Exterior wood

[confused-one]

I have a wooden-framed house. The exterior of the upstairs is tiled and the downstairs is some kind of wood boarding/cladding, which is painted. (The house was built in 1981).

Moisture has obviously managed to get in to this wood along what appears to be a vertical join. The wood is spongy to the touch along the join down to the bottom where an area about a hand=span wide is spongy.

The only information I can find anywhere suggests treating the wood etc. but obviously it is behind the paint.

Can anybody help?! What type of wood is this? What should I do?

 

[masona]

Sound like the wood is rotted, best to replace the whole lot with pvc cladding. They're available in white, light oak, or dark mahogany.

Unless you want to cut out a section then pop down to your timber merchant for match etc...