There are a couple of things going on in the following picture.  First, and obvious, is the sidewalk (flat-work) has been poured over the siding and trim.  This is very common in New and Old Construction.  The house gets built and the siding installers make no provision (proper flashings) for installation of the concrete that would leave proper clearances to the wood siding.  These materials will deteriorate over time---maybe a year, maybe in 25 years, maybe in 100 years depending on the exposure to the weather.  The fact remains that this is a condition conducive for rot and wood destroying organisms and must be called out as such.  Often the builder is not likely to do anything about it---I still have to note it.

     The second thing in this picture is about what is NOT in the picture.  This is the front entry to one of four identical townhouses.  I noticed on the other 3 units they all had outside receptacles near the entryway.  The one for this unit had been sided over.  Sometimes for inspectors it is what we "don't see" that is a clue to a problem.  This was not a difficult repair, as the electrician was able to find the buried box and properly finish the installation.

Charles Buell

www.buellinspections.com