Stopping rain from collecting below skirting

[SoCalPalmHarbor]

Hi everyone!

When my mobile home was installed, a concrete driveway was added that nearly touches the skirting. There seems to be some kind of mysterious spongy material sandwiched between them.

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Years later, a walkway of rectangular pavers was added on two other sides of the house. The walkway's distance from the skirting varies from almost zero to about 1.5 inches, due to uneven construction I guess.

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For both kinds of pavement, rainwater runs down the siding and continues between skirting and pavement. The ground retains the moisture. When viewed from the crawlspace underneath the home, the skirting shows water stains and white mold.

What's the best way to minimize how much water reaches the dirt?

One option would be to fill the skirting/pavement gap (if any) with gravel, then just pour some kind of caulking over that, to minimize water getting through. But that would prevent evaporation of any moisture that did end up down there. The ground and crawlspace would have less opportunity to "breathe".

Should I instead add some kind of wide trim to that skirting, hanging above the pavement, to divert the water onto the pavement? I could also lay down a line of caulk at the edge of the pavement, to stop water from running over the edge and down the crevice. This way, there would be room for air to flow through the gap between skirting and pavement.

It appears that the skirting is the same material as the siding: it looks like wood splinters were pressed together somehow into panels. Would I solve the problem best by installing new skirting material that mold cannot feed on? Or would rainwater under the skirting still be a bad thing?

Many thanks in advance for your informed opinions!

[Pricemela]

It seems like woody material. When Sun rays stick on this it will automatically recovered this is the one way I found here Stopping rain from collecting below skirting

[annexasia]

It's Woody Material or not ?

[SoCalPalmHarbor]

Hello annexasia,

The trim material is pressed wood, somewhat similar to the siding and skirting material. I probably will replace the rotted trim pieces with something more rot and water resistant, like solid cedar wood.