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metalmayhem9 OP t1_j5wnf6w wrote

Reply to comment by PinchePoderes in Do I seal/caulk/cement big gaps between foundation and fiber cement board siding? by metalmayhem9

Thank you so much for the detailed explanation. As for the last picture, I could not see (perhaps due to a lack of experience) any sheathing around the bottom plate. Is it possible that there is no sheathing or sheathing that degraded over /the years?

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PinchePoderes t1_j5wpqx0 wrote

Absolutely, happy to help.

It’s really hard to tell from the picture, but the only time I’ve not seen sheathing used was on a shed and screened in porch, stuff that doesn’t really matter too much. I would be really surprised if there wasn’t any. I’m not am engineer, so I can’t say for sure, but I was always told the sheathing does provide a bit of rigidity and shear strength to the structure.

Sheathing is typically OSB so it is possible that it was a weak spot that crumbled out or the builder just cut it a bit short, that wouldn’t be a super weird thing to see and probably the most likely. It also depends on how old the house is. I actually don’t know when they first started using OSB or Plywood as sheathing but it could be completely different if its pretty old, I’ve seen a couple houses built circa 1910 that just had boards. If you’re really gentle with the siding, you might be able to pull it back a bit to get a better look.

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metalmayhem9 OP t1_j60f0aj wrote

You were right. A sheathing appears to be there. Also some noticeable gaps between the foundation and the bottom plate. Next up is to lay a bead. Thanks!.

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PinchePoderes t1_j5ws4wn wrote

Could be the sill plate. the sill plate sits on top of the foundation depending on the style. Kinda depends what style the builder did and how old it is. It’s really hard to tell without being able to look at it myself. I would still probably try to peel back some of the siding to get a better look.

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