This is a photo album with many different building science approaches integrated into this home. You will see how to dig a foundation so water is being managed from day one. You will also see footing drains, water EDITmanagement systems, capillary moisture breaks, energy efficient details, air tight drywall details , vented rainscreens, proper roof to wall connections etc and hopefully some explanations of why things are done the way they are. Please sign the guestbook, and explain how you found the album.EDIT 12/23. Delores house was repainted for the first time after 19 years.
Date(s): July 1, 2005. Album by Rollie Peschon. 1 - 224 of 224 Total. 54061 Visits.
1 Foundation, Water-managed: Systems for at or below-grade enclosure assemblies where gravity (drainage) is used to move liquid water away from the structure, relieving hydrostatic water forces.
Basement subgrade dug to drain to sump area. Yes, this takes more rock in the basement, but you know that any water that enters the subslab area is headed towards the exit point. "I just want to thank you f..." "Thanks for posting, this w..." View Comments...
2 Form A Drain forms for footings. Kind of a gimmicky product in my application, but they do work and dont have to be stripped. They also are in place, in case of a dirt cave in.
4 Sump pump basin is drilled (sides and bottom) for water entry, and sat on top of at least 4 inches of crushed rock, and backfilled with crushed rock. This, in conjunction with a graded dig, virtually guarantees that any water that enters the slab area, will be pumped out.
5 Sump area dug down prior to pouring. Added a couple of inches of pearock,in case it rains over the long weekend. 4th of July. Cant pour till Tuesday.
6 Since it is a crawlspace, with a slab, we raised this middle footing 3 1/2 inchs(slab thickness) so we could use it as a screed for the floor pour, and there is 4 inches of pearock below for water transfer under the footing. No formadrain needed here. Bearing wall will frame directly on top of footing here.
7 Footings formed and reinforcing steel installed, with chairs. Reinforcing steel wants to be in the bottom 2/3s of the footings.
8 Sump basin installed. Inlet from form a drain needs to be connected yet, but it is doubtful that any water will ever enter the footing drains, because of the pea rock underslab, and sub footing drainage bed.
9 3500 psi concrete being pored in footings.
10 Vertical reinforcing installed in footings.
11 Lines snapped on top of footings, and capillary moisture break installed on top of footings.
12 Capillary moisture break: Non-absorbent material or space that interrupts the flow of water from one material to another, or between like materials.
13 Placing capillary moisture break on footings
14 Capillary moisture break will fold up on ICF wall on exterior and get counterflashed with exterior membrane. On the inside, it will tie onto the subslab vapor barrier for a continous sealed vapor retarder underslab. "Rollie,
I am an Badger tr..." "Capillary moisture breaks ..." View Comments...
15 Slab prep in store for tomorrow
16 Filling and leveling pea rock, and installing 1 1/2 foam insulation underslab.
17 1 1/2 Lb density extruded foam (Yellow, Pink,Gray in color) is acceptable in non structural applications, such as this. For structural situations, 2 lb density (Dow Blue) is specified.
18 Sub slab Vapor retarder rolled out, ready to install, Fold A Form ICf blocks starting to be installed. Vapor Retarder: A vapor retarder is the element that is designed and installed in an assembly to retard the movement of water by vapor diffusion. "IS THIS JUST STANDARD 6 MI..." "Gary, Yes, is is standard ..." View Comments...
19 Almost ready to pour. 10 am Wed.
20 Sealed vapor retarder underslab, and 4 inch slab being installed.
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23 Finished pouring 2 pm
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25 2nd half, ready to pour
26 10 am Friday, 2nd half poured. Rain set in about noon, and it poured about 2 inches in an hour. It stopped raining about 2, and we started forming the foundation walls to pour, hopefullly Sat.
27 We ripped the "teeth" off of the FoldaForm to make a flatter surface to float off, and for a better general appearance.
28 View down into the foldaform at capillary moisture break below
29 Installing Fold a Form
30 Ready for bracing
31 Wed. 9:30 am. Braced and poured. We poured(pumped) 21 yds in an hour and 15 minutes. The pump cost $380.00 What a bargain!
32 Topped off and checking for straight with string lines. Ready for anchor bolt installation.
33 Inserted rebars to help carry entry slab, and garage slab to left.
34 Denarco 3/4 X 3/4 urethene impregnated gasketing
35 Two rows of gasketing installed under 2X10 mud sill
36 View from end, showing gasket placement
37 Top chord bearing trusses being installed
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39 Rigid rim joist insulation. Usually this can be installed later, but with the top chord trussses, its easier to do in this stage. "Very smart idea here...so ..." "Tim, There is a gasket bet..." View Comments...
40 End wall insulation sandwiched between supports. We pulled the first truss to 24" on center, to allow for a larger side opening to facilitate duct work that will need to go to near the outside wall.
41 Sealing rigid insulation
42 Bearing "squash" block.
43 Advantech being installed
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46 Sealing top of rigid insulation before installing advantech
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49 Pea rock added to top of footing.
50 I have Formadrain on this project, but I thought that I would take this 2 ft piece of drain tile, and show proper placement. Its all I had, but will work for demonstration purposes. With that said, I still prefer perforated drain pipes, instead of the black tile. This is not a good loaction for your footing tile!
51 Proper tile placement would be level with the top fo the footing, draining towards the exit point or sump pit..
52 30 lb felt covering Advantech. Total time involved at this point, 1 1/2 hrs, 2 men. 1400sft, at 200 per roll,= 7 rolls at 15.80 per for a cost of $115.
53 Wall poly protector installed. This extends out over footing drains to stop infiltration of fines into drain system.
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55 12 Inches of pea rock added, and ready for dirt fill. "Is the treated plywood nai..." View Comments...
56 Adding 3/8 X 3/8 Denarco SureSeal gasketing under the exterior wall before standing. Provides and airtight barrier between outside and inside conditioned space. All gasketing and air barrier details need to be thought out as if it was one complete electrical circuit, capable of continuity thru materials.
57 Ready to stand.
58 Garage AWWF foundation panels in place, and being backfilled with pea rock. The cost of filling with pearock vs gravel, amounts to about $12-15 per load for materials, and trucking is the same. Kind of a no brainer, when you think about installing 6 inch lifts, leveling out, running plate packer, skid loader sitting still with operator twiddling thumbs ( repeat the above about 8 times from footings up) while all this is being done.
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61 View thru patio door to living room beyond.
62 Bonus room above garage, Window thru gable end to be cut in later.
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65 1/4" scale model of exterior..... Kind of.
66 2nd level loft plan
67 Main floor plan
68 standard birdsmouth cut with 4 inch heel height leaves little room for insulation. This is on the porch roof, so its not important from an insulation standpoint.
69 1 1/2 " foam insulation underslab for infloor heat in garage.
70 bonus room above garage.
71 Parallel chord truss with 15inch heel height for insulation
72 parallel chord trusses in loft area
73 3stud energy corner "What is the config of this..." "Jim, The bypass wall is a..." View Comments...
74 Raised heel truss rafter for 11 1/4 inches of insulation at outside plate line.
75 Front elevation
76 Tarpaper and P&S membrane up wall
77 Tarpaper folded and turned up wall approx 5 inches
78 Folded Peel and Stick membrane overlayed paper and turned up wall approx 10 inches
79 Peel and stick finished
80 Shingle, with metal tin shingle flashing installed. Note location of nail holding flashing in place "Where should it be - if no..." View Comments...
81 Next tin shingle counterflashes first tin shingle, and the nail holding it in place
82 Continuation of flashings and shingles up roof. Weather barrier on wall will counterflash everything, prior to siding being applied.
83 Garage floor poured
84 Nutek air tight electrical box for exterior walls. This box has a gasketed flange for drywall to seal against,and a rubberized sealant at the back, where the wires penetrate.
85 Backside of electrical box
86 Even though the electrical boxes are airtight, sealing of the wire penetrations is advisable, because there may still be some leakage around the entry point
87 I took a picture of this blue box to highlight how hard they are to seal. If you look at the bottom back of the box, you will see small black slots which form an opening for a wire penetration. Each one of these slots,is an opening into the stud cavity for interior air to migrate into, on the negative pressure side, and cold air to enter the house on the positive pressure side of the house. There are about 32, 1/16th x 1 inch slots in this box, which is 2 sq inches of leakage, not counting the leakage around the drywall to box interface.
88 This is the beginning of some air tight drywall techniques. These pictures are in this location in the album, because this is the time frame when these details need ot be integrated. Drywall applied behind back wall ( also right end wall, not shown) of tub for continuity of air barrier. Final, finished layer overlays nailing flange.
89 ADA: Airtight Drywall Approach
Details:
Drywall behind anything that intersects with outside air, tubs, stairs soffits etc.
Here, we drywalled behind the sidewall of the tub. Since it is a sidewall, we ripped the studs down 1/2 inch prior to building the wall, and the air barrier(drywall) is internal in the wall. "framing inspector was OK w..." "You did this before insula..." "Yes, Mary, It is insulated..." "Thanks, I thought it must ..." View Comments...
90 Air barrier (drywall) is applied on this outside wall prior to installing stairs for air barrier continuity
91 Sealing of wires from exterior wall to interior floor system. Exterior air to interior air.
92 Interior partition adjoins interior floor system requires no seal. Interior air to interior air.
93 Interior partition intersect with attic space, require sealing of all wire holes, even those with no wires.
94 Interior partition adjoins exterior wall, require sealing to stop movement of conditioned air into non conditioned space.
95 Roof to wall asembly: Outlined earlier, tar paper folds up wall 3-5 inches, 18 Inch piece of peel and stick is applied over that, and stuck to wall sheathing. Shingles are run up till they butt into the P&S. Metal flashing is applied, and a cosmetic layer of shingles is glued to flashing.
WRB counterflashes entire assembly.
96 Interior partition intersects with vaulted ceiling attic/truss space needs sealant. Interior air to exterior air
97 Garage bonus room floor assembly. Advantech deck 1" air space, sealed 1 inch reflective foil faced sheathing R 13 insulation below 5/8 firecode drywall ceiling garage is heated.
98 Garage ceiling from garage floor
99 Vaulted cieling ventilation chutes. Installed every opening, and insulation wind baffles are sealed to chutes to stop wind from blowing thru insulation at plate line "Who manufactures the chute..." View Comments...
100 3/12 parallel chord truss, non ventilated roof assembly. Cieling assembly will be air tight, and vapor resistant. Blown insulatio0n will be 15inches deep.
101 Sloped IC (insulation contact) rated recessed can assembly. Certainly not airtight, but when used in conjuction with ADA gasketing, and air tight trim, they are as good as you can do, without building a firecode drywall box around the rough in housing. "Where can I view the 'how ..." View Comments...
102 WRB (Tyvek) starting to be installed.
103 Window rough opening prepped for window flashing. Housewrap is cut such that when the window is foamed in, the foam sealant has connectivity to the framing and the window, not the housewrap. Note the strip of red tape, where the hosewrap was initially in too far. I re cut it, and resealed it.
104 Ready for slopes siding sill to be applied
105 1/2" x6 cedar lap siding is set on sill for slope, prior to pan-flashing installation. "Can you explain more about..." "Tim,
Obviously, the slop..." "Does this mean the window ..." "Al, There is potential for..." View Comments...
106 Sloped sill.
107 Ready for pan flashing
108 Pan flashing is cut to 16 inches wider than opening width for an upturn of 8 inches each side
109 Flexwrap is set up for 2x6 walls or 2X4, Chose which backing to take off first, dependent on your wall thickness.
110 Flexwrap is then folded down to form a sloped pan flashing. "I found a cap nail placed ..." "Kevin, I agree. The Flexw..." View Comments...
111 Cut at top in housewrap to facilitate setting window head under wrb.
112 Head piece of Housewrap is turned up for window to install under housewrap at top.
113 Taped up flap.
114 Tape the flap up, if you tack it up, tape the holes shut.
115 Siliconized acrylic caulk is added to framing. Top is caulked to sheathing, sides are caulked to housewrap, and bottom is left un-caulked "I've used your system for ..." View Comments...
116
117 Caulking stops at bottom of window.
118 Window is installed and shimmed in opening, plumb, level and square. Side flashings are then applied, extending past top flange, and below bottom flange
119 Both sides completed, ready for head flashing.
120 Ready for head piece.
121 Head flashing being installed.
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124 Housewrap is then dropped over head flashing.
125 Ready for final taping of cuts that were made at the top.
126 I used Straight flash, instead of tyvek tape for this final seal. "How far above the soffit d..." "Approx a foot, Its a 9/12 ..." View Comments...
127 I nailed the window in the first hole out of each corner, and the middle 3 holes for sill support, leaving one nail out of the window at the space where it is not taped. Where it is not taped, is for any water that gets to the pan flashing to drain out, over top of the housewrap down the vented rainscreen, and out the bottom.
128 Foaming between window and framing for interior air seal. Use non expanding foam! "Why is non-expanding foam ..." "Barry, Sorry I missed you..." "Who manufactures that foam..." View Comments...
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130 Head flashing applied. I like to cut the housewrap up about 3/4 inch above the window, so it does not have connectivity to water thats gets on the top ledge of the window.
131 Final appearance of a flashed window. Note: contrary to Tyveks instructions, I space tape the head piece also, and use Tyvek tape for that. As far as the angular cuts, I dont use tyvek tape, because I want a more secure seal at that point. Tyvek tape fractures vary easily, once the surface is broken. If my chance a siding nail penetrates the tape, there is a chance of the tape fracturing, exposing the angular cut to a leak, which is very near the window. I feel that the cost of 2 6 inch pieces of straight flash is well worth it in this particular application.
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134 As in every job, the there are budget decisions. This particular window is behind a covered entry way, and is protected by 10 feet of roof cover. Certainly, it will not be subjected to driving rain, as much as a regular wall. In this case. I still used the sloped sill, overlayed the head piece and caulked the window into the opening, just like the rest, I just did not use the pan flashing, nor the straight flash. I taped the flange to the housewrap with the tyvek tape.
Incidentally, e FlexWrap was $191.00 per box, and the Straight Flash was $91.00 per box (75 feet) So it is a very expensive product, but worth its weight in gold when properly integrated. Improperly installed, it is worthless, just like every other building product.
135 Corrugated plastic VRS material, after running over with F150. Scientific testing for compression.
136 End view after compression
137 Complete lineup of corugated plastic sheets. "Great Photos and well thou..." "It is not a special produc..." "Great site by the way. An..." "Canuck50, I struggled wit..." "Well this is Canada and th..." "Actually, Its a relatively..." "Rollie,
Where can I buy..." "Is this a system that will..." View Comments...
138 Housewrap applied, and trim around windows being installed.
139 Gable end housewrap counterflashes roof to wall connection.
140 Vented rain screen (VRS) material behind corner trim, and window trim. VRS is left one inch away from window frame for air/water channel behind trim.
141 VRS at bottom of window. Note: VRS channels running vertical for all horizontal pieces to allow for drainage behind.
142 VRS at window head, also with channels running vertical.
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144 Base piece, ripped to 3 3/4 inches.
145 I ripped a saw kerf thru the base piece, at 2" from one side. Set the saw blade so that you cut the back, and all the channels, but not the top surface
146 Base piece was then folded along the saw kerf, which has a 2" and 1 3/4 inch legs.
147 VRS at bottom of siding is 2 layers thick, one(nearest wall) with channels running vertically, for water to drain out, and the other can either run vertically, or horizontally, in this case, its horizontally, because of the longer lengths involved. We will be integrating a "bug screen" to close off channels, but I did not have the product onsite when I set up these pictures. The second layer is basically a furring layer to give the siding proper slope for the bottom course.
148 I snapped a line 2 1/2 inches above the bottom edge of the siding, and attached a 6 inch rip of galvanized insect screen.
149 The I attached the base piece of the VRS along the top of the line.
The double thickness allows for the lap siding to show the appropriate lap, and also increases the drainage and air flow on the bottom.
150 Then, the insect screen is folded up over the entire base assembly, and stapled up.
151 Top view down the base ventilation channels, prior to the screen being pulled up.
152 1st row on siding installed. This siding overlaps the entire base assembly by 1/2"
153 Siding being installed.
154 Air space behind siding for dissipation of water vapor, and drainage channel for bulk, wind driven water.
155 Found a couple neat spacers for fibre cement, that eliminates snapping lines. I have another set of guages by Malco that we are using for most, but these knock off spacers, work really good for small pieces, where the malco guage was not that great.
156 Noon till rained out at 4, VRS, and that much siding. Keep in mind, that were doing R&D and photography as we go, and expect the process to speed up in the next couple of days as everyone involved gets more familiar with the details. Today, it was Delores son, Grandson,(sophmore in HS, and myself. Opening day of duck season took a toll on working this morning, hehehe
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163 Blown in stablized cellulose insulation being installed throughout these next pictures.
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171 Closed cell urethene foam was installed in the rim joist area for insulation value, and because it seals all of the joints in the materials for an airtight assembly through the rim joist area.
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176 This is the start of the installation of the Denarco Sure Seal gasketing. It is a 3/8x3/8, urethene impregnated gasket, that is built with an open cell gasket initially. Since it is open cell, it has the ability to maintain memory, in the case of lumber shrinkage, structural movement, etc. With the urethene impregnation, when the gasket is subjected to 60% or more compression with the drywall applied over top, the urethene cells bond together to give an air tight seal. What you see in this picture, is gasketing applied all the way around the two windows and the sill plate of the exterior wall. Gasketing around the windows and doors stops air movement both ways from the stud cavities to the interior around the trim/extension jambs.
For future reference, any and all openings in the drywall, ar any change of materials from drywall to anything else will be gasketed
177 Here you see the gasketing go from the bottom plate, up the partition stud, and it then climbs onto the top plate of the interior wall and continues around the room till it hits the partition stud, where it goes down and joins onto the bottom plate again. Think of it like an electrical circuit. For the most part, there shouldnt ever be any dead ends of gasketing, it should start at stop in continuity.
Gasketing on the partition stud stops air movement from the exerior wall to the partition wall, and gasketing at the top plate stops air movement from the attic to the interior wall, and vice versa depending on pressure differentials "We do the same thing but f..." View Comments...
178 Here you see the left side of the room, where the gasketing continues around the room, headed towards the other partition wall where I started.
179 Here is the juncture between the attic cieling on the left, and the 2nd story above on the right. Gasketing is on the lower plate coninuous on all outside walls, and it is on the upper plate where there is living/conditioned space above. The gasketing stops air movement in the stud cavity from entering the home at the bottom plate, the floor system above and from the exterior wall above into the floor system below with the gasket on the Microlams.
12-23-05 Note fiberglass insulation peeled back on the left pipe exiting the rim joist, which is the intake for the LifeBreathe ventilation system. Then view pictures 213-216 and see the ramifications of not completing the task at hand.
180 Here you see the bottom plate gasket, and the 3 windows gasketed.. We are approaching the two story entry way now.
181 Here is a short section of wall that goes out to the garage. Note gasketing: bottom plate around door up partition wall stud across top plate all in continuity
182 Here we are climbing from the main level to the upper level, where the gasketing goes from the top plate of the main level, up the partition stud on the knee wall, across the top of the wall,and back down the partition stud to join onto the bottom plate of the uper level. Again, continuity.
183 Here is the gasket being applied to the top plate of the partition walls adjoining the vaulted cieling. It will then continue down the partion stud, and join up with the bottom plate again and continue around the room.
184 Drove to the jobsite Sunday, and found that this section of roof was having some problems with ice damming. As I sat in the adjoining driveway, I contemplated how that could be.
This section of roof is over a vaulted area in the living room, with 4 recessed cans through the air barrier. the other side of the roof is over the master bdrm, and it also has 4 recessed cans thruough the air barrier. All air tight ready housings, but they werent trimmed out yet.
185 I noticed that the ridge vent was completely melted off, but the rake edge still held a full compliment of snow, as it obviously was in a colder environment.
186 Took this picture on the other side, Not the area in the upper right, where it appears to have melted more than the rest of the roof.
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188 Here is the culprit.
A unsealed attic access hatch in the bathroom of the upper level that will be behind the mirror in this room.
This opening was flooding that roof section with heat, and causing the snow to melt. It would then run downthe roof, till it hit the overhangs, where it froze again, and started building ice dams.
Simple fix, is to add the rigid foam insulation to the opening, seal it off, and cover with drywall, which completes the air barrier again.
This is exactly why open soffits from the rooms below into the attic space are so bad. They leak the equivalent of air that this opening did, but you wouldnt know it was happening till something like the ice dams occur.
By the way, its negative 14 degrees this morning. Brrrr.
189 Immediatly after framing the floor, (back in picture #52), we covered the Advantech with 30lb felt, for floor protection through the course of the job.
Since we are going wiht infloor hydronic heat we neede to remove the felt protection, to install the wirsbo piping and the 1 1/2" gypcrete cover. Here is a series of pictures showing how to remove the felt and the benefits. Usually, I wait till after the finish painting is done, but I couldnt do it in this situation. As you can see, there is considerable dirt, dust, mud, drywall compound etc that collects on this membrane and is remove from the structure.
What you end up with is an almost perfect new subfloor again to do finish work on. Finish carpentry dust is considerably easier to manage with a clean floor to begin with. This rids the house of months of dirt, dust and other contaminants.
190 Here you see some prep being done. The Roll-Lath is pulled up, and 90 % of the staples comes with it if you use 1/4 inch staple to hold it down. If you use anything longer, expect to spend time plucking staples and tabs of felt up from the floor, Remember, this is about keeping things as simple as possible,
191 Here you see Jr. pulling the roll lath up
192 Heres a pic of the staples that stay in the roll lath. Make sure and run the staples parallel to the roll lath, and they will come up easier
193 This is how the floor looks when the felt is removed, no cleanup has been done to this area.
Yes, there will be a little discoloration, from the felt, but.... the benefits are what really matters.
194 Down the hallway
195 Here is the master bedroom, No cleanup has been done on this yet either.
196 Here bob is rolling up the felt and debris, We cut around the perimeter, so we dont get tar marks on the wall when rolling it up. Obviously, its more important when the walls are finish painted
197 Wow, its nice to have all that junk out of the house, isnt it? No matter how many times you sweep drywall compound, it always produces more dust. This gets it out of the house for good. "Genius...." View Comments...
198 Infloor hydronic heat installed on main level. USG Levelrock to follow tomorrow. "One would think the level ..." "Kevin, No doubt it adds mo..." View Comments...
199 Rest in Peace Dolores. 3/2/15
200 Here they are pouring the 1st 3/4 inch layer of USG Levelrock
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202 1st layer completed. Second layer can folllow 45 minutes later.
203 Second layer being applied
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205 Screeding/leveling 2nd layer
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209 Between the completion of the drywall, LevelRock installation, and the finish painting, the house took on a tremendous humidity load, as evidenced by the condensation on the windows and doors.
210 Time to flush the house of this moisture load.
211 Time to exchange the interior air with fresh, dry exterior air. By far, the easiest and cheapest way to dehumidify your home during construction in the winter time.
212 Creates quite a fog when it hits the cold air temps outside, which were about 0 at the time
213 Heres a small area, where the interior paint wont dry. Some detail got missed in the rim joist area to cause this to occur.
This can also happen at a attic intersection, when you dont install a wind baffle, or there are voids in the insulation at this point.
214 we cut the floor out of the upper bedroom and found the the heating contractor forgot to bring the insulation and vapor retarder back to the intersection of of the sprayed foam rim joist insulation.
This pipe is the intake to the Lifebreathe HRV.
Simple fix, to a missed detail. Note the frost build up on the pipe collar
215 Not all water problems originate with exterior bulk water.
Pay attention to the details!
216 Some of the ice would melt, and dampen the drywall, causing it to cool, and the paint not to dry. Long term effects would have been stained drywall, interior mold and potentiall rot of the top plates
217 Nothing wrong with the duct installation, just a forgotten detail on the inside.
When you have extreme temperatures, like we have here, you need to pay attention.
I did a search for rainscreen details at windows, and it eventually got me to the Dolores house. I am a construction defect expert and have a unique situation for which we are searching for a viable alternative to the existing defective assembly, and I want to thank you for the GREAT shared documentation of your projects. Some of what I learned will probable be adapted into our solution, but it will be proprietary due to the unusual siding and Chinese manufactured windows, both of which lack critical installation instructions. Coupled with the dearth of good detailing of rainscreen details at window and door trim, we will undoubtedly need to construct a test assembly since all of the siding is coming off this horribly botched 3 story home. Very grateful. - John Markarian, Tue, 5 Dec 2023 2:00PM
have you documented or posted post-construction lessons learned, such as how effective was interior air sealing techniques. I am a novice. Building a small sound proof decoupled room in basement and trying to figure out all details to air seal and this reduce noise. I am dealing with ductwork of course and rotten, poorly insulated rim joists. Just moved into 30 year home. It's been an education - Ryan Miday, Tue, 29 Jun 2021 7:49PM
Thanks for sharing Rollie :) - Ryan Kerr, Thu, 4 Feb 2021 7:12PM
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Hi, I was researching house wrap and found this site through a link posted by SuzieSnowflake on GardenWeb.com. Thank you for this documentary. I learn best by seeing and you've clarified a lot of abstract concepts for me. I have more questions for you, if you wouldn't mind emailing me. Thanks again for all your hard work. - Bob Corcoran, Thu, 11 Apr 2013 1:46PM
Priceless. Bookmarking for future reference. Many many thanks to a fellow Iowan. - Gordon Taylor, Wed, 29 Feb 2012 9:52PM
found through GBA - have bookmarked for future reference (hope to be able to use the wealth of knowledge complied here!) - David (architect) - David Gregory, Fri, 7 Oct 2011 12:45AM
I am researching techniques to add exterior, rigid foam insulation to existing construction and found your site in a blog. - Ross Klooster, Sun, 7 Aug 2011 2:53PM
I live in Louisiana and was researching information on rainscreens, which ended with me viewing your site. Thank you for all the time you spent on documenting the constuction project. I cannot tell you how many times I get great descriptions of a process...but never get to view the process. Your documentation is the best!!! Thank you again. - Pat Potier, Wed, 22 Jun 2011 4:51PM
Nice site Rollie....great detail in Deloris' house - Tim, Fri, 8 Oct 2010 7:07PM
Brilliant. Thinking of building, probably building using the REMOTE style (with insulation on the outside, rather than inside the framing. But your detailing gives me a lot of information on what I need. - PaulL, Mon, 2 Aug 2010 1:33AM
Randy,
I tried to email you some info on Delores house, but your email bounced. - Rollie, Thu, 1 Apr 2010 6:27PM
Rollie,
I never tire of reviewing you tutorial on Delores' house. I consider it the gold standard. Can I ask how much it cost to build that house with that level of quality? How many square feet was it? Thanks for taking the time to creat that. Randy - Randy Perry, Mon, 22 Mar 2010 6:06PM
interesting stuff, thanks, a friend recommended site - tom northrop, Thu, 18 Feb 2010 2:02PM
found this from gardenweb.com
haven't looked yet - scott owens, Thu, 28 Jan 2010 7:55PM
Thank you very much for all the time you took to make this possible
Found your site via a link from Garden Web. Amazing stuff. I'm going to show this to our construction manager. I think it will really help us get a tight efficient house. Thanks! - JACQUELINE STONE, Sat, 17 Jan 2009 6:19AM
researching new code requirements which are advocating rainscreen design and installation....gardenweb google - rich, Tue, 26 Aug 2008 3:59PM
Thanks! We found this site through Owner-Builder and found the level of detail very informative. Your pictures sure make the notes on the blueprints MUCH more understandable! Kudos to you~ D&D - Doug & Debbie Todd, Sat, 2 Aug 2008 3:58PM
Hi, We are in the process of building a home and found this site through a link on gardenweb. You have put together a very helpful, well illustrated guide for quality home construction. Thanks! - Julie Q, Thu, 10 Jul 2008 8:10AM
Rollie, Checked out your site from a link at BaH Gardenweb. Wished I had read this before I started building. Very clean and well descibed steps. Maybe next time! - Matt, Wed, 9 Jul 2008 1:26PM
Thanks for doing this, I have quite alot from your build. I saw the link to this at gardenweb - zack , Tue, 1 Jul 2008 4:09AM
Hi, found your web site while surfing "rebar, rusty, cracked, retaining wall, repair" which took me to HomeBuilderBook which in turn poited me to your site. Thank you for the very specific and detailed information. - Jenny, Wed, 11 Jun 2008 6:43AM
Thanks for the education, I'm printing it out to show my GC - Emily, Sat, 7 Jun 2008 6:51AM
Great blog! I found it through Garden Web. I'm going to be building my own house soon, and am gathering ideas and knowledge. Thanks for the info! - Jay DeBree, Sun, 1 Jun 2008 5:31AM
Thanks for sharing your knowledge and expertise! I'd buy the book!! I followed a link from Gardenweb to find you. - Charlotte Faller, Sat, 31 May 2008 9:02PM
Found your site because it was mentioned on Gardweb.com forum as a great place to learn what good building practices should look like. As someone getting ready to have a custom home built, I figure the more I know to watch out for, the less likely I am to get badly burned. I chosen a builder that I trust ("knock wood") will do a good job for me but like the old saying once used in relation to the nuclear arms treaty, "trust and verify!" Thanks for the info. - Bev, Thu, 8 May 2008 10:55AM
very nice chronological construction photos - Bert Thomas, Mon, 14 Apr 2008 12:25AM
Who manufactures that foam gun & canister? Thanks. - Dave, Thu, 18 Oct 2007 6:17PM
I wish we could clone you so more of us could take advantage of your knowledge! - mary schneider, Mon, 15 Oct 2007 8:55PM
Just wanted to applaud your work, attention to detail, and efforts in creating this site with your documentation. You have given me a lot of insight as to how the buildup goes, and I look forward to using some of your strategies on my own work. Thank you again and good luck with your next project. - Joseph Killen, Tue, 24 Apr 2007 8:51AM
Rollie,
Great service you have provided for homeowners here. I thank you and appreciate the time and effort you puet into making this available to all of us.
Nice pics so far. Hope to see more builders using sound "Building Science" techniques. That will make the selection of a contractor for my own arguably "superinsulated" home in NH that much easier. I have been researching technique and materials for some time. Project is two years away. - Dick Russell, Wed, 6 Dec 2006 6:12PM
I am building a house in the next 3 months, and I want to be able to know if my contractor is doing the right thing - ALICIA RODRIGUEZ, Tue, 26 Sep 2006 10:20AM
Thank you so much. I am just learning about construction techniques and your site is inspiring. - Veronica Hansen, Tue, 5 Sep 2006 8:58AM
Thanx for putting this pictorial together. Very educational, a must read for any construction student! - J. Morales, Sat, 2 Sep 2006 7:25AM
GREAT web site. I found it on the Homeowners Against Deficient Dwellings Headline News page. Everyone building a new home or doing remodeling should view this site and insist that the builder view it as well. www.hadd.com - Nancy Seats | www.hadd.com, Sat, 5 Aug 2006 8:54AM
thank you so much for taking the time and effort to keep this site. i am here, invited by alison, as we are to begin building our panelized home in north central idaho within the next couple of years - we are in the land buying phase now and do not intned to move until 2010.
there is so very much to learn just know know enough to be an informed consumer when having someone else do the actual building.
thanks for taking to post these pictures and details, it is very informative and has helped me more than you can imagine, thanks again - Kerry, Thu, 5 Jan 2006 11:48AM
Thanks Rollie. I plan to build in mid '06 and this will be very helpful. - Terry, Sat, 24 Dec 2005 7:53PM
Thank you! The pictures you took at every step for preperation and installation is very helpfull. Pictures do say a thousand words! - angelb, Fri, 2 Dec 2005 11:22PM
good stuff, certainly not how it is done by most "production" builders - chris, Tue, 29 Nov 2005 4:51AM
awesome job! thanks for sharing some alternative and extreme methods that differ from the "norm". very much needed. you are a great giver!!! - mark & barbara, Sat, 26 Nov 2005 3:59PM
Wow, thanks for all your efforts. Makes me cringe when I think of our past window installs. Will definitly be showing this to the DH before we start the addition. - Dian, Thu, 24 Nov 2005 4:05PM
great job!.. thanks for sharing bro! - Mani, Sun, 20 Nov 2005 5:42AM
Dude, if I didn't think you were insanely busy, I'd ask you to consult on my house in Omaha. We start digging in July/Aug. - jason, Sat, 19 Nov 2005 2:04AM
Pollie: WOW!! Great job. By all means please proceed. Thanks - jimmac, Thu, 17 Nov 2005 11:49AM
Thank you for this...we want to build next year. We want to spend our time and money right the first time...thanks for helping us in that goal! (I found your site on gardenweb.com) - Lais, Wed, 2 Nov 2005 7:51PM
Starting construction soon and I'll make sure the contractor looks at this -- especially the windows. - Paco, Tue, 25 Oct 2005 4:51PM
Excellent!! Came here via a post on the Motley Fool home contruction board. Very useful--hope you can continue with other projects. - Kabh, Fri, 21 Oct 2005 10:00PM
Definitely defines and details the importance of the parts the typical homeowner never sees. Great Job...Please continue - Birdman, Wed, 19 Oct 2005 5:23PM
waiting to see your insulation photos! Thank you very much! - New_in_FL, Fri, 7 Oct 2005 6:52PM
Great stuff - really appreciate the time you've taken to put into this! - Joe, Wed, 14 Sep 2005 8:27PM
Good stuff Rollie you should publish this when you're done! - Smokychimp, Thu, 8 Sep 2005 8:59AM
Thanks....VERY helpful and much appreciated! - Reagan01, Wed, 7 Sep 2005 3:33PM
Thank you so much! A fantastic way for beginners like me to learn what to do - and what to watch out for! - cal_dreamer, Tue, 6 Sep 2005 7:55PM
We're not worthy!!! Thanks for your awesome pictorial! - HalfBarnRanchJake, Sat, 3 Sep 2005 7:24AM
Great stuff Rollie, many thanks for showing all of us the RIGHT way to build! - ERLA, Wed, 31 Aug 2005 7:58AM
Wow! this is a wealth of knowledge, thanks for sharing with us all. - jrubus, Wed, 24 Aug 2005 4:44AM
What a great resource! Thanks - George, Thu, 18 Aug 2005 4:46AM
Great for a beginner just educating herself in the building process. Thanks. - Barbara Wright, Tue, 9 Aug 2005 10:26AM
wish this showed stick built as that is what we will end up doing -- any books that give this close a teaching venue for home buyer's education. - Loves2read, Sat, 6 Aug 2005 8:18PM
Thank you Rollie!!! This photo album is invaluable. It will show home buyers what the work their builder is doing should look like (in most cases). It will also teach the less than competent builders out there how to do the job right. Can you do one for each climate? :-) - SuzieSnowflake, Wed, 20 Jul 2005 8:06AM
Thank you for my house we will make it. This info will really help others too. - Happy Process, Sat, 9 Jul 2005 8:11PM
Visitors, Please sign the guestbook. It will help me decide whether to proceed with this project or not. - Rollie, Wed, 6 Jul 2005 12:34PM