Image Description: (long drawn out snore...). 1980's-1990's Manufactured Home + Composite Panel of Any Type that Isn't Taken Care of + Belly Band with a 90 Degree Angle = Wood Decay... and usually lots of it.
I am not against composite panel siding of any kind... I have Louisian Pacific siding on my house. I maintain it, and it is fine. But it is that little detail ("maintain it") that appears to be lost on the part of many (most?) home owners. It will decay if it isn't maintained.
However, this problem can be accellerated or accented if one decides to put a "belly band" (i.e., horizontal siding along the base of the structure at the bottom of the siding) with a 90 degree angle at the top. What happens is that water begins to pool in this area... which then rapidly deteriorates the caulking and the paint... which then starts to leak behind the trim... which leads to lots of wood decay.
If (if!) somebody was going to install such a belly band, it should have a bevel at the top (i.e., it should be sloped at the top downward) so that water which runs down the siding would more easily drop all the way to the ground.
Better idea: maintain your siding, keep it painted, and paint the bottom edges. But that appears to be asking a lot. :)
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Justin Nickelsen, Nickelsen Home Inspections, LLC
Vancouver, WA / Portland, OR
360.907.9648 / 503.502.1495
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