Hi there! I agree! Another row of siding should be added in that space, where the siding meets the pavers. Can another row be added at this point? If so, I would have the builder do that.

We already passed our one year warranty so anything we do will be our cost. If that's the best approach we will do that. It's Hardie, and there's not enough room for a full height piece though?

If it were me, I wouldn't risk adding another row of siding at this point. The color will likely not match exactly, due to sun exposure/fading. How about adding some decorative trim or brick, such as in the images below? I'd personally opt for the trim, but that may not be the look you're going for. Whatever you decide to do, it looks as though that area is wood and will need to be covered/protected somehow.

Siding should be six to eight inches above ground level. You have that. Tie in a stone, or more paver at the bottom. .......you don't want more Hardie at the ground, or the moisture either.

" I would NOT paint the exposed wood. By doing that, you are only asking for costly and/or time-consuming repairs in the future.

There are an awful lot of homeowners with natural wood siding that would disagree with you. This is an extremely common and well accepted practice.

Siding needs to be help off the ground (or pavers in this instance) 8-10" typically as Jan states above.

I don't know if you live in an area with termites....but man, if you extend your siding to grade, those little buggers will be happy to thank you by destroying your home.

LOL......So too the mold and mildew and rot. Sorry, just a bad idea, and use the easier, permanent fix, please? The builder left you the space, intentionally.

Since the house has Hardie board siding - not a wood product - termites, rot, mold and mildew are hardly an issue if the OP decides to add on.

I think too much of a big deal is being applied to this minor design flaw.

It is an issue when water seeps up BEHIND the Hardie. The design "flaw", is construction proper

The visual height of your exposed foundation wall will probably lessen over time once the patio is furnished and used.

The house's wood framed wall needs to sit 6" above grade (regardless if the siding is wood, vinyl, metal, or fiber cement) for both moisture and pest protection (code for a reason). So adjacent each side of the patio and around the rest of the house, you will see exposed concrete foundation wall, as you do on any house.

For the patio, the wood framed wall needs to sit 2" above a hard surface. A little more height is obviously beneficial, but has caught your attention aesthetically. It seems the dark siding and black paver inlay accentuates the height of the foundation wall showing over the patio. I don't think you can add any trim or another course of siding, as it would now be mounted to concrete, not wood - you would want furring behind it to attach it and the detailing of this course both sticking beyond the upper siding and touching the ground or pavers sounds problematic.

Bringing up only as looking for a solution, but I can't tell what material is used for the base. It looks larger than sand, yet is spread really far out beyond the paver footprint (more than bedding would). If that is the base material, it looks smaller than 3/4" minus size crushed stone, which would be problematic for an interlocking paver base. If it's an 1/8" crushed bedding layer that is acceptable, but not pea gravel. So what I am getting at, is the pavers could be relaid (with base+bedding review) higher to only have a 2" exposure instead of 5". Or, a large, deep landing added at the door (min 6" rise) might distract from the exposure height next to it.

Gardengal - so the house has no wood framing at all? Cool! Otherwise just because termites can't eat the Hardie itself doesn't mean they won't tunnel up right past it to reach wood...

Same with rot and moisture. Just because the hardie is impervious doesn't mean the framing is.

I’m wondering why a skirt board wasn’t originally added?

Thanks all for your suggestions! The exposed surface is the concrete foundation. We have a bit more exposed than some of our neighbors do, and yes, the color of our siding vs. color of concrete makes it stand out a bit more.

@Anna Devane skirt board maybe isn't common where I live? I haven't seen it used often. Or maybe it's only used on high end homes here? Exposed foundation is not atypical.

Seems like as a DIY painting might be the best approach.

ETA: I am in Minnesota so termites are not a problem but water definitely is.

Chiming back in… I think a skirt board, as Anna brought up, would be a good choice, if it can still be added.

Paint the concrete. In fact, paint it black and it will "disappear"...into the ground, mulch, and patio paver border.

With landscaping maturity, tata!

My concrete guy skimmed a coat of concrete on the block foundation of our home then stamped it in a slate texture and inserted faux groves. Looks really nice with our slate-textured stamped patio.