I have an old shed that I’m using for a workshop. It has wood siding that’s pretty well toast – paint peeling, rot everywhere, etc.
Siding most of it is kind of a no-brainer. . . except the building was built on a slab, and the framing/siding goes right down to the dirt, where it’s exposed to the ravages of snow, dew-laden plants, etc.
We don’t do slab-on-grade construction here in Ontario – code specifies 4′ minimum foundations for everything, even garages. Everything’s always concrete to an acceptable elevation above grade, say 18″ – 24″ or whatever, so I’m confused as to what to do even though I worked for a custom home builder for a couple years.
So what are your votes for siding right down to grade? PVC? Parged Densglass? Fake stone?
Replies
I would put a PVC band around the lower perimeter for the easiest fix. I suspect that there may be a lot of rot in the framing preventing you from just nailing it up. If there is a lot of rot, I would consider jacking the shed up and placing a block foundation under the shed.
I sheathed the inside
with OSB after insulating the shed. There is some rot, but it's not extensive.
PVC is sounding quite attractive right now.
I'm doing a similar shed repair. Tore off the old back wall, built a whole new wall with plywood sheathing, a PT band around the bottom, properly flashed, then LP Smart Side panels. I didn't want the panels to rest near the slab. PVC would have been better, but this is a budget job. It's a pretty cobbled up shed anyway.
I would remove the old siding and housewrap if there is any and then cover the now exposed wood and osb from the concrete up with a 4' roll of blueskin (peel and stick tar membrane), wrap the whole thing in housewrap, install new vinyl siding down to grade and watch it last another 40 years!
Metal
I would use aluminum flashing. You can get it in many colors and sizes and probably even with a lip bent at the bottom. It will last longer than wood or plastic and look better throughout its life. You can get flashing plenty tall enough like 12 inches. It will look like a foundation band after it is installed. I attached a detail from http://www.icreatables.com/sheds/shed-plans.html . The main problem I see is the water getting under the flashing and then rotting out the sole plate and any siding you fixed. There are paintable waterproof membranes that you can paint on to keep the wood from getting sturated and seal the joint between the wood and the concrete.
falshing sheds near grade/ground
Vinyl siding trim coil comes in 2 foot by 50 foot rolls. If the snow or rain is a problem, remove the siding a foot from the bottom of the wall. Trench around the concrete atleast 6 inches deep, more if you like. Measure from the cornice to the center of the bottom plate for re-siding. Place the trim coil into the trench and allow the excess to flash the wall. Attach this to the studs or sheathing. The trim coil can be glued or sealed to the concrete if you wish, but the flashing extending 6 or more inches under the ground will provide a much better weather barrier. Also, when re-siding, if your neighborhood allows, vinyl siding is a cheap and durable alternative to wood.