dmccarty
Super Star Member
I did not see any wall details on the link the OP provided. What I did see, seemed to be wood applied to the SIP. If that is true, don't run away from those homes, get in fast car and drive away as fast as you can go.
Where to go you ask? Go to Building Science Corporation | Consulting & Architecture and start reading. Buy Joe Lstiburek's building guide that is specific for your climate, Builder's Guides | Building Science Corporation. Looks like they are mostly on PDF now. The books have very specific building details for foundation, roof, walls, etc for specific climates.
Look at the wall details for a drain plane or rain screen. The OP's link does not seem to have a drain plane between the SIP and wood. That is just asking for trouble.
I used Lstiburek's guide for our climate when I designed and specified details for your house.
I spent years looking at different building materials and details from log homes, log kit timber homes, modular, ICF, stick built, rock, rammed earth, multisided homes, steel, etc. What made the most building and money sense was to just stick build with the correct details. We have 2x6 walls for extra insulation, with 1-2" rigid insulation, simple batt insulation in the walls, with blown insulation in the attic. I think the attic is R40. Our house is brick and we have no problem what so ever with air leaks from the wall. None. Lstibureks wall design that we used, from the inside out, is as follows:
One of the key deails is the air gap. Bricks can, and almost certainly will, leak water from the outside to the inside brick face. The air gap prevents any water from touching the structure of the house and the water will drain down the interior of the brick wall. There should be weep holes in the brick to allow any water to get out. In our case, we have large roof overhangs to allow sunlight to enter the house for passive solar heat gain in the winter but the overhang shades the windows in the summer preventing heat gain. The other added benefit for the large overhangs is rain water can't get to the wall.
In the OP's link, where does the rain go when it gets behind the pretty wood exterior? That is the key question. An answer of the house wrap will protect the SIP would make me get a speeding ticket as I drove away.
When we were working on the details of the house back in 2005, I read the manufacturer installation requirements and warranty information for some of the house wrap brands. I was NOT impressed. What I was reading stated that the material was a vapor barrier and was not going protect against water getting into the structure. Furthermore, the warranty was all about how the material had to be installed and it was obvious the warranty was worth less than the PDF file containing the warranty. The installations I had seen as I passed by houses on construction would not have met the warranty requirements, and frankly, some of the installations defied what should be common sense. More than a decade has passed since I read up on house wraps so maybe things have improved.
Since I am yacking about walls, I remember the plastic like "stucco" that was applied to houses a few decades back. That crap really mess up some homes and led to some very expensive repairs. I know of two homes in expensive neighbor hoods that had to redo the exterior walls because of that cra...p. The "stucco" actually kept water out but it also would not let water out. Water would get behind the "stucco" because it was not applied correctly, it would crack, etc. Once the water was behind the "stucco" it had not way out. Twas a rain/water screen design/build issue.
Flip side, I saw houses in Florida around 1990 with 4x8 wall sheathing. There was no siding per say. The houses were simply painted or maybe using this "stucco". Whatever was used, water was getting into the exterior and the edges of the sheathing were expanding and very noticeable. :shocked: SCARY it was. I did not have a fast car back then, but I got in what we had, and drove away as fast as the car would go. :shocked:
Later,
Dan
Where to go you ask? Go to Building Science Corporation | Consulting & Architecture and start reading. Buy Joe Lstiburek's building guide that is specific for your climate, Builder's Guides | Building Science Corporation. Looks like they are mostly on PDF now. The books have very specific building details for foundation, roof, walls, etc for specific climates.
Look at the wall details for a drain plane or rain screen. The OP's link does not seem to have a drain plane between the SIP and wood. That is just asking for trouble.
I used Lstiburek's guide for our climate when I designed and specified details for your house.
I spent years looking at different building materials and details from log homes, log kit timber homes, modular, ICF, stick built, rock, rammed earth, multisided homes, steel, etc. What made the most building and money sense was to just stick build with the correct details. We have 2x6 walls for extra insulation, with 1-2" rigid insulation, simple batt insulation in the walls, with blown insulation in the attic. I think the attic is R40. Our house is brick and we have no problem what so ever with air leaks from the wall. None. Lstibureks wall design that we used, from the inside out, is as follows:
- Drywall
- 2x6 wood studs with batt insulation
- OSB wood sheathing
- 20/4# building paper. Forgot which but it is in the plans.
- 1 or 2 inch rigid insulation with the seems taped. Forgot if thickness and would have to check the plans.
- Air gap
- Brick.
One of the key deails is the air gap. Bricks can, and almost certainly will, leak water from the outside to the inside brick face. The air gap prevents any water from touching the structure of the house and the water will drain down the interior of the brick wall. There should be weep holes in the brick to allow any water to get out. In our case, we have large roof overhangs to allow sunlight to enter the house for passive solar heat gain in the winter but the overhang shades the windows in the summer preventing heat gain. The other added benefit for the large overhangs is rain water can't get to the wall.
In the OP's link, where does the rain go when it gets behind the pretty wood exterior? That is the key question. An answer of the house wrap will protect the SIP would make me get a speeding ticket as I drove away.
When we were working on the details of the house back in 2005, I read the manufacturer installation requirements and warranty information for some of the house wrap brands. I was NOT impressed. What I was reading stated that the material was a vapor barrier and was not going protect against water getting into the structure. Furthermore, the warranty was all about how the material had to be installed and it was obvious the warranty was worth less than the PDF file containing the warranty. The installations I had seen as I passed by houses on construction would not have met the warranty requirements, and frankly, some of the installations defied what should be common sense. More than a decade has passed since I read up on house wraps so maybe things have improved.
Since I am yacking about walls, I remember the plastic like "stucco" that was applied to houses a few decades back. That crap really mess up some homes and led to some very expensive repairs. I know of two homes in expensive neighbor hoods that had to redo the exterior walls because of that cra...p. The "stucco" actually kept water out but it also would not let water out. Water would get behind the "stucco" because it was not applied correctly, it would crack, etc. Once the water was behind the "stucco" it had not way out. Twas a rain/water screen design/build issue.
Flip side, I saw houses in Florida around 1990 with 4x8 wall sheathing. There was no siding per say. The houses were simply painted or maybe using this "stucco". Whatever was used, water was getting into the exterior and the edges of the sheathing were expanding and very noticeable. :shocked: SCARY it was. I did not have a fast car back then, but I got in what we had, and drove away as fast as the car would go. :shocked:
Later,
Dan
