Some ideas for you to review if buying into a new housing development
The most important areas to keep a close eye on are the construction details, especially the ones that transition from dissimilar materials:
the window to the frame of the home,
roof flashing to exterior walls to keep running rain water off of the wall, and
the deck attachment to the home.
These are the most common areas for moisture intrusion in many claddings. These photos showcase some other areas that can sometimes be problematic. Your key to quality construction is in making sure that the details are implemented in the field (in other words-for your house) correctly! For more specific examples of what these special transition areas could, or should, look like; go to the “details” section of this website. There are 3 dimensional drawings in this website to help you understand some example details.
Sto also highly recommends StoGuard, the spray-on housewrap under most other claddings. Sto believes that StoGuard is the best secondary air and moisture barrier system available at an affordable price. The seamless and extra-heavy duty nature of the protection works exceedingly well as a general moisture and air barrier system, more effective than a building wrap. Very important-all windows, doors and other rough openings should receive a full treatment of StoGuard in order to protect these most vulnerable areas. This website has detail drawings on how to protect rough openings using StoGuard.
9 things to look for to protect your investment
1) Ask your builder for their designs on how he/she has done the flashing and to show you where it is. You should review some important areas such as underneath the window itself but on top of the wood framing around it. Is there something there to divert water that may come through a leaky window to the outside of the cladding or is the window just sitting directly on top of the wood framing? A common name for this type of flashing is “sill pan flashing” because it fits under the window sill, catches water like a pan, and then directs or forces it to the outside of the wall. Walk by another house that the builder is building that is still in the framing and window stage and see what is done. In testing done by Sto, many windows leak, especially at the corners where the materials just butt against each other. If it is a metal window, are these seams soldered or closed in some way?
2) If there is a housewrap of some sort, does it wrap inside the window all the way to the back of the window opening and have some sort of rubber or other water proof material tape over the inside corner seams?
3) Is there a piece of flashing (preferably metal) above the window that starts against the sheathing and underneath the housewrap and then continues out and over the window to divert water coming sheeting down the walls to go over the window instead of onto the window?
4) Does the house design call for roof overhangs or eaves? Some builders like to minimize these to save material costs but they are a simple and very effective way to keep water off your house and to minimize water intrusion problems. They simply work like an umbrella. If the house has some, are they greater than 4-6 inches out from the wall? The larger the overhang, the better protected your house will be. Overhangs 12 -24 inches long are preferred.
5) If a housewrap is used, does the higher piece overlap over the lower piece? It must or the water that comes in contact with the top piece will flow into your wall instead of away from it. Sheet goods or building felt sometimes get installed incorrectly so that they overlap in the wrong direction, the bottom piece over the top piece. If done correctly, the housewrap should overhang or overlap at least 2 inches according to most manufacturers. Check the manufacturer’s recommendations for specific requirements.
6) Look at your rooflines. Follow where water will flow down when it rains heavily. If rain overwhelms the gutter system, will it run down a wall or out away from the wall? This can happen with a complicated roofline and especially when one section of the roof intersects a vertical wall. In these areas, demand metal step-down flashing that has a “kick-out” at the very end. This kick-out will direct the water away from the wall so it will not run down the wall looking for ways to enter the house.
7) How is the deck attached to the house? Is it attached through the siding or isolated with flashing behind and from the siding? The flashing is required. Is there a piece of metal flashing behind the wood decking but before the wall/foundation itself? If properly attached, there should be a piece of flashing to direct water that follows the wood back away from the house.
8) Check around windows and doors and around anything penetrating the exterior skin of the home. Is there a good caulk or sealant in a single bead around the item? It should not look like the installer is using it as a putty to close off any potential holes. To be done correctly, there should also be a product behind the caulk called a “backer rod”. This is a closed-cell piece of foam that is flexible to move with the joint and to make sure that the caulk/sealant doesn’t stick to both sides and the back of the area that the installer is trying to seal. If the caulk/sealant also sticks to the back of the area, then it will not be able to move effectively with the house and it will most likely fail prematurely.
9) Keep landscaping from piling up against the cladding. Most wall claddings are not qualified to be “below grade” and water can seep or migrate in through them. |