No gap where siding meets roof - damage repair

[msv]

I had my roof shingles replaced last year, and looking now I see that the hardie siding is chipped or worn away at the roof line. I'm not sure if this was damage during the roof work or just worn out because of water damage. It does appear to have step flashing beneath it (but I haven't taken an up close look to be sure). The siding is of course at an angle and so this affects many boards. There is no gap between the siding and roof.

So do I need to basically replace most of the siding? Due to the angle, just about all the boards on all the walls at the roof would have to be replaced since they all at some point touch the roof line. There isn't anything that seems to be wrong with the board aside from poor installation.

The options I'm wondering:

1. Is it possible to cut the gap in place without damaging anything by someone skilled? (I feel like this is crazy talk, but maybe this is actually a thing that skilled folks know how to do).
2. Take each one off, cut the gap and mount it back on the house?
3. Stop being so cheap and just replace all the boards?

Sorry if these are dumb questions, I've never really dealt with siding.

 

[Brian Famous]

We have the same issue with our house. It was this way when we bought it, and have been delaying the fix for too long now. We are opting to replace all of the affected boards on that side due to the extent of the damage from poor installation, but they are also original 30+ year old siding (so pre-hardie).

Ideally, there should be an inch gap between the boards and the roof, with flashing behind. I would have concerns about having them cut in place, as the depth setting for cutting the boards where they overlap could wind up cutting through the flashing as well unless a guide is used to ensure consistent cutting depth. So be cautious if considering hiring someone to go down this route.
Though, even in this scenario, I'd be amazed if only the last inch of each board had damage... You might be able to salvage them though.