Planting beds have been built up over the years around a house. What should an inspector consider?

Planting beds grow upward over the years as mulch and soil are added each season, and nobody notices because the change is a few inches at a time. The consequence is a slow loss of the clearance the wall assembly depends on. Siding is designed to terminate above grade so it can drain and dry, and wood, fibre cement and stucco all deteriorate when held in contact with damp soil. Soil above the top of the foundation also bridges past the damp-proofing and gives termites a concealed route from the ground into the framing, bypassing the inspectable band of exposed foundation where shelter tubes would otherwise be visible. That last point is why pest inspectors care as much as home inspectors: raised grade does not just wet the wall, it hides the evidence that something is entering it.

Years of added soil and mulch can raise grade above the top of the foundation and into contact with the siding, removing the clearance the assembly needs to drain and dry and bridging past the damp-proofing.

Siding and framing require clearance above grade so the assembly can drain and dry, and exposed foundation provides an inspectable band where termite shelter tubes would be visible. Accumulated landscaping soil eliminates both, causing deterioration and concealing pest entry.

Beds Creep Up the Wall an inch a season. Measure to the siding, not to the mulch — and remember the buried band is where the termites walk.

Report both consequences. Inspectors often note the siding contact and miss that the buried foundation band is where termite evidence would have been visible.

• •Reporting soil contact without noting the concealed pest-entry path
• •Measuring to the mulch line rather than to the siding
• •Treating raised beds as a landscaping preference