house wrap and rigid board
rjwassink67
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
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PPF.
5 years agoSummit Studio Architects
5 years agoRelated Discussions
House Wrap--Perforated or not?
Comments (6)"He feels non-perforated wrap won't allow the house to breathe." Houses don't need to breathe. Unless the house is less than .25 air changes per hour, you do not have to introduce make up air. It takes a lot of detail work to reach this level of air tightness. Houses should be built tight, and ventilated right. 'Breathing' houses are leaky houses that breathe through cracks in walls, ceilings and bring in dust, insulation particles, and humidity. the only way to determine the tightness of a structure is to test it. this is usually done with blower doors to determine air changes per hour. That said...in my hot humid climate we often use foil faced closed cell insulation boards to the exterior wall. using a house wrap over this install reduces the R-value of the sheathing board. When all seams are taped, all holes are sealed this is our vapor barrier to the exterior. hot humid climates have this vapor barrier location, it changes with different climates. in homes with brick exterior we use the foil faced boards, some builder's insist on housewrap, so it is a chosen battle to ok the install next to the studs with foil sheathing boards over the housewrap. costs the home owner more, and labor to install, but R-value of sheathing is not devalued, and with R-15 in a 2x4 wall..with foil/foam sheathing..is R-20+ also the foam to the exterior of studs reduces thermal bridging..but that is off topic. I would discuss this more with this person. If they are not informed about the use of housewraps, permability and install you may have to eudcate yourself and then them and make sure the folks actually doing the install have the best info. best of luck....See MoreRigid Foam Insulation on outside walls
Comments (25)Here's a bit more info to give you a better idea. Zone 5B, Cold winters, hot summers (rarely humid but like this year...humid and hot summer!) My walls will be 2x6 with either dense fiberglass or mineral wool insulation (products readily available locally). My current debate among my thoughts is trying to decide about the WRB (MY HOUSEWRAP) and at what tier/level/plane to install it (Or even two). Windows are not permanent, and in a forever home (God willing), windows will need to be replaced in the same lifetime I live. Therefor, I don't want to choose some method that would hinder future upgrades/replacement. (Such as installing foam over a flange so it must be cut out, or installing a type of flashing that requires more of the foam wall or window box to be torn out to replace the next time around. I am debating between a quality house wrap to prevent moisture and also act as an *air* barrier not a *vapor* barrier. Basically, on a cool winter day with 50 MPH Wind, I don't want that wind (air) easily permeating through the house because I will a.) not be sealing the joints of foam b.) possibly not even taping the foam joints c.)not going to use any internal poly as a air or vapor barrier. I am not sealing the foam joints because foam shrinks and expands and those joints will not stay tight forever. If I have the luxury, I will install (2) layers of 1" thick versus (1) layer of 2" thick to provide staggered joints and prevent air from moving inwards that much more. There is a wealth of information on greenbuildingadvisor, but it seems to boil down to personal preference on two things. One being that I can opt for innie (windows set towards the OSB wall sheathing layer) or outie (windows that are at the most exterior plane as possible). And we all know that flashing a window opening is important for multiple reasons, and that the standard way includes integrating your house wrap (WRB) into the rough opening with multiple methods. I would like to use a flexible peel & stick flashing that will seal to/against the house wrap. My concerns for those who have rigid foam on the exterior are a.)where did you locate a house wrap (Or WRB)? and b.)in what fashion did you set your windows? It varies by foam thickness, but generally 1.5"+ of foam requires framing out a window frame/buck for window support whereas under 1.5" doesn't seem to need the additional support. And of course the other option is the fasten the window like standard construction, on the sheathing level right against the sheathing (osb in my situation) and into the studs. This would then mean I would either use the WRB at the same time to detail the window opening, or perhaps not. But also means I would have to design a custom flashing to cover the exposed foam around the window, since the window is set inside from the foam and siding. I am surprised house wrap (a WRB) seems to not be the norm. It is here...and it is something I do not want to overlook. My understanding is that in new construction with rigid on the outside, builders extend the window opening (like you said Mushcreek) to the same thickness as the foam, therefore that foam will not have an exposed edge. I read on GBA that instead people build plywood boxes for the windows the thickness of the foam + 3/4" and then use a 1x3 or 1x4 flat around the window opening fastened thru the foam into the window opening studs. Then the window flange is fastened to this flat 1x3 or 1x4 frame, and it also brings the window out the extra 3/4" so that 3/4" firing strips can be used to install siding. I do not think house wrap *over* the extended window frame would be as effective as if I just installed the windows flush with the foam level, allowing my flexible sticky flashing tape to easily fold over the opening and adhere to the foam. ---starting to think I should just not be so concerned about this detail. Turning my hair grey....See MoreTyvek "DrainWrap vs. Tyvek "HomeWrap" with James Hardie Lap Siding
Comments (7)Ditto Worthy and JDS, Best would be 3/8-3/4" strapping with coravent or crafted insect screen at top and bottom. Any flat non-woven housewrap like 15# felt, standard tyvek or typar would be fine in that application if not using a WRB integrated structural sheathing like Huber Zip. If installers aren't comfortable with a true rainscreen strapping, then homeslicker would be next best followed by drainable housewraps. We've used 3d mesh like homeslicker behind shingles but not lap siding as I've read it can become wavy. Good job researching best siding practices. I don't think any siding should be installed flat against structural sheathing with standard housewraps in any climates except very dry. Non-insulated vinyl being an exception as it creates it's own rainscreen. Check out Matt Risinger's video to see a performance experiment between regular tyvek and stuccowrap. Speaking of which, I hope you are including exterior foam or similar performing wall details....See MoreNo house wrap
Comments (11)And unfortunately, that will zero good if he is just applying it those locations. I would be very wary of removing nearly 20 year old vinyl and not counting on some pieces breaking and not getting a matching board (certainly not one that will match the weathered board). What is the issue that prompted his inquiry here? Is there an active leak? There is an old saying that is don't fix something that isn't "broken". Lack of WRB is not a good thing, but if it hasn't leaked yet, the only foreseeable benefit here is in additional air tightness of the structure. If that is bothersome, I you would be looking at air sealing and insulation along with a new siding project down the road....See Morerjwassink67
5 years agoworthy
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agorjwassink67
5 years agoworthy
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoulisdone
5 years agoCharles Ross Homes
5 years agoworthy
5 years agolast modified: 5 years ago
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