How High Does Wood Siding Need To Be Above Earth

In addition wood used in construction of perma nent structures and located nearer than 6 inches 152 mm to earth shall be treated wood or wood of natural resistance to decay as de.

How high does wood siding need to be above earth.

Wood siding sheathing and wall framing on the exterior of a building having a clearance of less than 6 inches 152 mm from the ground. On thick profiles of siding nails may be hidden meaning they are driven into the upper portion of a board so they are covered by the lower part of the board above it. Having your siding too close to the ground is just asking for trouble. If the adjacent ground is concrete such as part of a patio or a sidewalk it still requires the same clearance as bare earth.

Wood siding stucco vinyl brick all siding should ideally have at least 6 to 8 inches clearance above the ground. As its name lap implies an upper siding board laps over the board below it by 1 to 2 inches. Most lap siding is beveled meaning that the bottom edge is thicker than the top. Masonry veneer ledge 4in above earth wood sill 6in min.

Protection of wood against deterioration as set forth in the previous sections for specified appli cations is required. My code check actually states it this way. Realize the building code is a set of minimum standards. This requirement is not just to prevent damage to the siding it serves a couple of other functions as well.

Carter provides sound advice. The closer to the grade the sooner your siding will deteriorate. 2306 8 wood and earth separation. Maintaining proper clearances reduces access to wood structures behind the siding by wood destroying insects or damage from water that might.

Mike the building code here in the usa used to say that wood siding must be 6 inches above grade. Keep the foundation well above grade. Concrete and masonry foundation walls shall extend above the finished grade adjacent to the foundation at all points a minimum of 4 inches 102 mm where masonry veneer is used and a minimum of 6 inches 152 mm elsewhere. That means if you place the siding 6 inches above the ground you get a 70 percent on the test.

And also make sure the grade falls away from the foundation to be specific the 2015 international residential code irc requires the foundation to be 4 inches above the finished grade when covered by a masonry veneer or 6 inches elsewhere. Any clearance is better than none.