed already and then re-install it without damaging it?

Google "distance from ground to siding" and read.

Do yourself a favor and spend a few hundred dollars now to get a licensed independent inspector in to see what was done with your FULL remodel. If he screwed up this so badly, I'd hate to think what he did with the rest of your remodel.

As for this, I would call the siding manufacturer and ask if they have anyone locally who could come and take a look to make sure it was done correctly. When I had a problem with my Azek, their rep came and inspected.

Virgil, thanks for the suggestion - I have already read all of those - believe me I have spent all my spare time in the last couple of days reading about siding. I would like something "official" versus something I just read off the internet, so I am still hoping to talk to the inspector at the building agency.

Go visit your local building official and ask for a copy of the building code which specifies the distance from finish exterior grade to bottom of siding. It's really simple.

It looks more like an elevation problem. I don't think there is any code that refers to vinyl siding, which would be exempt anyway due to being "naturally durable". My guess would be the contractor dug out the soil so he could cover the framing with siding.

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2304.11.2.6 Wood siding. Clearance between wood siding and earth on the exterior of a building shall not be less than 6 inches except where siding, sheathing, and wall framing are of naturally durable or preservative-treated wood.

I guess I need to look at what's under the siding when I can get up there. It is not my primary residence. Then hopefully I can talk to the local building inspector also.

"...It looks more like an elevation problem. I don't think there is any code that refers to vinyl siding, which would be exempt anyway..."

You don't understand the principles behind the code standard. One reason is to keep water out of the wood or other degradable framing and finishes. Even if vinyl siding is installed, it's installed on wood stud wall framing.

And...the other reason is to make exterior termite and carpenter ant tunnels visible and detectable.

All I need to understand is the word "except". I know what the principles are, they are meaningless in this thread. I'm not telling anyone to build a house at or below grade, we're discussing an existing condition. You don't seem to understand reality, once again...

ksc36, this isn't your situation at all. It's Lisa's situation. Principles are never "meaningless". They are the reasons the building code is written the way it is. And they are the very reason what she is experiencing needs proper attention.

Just take a Tylenol and lie back. Things will get better for you soon.

Lisa:

Siding to grade is hillbilly. Tell your contractor I said so, please.

Well, looking at what I can see, it looks like the siding stops right at the top of the cement part of the foundation all around the house. . In the front of the house there is about 4 inches between the siding and the ground, so I think that is ok given the existing slope of the ground. On the driveway side the block of the foundation is at the same height of the cement and the siding ends right where the block ends, there is no way to put space between the cement of the driveway and the top.of the foundation block. The other side of the house, where the contractor put the siding below grade, it looks like the cement part of the foundation is currently below grade. So not sure what we need to do. I'm not sure we can re -grade that side to slope away from the house. The building inspector is going to look at the siding when he comes out to approve the permits for the windows, so we'll see what he has to say about what has been done and hopefully tell us what we need to do. I appreciate all the input from everyone here because it helped me understand what I need to look for.

I am willing to bet that he got his tail in a bind trying to keep all of the corners level.

Vinyl siding needs to "breath" and being in contact with the ground keeps that from happening. Burying vinyl or placing it in contact with cement is a good way to invite all kinds of problems from water damage to insects even getting it destroyed by grass trimmers.

I am sorry to say. The guy needs to go back to vinyl siding school (and pay attention this time) before he attempts another job.

Sounds like your contractor and building official have things under control. You'll need a landscaper or a good shovel and rake. It might be a good idea to put some crushed stone against the foundation too. Definitely don't bury the siding where the grade is too high. Also, make sure the new gutters drain towards the low point on your grade.