Having built (and usually designed, as well) in cold climates for nearly a half century now, I think that the statement that the vapor barrier should be on the INSIDE is perhaps neither the entire, nor the best word on this subject. I have become fully committed to continuous exterior insulation, with sufficient R-value in the exterior foam so that one can still batt the framing cavities (law of diminishing returns says relatively less value in all respects, but keeps the building officials happy) and NOT have condensation in those cavities. Trying to crate an air barrier on the inside surface has been done by myself, and others, and I see all those efforts as doomed to failure; there are too many "loopholes". With the exterior foam, NO vapor barrier on the inside wall surface; that is a future disaster that we settle with the plans examiner way before starting construction. Straightest path to the finish line is to seal at the exterior surface of the sheathing, and be done with it (presupposes conditioned basements, crawlspaces and attics, as well). For myself, I also am fully committed to a 100% liquid applied VP barrier, due to the complexity of projects. I would however, be amenable to a combination of sheet materials, along with judicious use of liquid-applied (think "outie" windows). My experience suggests that a self-adhered material has huge advantages over "dry" wraps. First, it kills air networking between the wrap and the sheathing, and, presumably does a better job of self-sealing at all the fastener penetrations, either the ones to hold it in place, or (of more concern to me) the ones from applying the furring, siding, etc. There is also the issue that "dry" wraps tend to tear more, due to lack of support from the substrate, as would be the case with self-adhered.
Agree. With the use of exterior foams especially, an interior vapor barrier risks trapping moisture in the walls--this also applies to using Zip-R. I live in Minneapolis and follow Green Building Advisor on these matters. It should be noted that Canada still successfully uses interior vapor barriers in addition to exterior foam layers and vapor barriers. But this is because their climate doesn't run the high risk of condensation on the "outside" of the interior vapor barrier that AC can cause in climate zones 6 and lower. Martin Holladay (former GBA editor) sums it up "These days, interior polyethylene is not recommended in most U.S. climates, especially in any home that may be air conditioned during the summer."
@@audiobrad99 And I could not agree more. I did interior polyethylene air barriers starting back in 1968, or thereabouts. And we did 3/4" continuous interior polyiso (with 10 mil poly over, sealed into the electrical boxes) for one one job in the 80's, but I avoid that whole scenario like the plague now. There are too many ways for the interior seal to be subverted, in actual construction practice, and one is left too uncertain about long-term performance and durability.
Thank you both. What you're saying makes complete sense to me. I'm in zone 5 and was super skeptical of what he's saying here. Just seems to be pushing the products, unfortunately.
A comment about damaged house wrap: Some years ago (probably 20+), there was a minor scandal when folks removing siding were finding the Tyvek house wrap in shreds. It did not have excessive UV before being covered and the siding was correctly installed. This was reported in Fine Homebuilding or (New England) Journal of Light Construction (I forget which). duPont did take steps to address the issue, probably by revising their Tyvek product. The point is, there are a lot of houses out there with the old product. If you are a builder/renovator, don't be surprised if you find something as Matt displayed towards the end of the video. Best of luck.
An absolutely critical feature of all Dorken products is that they all begin with dork. And if you like myself lap up every bit of information Matt and like minded builders post you too are a dork.
Matt, have you ever used Solitex Mento 1000? It has an interesting technology to enable vapor permeance without having any micro holes or weaves to achieve it. I'm considering using on my full gut rehab of a 1870s house and would love to hear your take on it!
Thanks for continuing to address this very important element. I'm wondering: are you saying there is no place for the reflective faced wrap in northern climates? Is it because the heating demand is much greater than the cooling? Is there not a reflective material that also has a perm. factor? Thanks again.
Thanks Matt for your videos. I am not a builder and will not likely own a home again, but your videos are very interesting. If I were a builder, I would consider your videos must-see required reviewing.
Watching your channel for a while and I've been doing drywall 20 years in Missouri well I've learned that most of the house's around will not last and do nothing to save on heating and cooling if anything they will cost more than older homes heating and cooling bills. They look good but are made cheap and most are around 250,000 and will have mold within 3 years. Lots of money for a house that could make the home owners sick
Totally agree, I do some residential work in KS/MO and some of the new 600k plus houses “which is a lot for the area” are built horribly almost every shortcut is taken
This is becoming common everywhere. I know builders who will go over various options with clients and the costs. Most of the time, the client will opt for the cheap stuff in order to use the money for a nicer kitchen or bathroom despite the fact that the builder tells them that should invest elsewhere because the kitchen and bathroom can be renovated where as other areas can not be. People seam to stay in a house for only a few years now and then move to a bigger house, or move south once they retire, so they are not looking for anything long term. Higher end houses though, will be built well as people will be staying longer.
I have to say, I really was impressed with Dorken products, but was utterly pissed with their sales team. I understand they want high volumes, but they were all but uncooperative with my small business. Perhaps just one sales person sucked, but they rarely followed up, wouldnt finish my RFQs, and didnt seem to have any means of working with my local distributors as an alternative to going direct. Not sure if it is just the region or what, but I cant buy a product they seem to go out of their way to not sell to smaller outfits. How did you end up getting their products? Direct? Distributors? There are no distributors in my area which is why they put me directly in touch with their regional sales team, but the lack of follow up was frustrating.
@JohnDoe, @TurningShortFinal: We are not proud to hear about your experiences. This is not the level of standard we strive for and will take your feedback as a turning point to do better. If there’s an opportunity to work together in the future or if we can resolve an immediate issue, please email pbarrett@dorken.com.
Does winter damage house wrap more than summer? You mentioned Minneapolis has less UV, but we get a lot of howling wind during the winter and snow. Building an 8x8 treehouse with 4 windows plus skylight and AC.
Yes and no. The products he advertises are the same ones he uses on his builds. It's not like Matt's advertising Dupont, he's advertising a Delta product, which he's used other Delta items before in previous builds.
@@WorldFactions okay yeah he used to use delta, but that whole thing about Northern climate zones was false. Matt's channel has become inspiration for passive house building, and now he's promoting a non passive house product and stating false information. In climate zone 6, we have 80-90+ for at least 3 months and we see below 32 for maybe 1 month.
Exterior foam insulation will create a zero perm exterior regardless of the house wrap. Might be why the mineral fiber board is so popular in the Canadian builds featured on this channel
I live in the northern California valley where it's dry and hot. What would be ideal? Lowe's wrap has a perm 12 while Tyvek has a 54. Any advice would help.
Matt, I spoke to a Tyvek rep 1/26/2023. He said that Dupont no loner approves with non gasketed fasteners. Specifically the 1" crown staples that DuPont makes mension in their document K22331. There are a lot of Tyvek videos our there that show non gasketed staple be used as the primary fastener. What I the use of the non gasketed fastener? Can it be use or no?
Hey Matt, love the channel. Was curious your thoughts and practices for garage doors. I want to make my garage a conditioned space but can find no help on best practices for sealing and insulating. Would love to see a vid with your techniques on your real rebuild. Thanks
You can’t seal or really properly insulate a garage door. You remove it and build a wall. Although they do make insulated G doors. But that’s kinda pointless.
And if you park cars/mowers in your garage, or store items there that release fumes (paints, gas cans, solvents, etc.) you must keep the garage completely sealed off (air and fire and fumes) from the rest of the house. This likely makes it impossible to use the home HVAC to condition the garage because it would create far too many air gaps, etc.
I think the biggest issue om housewraps is wind damage. Even if it is taped and secured, wind will pull staples through the wrap. Pre applying homewrap at framing is a perfect way to ensure a terrible wrap performance
Matt, Most of the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee is Zone 4. I have been struggling on determining on what to do with the outside and inside of my walls. I will be using SIPS outside my timber frame. I originally intended to use Prosoco on the outside of the sips and then create an airgap between the sips and the board and batten. I did not plan to do anything inside as I am going to use a dehumidifier/ERV system. Does this sound like a good idea?
Your past videos use SA foil barriers, wraps "Tyvek", and on some rare occasions, fluid / liquid applied. What is the current day recommendations? I am around the Pittsburgh, Pa. area. I like the idea of a fluid applied over the sheeting, foundation and door/window openings. No "origami" as you put it. I can see the attraction of plastic wrapping for the quick and dirty builder. My dream would be T-studs with 3/4" plywood (not OSB) with a quality commercial fluid rolled on and then 2X layers of 2" comfort board. Are the test panels of barriers you showed still relevant? Thanks for the great video content.
David, you are on the right track in thinking full fluid applied. Be cautious about Tee studs and comfort board, however (and be sure to have lots of cash for 3/4"plywood). It is imperative that any continuous exterior insulation system combined with cavity insulation be balanced in relative R-values across the assembly. To work, without creating damaging repercussions, the dew point MUST be in the exterior insulation layer, per your climatic conditions. If you are using Tee studs, that says to me that the exterior layer R-value will have to be quite high (and Comfort Board is low, per inch), depending on how you complete the cavities. I have done continuous foam on roofs for over 40 years now, but did not do continuous exterior foam on the walls until about 10 years ago. We had to have a HERS rating of less than 10, to get a building permit for this project. I (contractor) had oversight on the entire wall assembly/ insulation scheme, and knew we had to go for the continuous exterior on the walls. When the HERS rater ran the numbers with 2" polyiso, we hit about HERS 6. The architect asked to reduce to 3/4" polyiso (to save "precious inches of allowable floor space), and the rater ran the numbers again. The HESR rating only changed by 1 or 2, stunning how little difference there was. The catch? The dew point was now in the 2x6 stud wall cavities, under a significant number of days, per our Colorado climate. This translates into rot. Way too risky for me, and my liability insurance carrier. The upside? Continuous exterior insulation is incredibly effective, by the simple fact of ALMOST eliminating thermal bridging. It is not the R-value that governs, but rather the fact that you do it at all. For the project cited, the FG batts were installed and contributed, but the cost benefit and ROI are significantly diminished, because the exterior layer is so effective. It is the Law of Diminishing Returns. This project was a bit ahead of its times. Due to complexity and "outie" windows, I decided that I had to have a liquid applied, VP, SELF-SEALING membrane. We had already been using Rub-R-Wall (hot liquid applied pure rubber, goes on 1/8" to 1/4" thick; totally awesome) for the foundation, with 2 1/8" Perimate foam over. For the walls I sourced a Carlisle commercial product, Barritech VP, offered with a set of complementary products. I did extensive tests with OSB pans, coated with Barritech, peppered with fasteners, and fasteners through foam. Valid test required an air seal over the test pans to prevent evaporation. Final test, the Barritech showed no signs of ANY penetration into the OSB substrate, after 30 days filled with water. House has been operational for 8 years now, functions impeccably. My strong recommendation is put the money into 100% liquid applied and the most exterior R-value you can afford; the rest of the stuff is just along for the ride, and will suck down your wallet disproportionately to the gains you might make. We built in high exposure/ high wind zones, like 130 to 160 mph. 7/16" OSB is a very acceptable sheathing. It is imperative that you mind the cuts and cutouts, block all edges. and follow a rigorous nailing schedule (like 3-4" on all edges, 6" in the field). We use 4x9 and 4x10 sizes extensively, to tie sill and rims and roofs (via blocking) all together: do not underestimate the value of this. There is no need to go heavier, except on roofs, where 5/8" OSB has significantly better (roof) nail holding characteristics.
To elaborate on what @Lee Stevens wrote about the dew point in the wall assembly being in the exterior insulation (outside of the interior face of the sheathing). This requirement is spelled out (more like implied without actual explanation) in the 2012 and above IRC (International Residential Code) section R702.7.1. Code section R702.7 requires class I or II vapor retarders to be used on the interior in certain climate zones. However, if the desire is to make a more vapor open assembly to the interior, a class III vapor retarder may be used if a certain minimum amount of exterior rigid insulation is used, as given in table R702.7.1. Note that as wall stud size increases, which means higher R-value of cavity insulation, the R-value of the exterior insulation must increase also, to keep the dew point outside of the sheathing. This is what @Lee Stevens means when he says "It is imperative that any continuous exterior insulation system combined with cavity insulation be balanced in relative R-values". The proportion of exterior R-value to total wall R-value must remain constant, regardless of wall thickness. For PA zone 5, this proportion is about 27% (of total wall R-value on exterior). 4" of Comfortboard would be well over this minimum even for a nominal 6" framed wall.
@@nomen_meus Excellent addition and elaboration. Once in a while I actually restrain myself, and try to cut things short. I try not to tell anyone what they "should/ must" do, but think it important to try and help guys who are serious, but not quite there yet, to avoid the obvious pitfalls. An implicit goal of my reply was to get folks to think carefully about what the cavity insulation is to be. Someone who is contemplating closed cell spray foam in the walls (utter overkill) along with continuous exterior, has a different scenario than the guy using FG batts in the cavities. My other "hint" was to carefully consider the ROI of the total package. The continuous exterior foam, done properly, is so effective that it makes a serious reduction in the impact of the cavity insulation, which translates to less benefit for any increased costs of "improved" performance. My own experience says the optimum is to keep the framing as simple and conventional possible, which becomes the most cost-effective, then put the most into the exterior layer. The Tee studs are a very interesting product (which I have not used), but they really change a lot of things in a structure, and don't solve all problems as simply or as completely as does the continuous exterior foam.
See, you say certain things are for the scorching hot south, and certain things are for the freezing cold north. But what about the Midwest? I’m in Cincinnati, OH... and I never know which to follow. I’m literally right in between zones 4 and 5. I tend to lean towards the more northern options, but I never really know. I’m not a builder, but I’d like to become one in the future.
What about the "smart" vapor barriers that will allow more vapor out of a wall cavity than in it? Also, does it make sense in the mixed climate zones like mine that can see temps as low as -20 to 100 to have both an exterior and interior vapor barrier?
Absolutely NOT. The wall cavity becomes the moisture trap that leads to eventual destruction. It is hard for most people to realize and embrace, but most vapor barriers are not perfect, at least the ones on the interior of the framing (too many penetrations, and they never get, or stayed, sealed). The consequence is that vapor/ moisture gets into the cavity, past the "barrier". The problem arises because the forces that drive vapor and moisture INTO the cavity are stronger than the forces that will "drive" it back out safely, and drying becomes difficult or impossible. If both sides of the cavity are inhibiting vapor transfer, then you are doomed.
Having watched his channel long enough, if you have the whole outside ripped off, you most certainly should look into adding waterproofing, air sealing, and vapor controls along with insulation. Just realize you may have to pull or replace the existing windows to do it right. And you would then need an hrv/erv to take care of indoor air quality. It all depends on how much you are willing to spend.
In the UK we have Kingspan OPTIM-R vacuum insulation panels with a declared thermal conductivity of 0.007 W/m∙K accompanied with rigid thermoset polyisocyanurate (PIR).
Vacuum insulation works great but you pay a downright absurd price for it. It's also pretty terrible to work with as far as construction goes. You can't alter the panels in any way and for any special sizes you need you either have to have all of the measurements planned out and ordered well ahead of time or you have to use conventional insulation for the areas where you need a custom size. If some installation detail changes slightly that messes up the measurement of one of those custom pieces now it's not going to fit, and hopefully it's too small instead of too large. Attachment is also a big headache. On conventional insulation materials you can drive a screw all the way through the insulation into the sheathing and studs underneath. Putting on siding or a rain screen or making penetrations is no big deal at all. Even after you've dealt with the hassle of construction, you have to deal with that limitation for the lifespan of the building, and that's something that's completely nonstandard that the homeowner will have to be constantly on guard for. New penetrations aren't going to be a realistic option and if the third owner forgets about that and calls the local cable company to add a cable connection on some exterior wall, the installer isn't going to even waste half a second to ask the owner if this is a one in a million VIP insulated house and he's going to drill right through it. Same goes for using it on a roof, the roofing contractor that swore up and down that they're bonded and insured and that fancy insulation is no issue for replacing the shingles is probably going to use roofing nails that are too long and go right through the panels, and no one is going to even discover the issue until all of the extremely expensive insulation is destroyed. That's also probably not something their insurance company would even cover. And if any damage at all occurs to a panel the panel goes from being really great insulation to really bad insulation and something as simple as a little tiny pinhole leak from a nail head protruding into it slightly will destroy it. The only significant benefit it has over conventional insulation is the thickness, and you're making a lot of compromises to go from e.g. 4 inches of closed cell spray foam to 1 inch of VIP. In certain specialty applications like commercial refrigerated buildings it can make more sense.
hi matt, for rainscreen applications with exterior insulation (i.e. rockwool comfortboard), do you recommend using the Delta Vent S on the outside of the insulation (just behind the rainscreen and girts) or behind the insulation (directly against the CMU). thank you!
I know it’s a little off topic, but long story short, I have a East-facing wall that was wrapped in Tyvek HomeWrap the last day of January (located in Monterey, CA) and siding is finally going up in a couple weeks. It’s a few weeks beyond the exposure rating of 120 days. Is it trash or can siding (with rainscreen) go up without worry?
Finally something accurate on here for northern climates. I want to know is it possible to have continuous insulation in the north while still being permeable? And something other than rockwool.
I put up a comment on this about 1/2 hour later. Continuous exterior insulation, if done properly, is the absolute best approach, particularly in cold climates. All other details must be brought into alignment, there are some potential disaster scenarios with mix-and-match approaches.
EPS would be vapor permeable, though not nearly as much as rigid mineral wool (3-5 versus 30 or so). One company (Amvic) is making perforated foil-faced (actually metalized polypropylene) EPS that is about as vapor permeable as unfaced EPS. Mike Holmes has used that up in Canada, with polyethylene vapor barriers on the interior.
I would disagree. I'm in climate zone 6 and would not but vapor impermeable layers on both the inside and outside of a wall assembly. This can trap moisture. If using exterior foam, I would not put a vapor barrier on the interior wall.
Yes, XPS (extruded polystyrene) and EPS (expanded polystyrene) rigid insulation. XPS has higher R-value. I believe there are also some PolyIso insulation brands (advantage of higher R-value) that are Class II (semi-impermeable) and not foil faced.
I've been planning on insulating my garage in southeast TX and found it has no sheeting, no wrap and the existing siding is rotten and it's all that's keeping the structure stiffened. I've been watching your content to get some ideas, and I really love your opinion. I was thinking of just going with a zip system with the liquid flash. Would that be overkill since I'm going to have the garage door on one side that will always be leaking air and radiating into the space. Interested in your opinion.
My thought on this is would you rather have one leaking garage door or four of them? We built a garage here in Ohio a couple of years ago, standard construction, osb sheathing, tyvek house wrap. What I did do though is air seal and insulate as best as I could, we have insulated garage doors, and I foamed any areas that could leak and I used mineral wool insulation. It is unheated but even in negative Temps in the winter I can store cases of water out there and they don't freeze. It adds up, you may want to get a better garage door, but even if you don't the rest of the building being tight will still make a difference.
Matt , I am working on a project and my boss has chosen to use Dow house wrap Weathermate and 1 inch dow foam over a osb 2x4 wall assembly. Where should the house wrap be installed? Over the foam or over the OSB? We are in Texas. The directions For the Weathermate says over the OSB. The direction for the Dow Foam Can not be found on there website for this or any exterior aplication.
Seems like from the other videos he has posted, the wrap would go over the OSB, then cover that with the foam. ruclips.net/video/7YO0t1FtyCg/видео.html ruclips.net/video/5cZ_7ZoWTn0/видео.html ruclips.net/video/-GkJ1GbFtas/видео.html ruclips.net/video/kgw6IABJ_Kw/видео.html
Timely. I'm remodeling my place in Minnesota and had to cut away an entire side of my house to install windows. Now I need to get a new wrap/barrier in place to seamlessly blend the old stucco with the new wall system. Spray foam going in the inside next week, r-guard flashing around the windows, just need to figure out the right wrap to go over the sheathing.
By perfect wall I think you mean a wall where all of the insulation is continuous and outside the sheathing, right? Per Code, the IRC does not forbid a Class I (
Matt- does it make sense to do the details with a higher end house wrap when combining with large sliding windows? I’m in climate zone 3C (Southern CA) on a view lot. I will be installing two 30’ x 9’ Anderson Multi-glide windows. Should I go to the expense of a nice house wrap/insulation with such big openings in the wall?
I live in a place where I have about 180 days of it being hotter outside, and 180 days of it being colder outside. I really don't know where the housewrap should go in this situation.
Would you mind explaining why these are supposed to be better than Tyvek? Tyvek Homewrap and Tyvek Commercial wrap have UV exposure limits of 4 and 9 months, respectively. Delta Vent SA is only 50 days and Delta Fassade SA is 7.5 months. Yes, you showed some beat up Tyvek, but based on the specifications, it seems like Delta would fair no better. They are more expensive for.... what exactly? I don't think it has ever been explained. If it's supposed to hold up better over time, let's see some of that. You did see the results of the J.J. Pickle Research Center after all and posted about it in your blog. (can't see the pictures any more though).
I'm Building in Zone 3-4 i'm on the line so probably zone 4 to be safe everybody talks about Very hot or very cold Zone 4 is very hot in summer and cold in winter in the 20's at night occasionally definitely not northeast cold but it is cold from time to time I am thinking about 2x6 wall with 5.5 inched celluse or open cell spray foam in wall and 8" open cell rough deck with Zip R9 on entire home your thoughts will this work this climate zone
call me un-informed but if a house is being built and you normally would put the house wrap on then the siding but it takes the siding a long time to go up[i.e. the wrap would be exposed for over a year] wouldn't it be best to save the good wrap till its ready so it is protected from uv light and have a temp/sacrificial wrap that is easy to go up for the time being? thinking about it now while typing i can see an argument about windows and doors needing the be watertight as they are installed but baring something large i would think getting a wrap and siding up in a reasonable time would be a priority.
I'm an engineer, chemical, and keep asking myself "what are the units on these permeability numbers being quoted?". Doesn't matter, just here for the general concepts that go into building good structures.
Good question on zip?..we going with Georgia pacific version of zip...delivered this week..be going on soon....I'll have to ask my builder if inside will be wrapped...SC zone 3
ZIP, ESPECIALLY IF WELL DETAILED,tapped etc, is pretty impermeable- soem evidence it can get down to 1.5-or lower -and this is with a product composed of plain OSB on interior side ! Yikes !
I'm not using house wrap I bought cheap mistint exterior latex paint and painting the wood very heavy like to keep the water out OSB is a joke plywood is what you want, and build the roof at least 4 feet past the wall so rain doesn't get the wall wet. Anybody that doesn't build like this should not be a builder.
While I find these videos quite enlightening, the real education needs to take place with the people who write "codes". In a large part of the US, rural building authorities have stopped even inspecting, let alone providing correction. Builders have figured out where to build cheaply with minimal government interaction--and I'm 30 miles from a major city.
Heya Matto, can you consider a build with a built in Lionel train that can disappear after the Christmas season? That would be a game changer for me as well as other observing Christians.
Got excited when you dedicated the show to Northern Climate Zones, but have to say, Pretty disappointed with this video. In NY zone 6, the Canada videos were so helpful, but this video was contradictory and seemed like you're pushing a product you wouldn't use.
The red headed step child of building materials: coatings. Like Rodney Dangerfield, they get no respect. Even though coatings can out perform most "house wraps", they are not labeled a "house wrap" even though they are the only material that can present a monolithic membrane with semi permeable air, water, moisture barrier. C'mon Matt...
Autobiography of a yogi by paramhansa yogananda just read this book before your death. If you want to realize and know that thing living in that body. I said know and realize not just believe(blindly).
Having built (and usually designed, as well) in cold climates for nearly a half century now, I think that the statement that the vapor barrier should be on the INSIDE is perhaps neither the entire, nor the best word on this subject. I have become fully committed to continuous exterior insulation, with sufficient R-value in the exterior foam so that one can still batt the framing cavities (law of diminishing returns says relatively less value in all respects, but keeps the building officials happy) and NOT have condensation in those cavities. Trying to crate an air barrier on the inside surface has been done by myself, and others, and I see all those efforts as doomed to failure; there are too many "loopholes". With the exterior foam, NO vapor barrier on the inside wall surface; that is a future disaster that we settle with the plans examiner way before starting construction. Straightest path to the finish line is to seal at the exterior surface of the sheathing, and be done with it (presupposes conditioned basements, crawlspaces and attics, as well). For myself, I also am fully committed to a 100% liquid applied VP barrier, due to the complexity of projects. I would however, be amenable to a combination of sheet materials, along with judicious use of liquid-applied (think "outie" windows). My experience suggests that a self-adhered material has huge advantages over "dry" wraps. First, it kills air networking between the wrap and the sheathing, and, presumably does a better job of self-sealing at all the fastener penetrations, either the ones to hold it in place, or (of more concern to me) the ones from applying the furring, siding, etc. There is also the issue that "dry" wraps tend to tear more, due to lack of support from the substrate, as would be the case with self-adhered.
Agree. With the use of exterior foams especially, an interior vapor barrier risks trapping moisture in the walls--this also applies to using Zip-R. I live in Minneapolis and follow Green Building Advisor on these matters. It should be noted that Canada still successfully uses interior vapor barriers in addition to exterior foam layers and vapor barriers. But this is because their climate doesn't run the high risk of condensation on the "outside" of the interior vapor barrier that AC can cause in climate zones 6 and lower. Martin Holladay (former GBA editor) sums it up "These days, interior polyethylene is not recommended in most U.S. climates, especially in any home that may be air conditioned during the summer."
@@audiobrad99 And I could not agree more. I did interior polyethylene air barriers starting back in 1968, or thereabouts. And we did 3/4" continuous interior polyiso (with 10 mil poly over, sealed into the electrical boxes) for one one job in the 80's, but I avoid that whole scenario like the plague now. There are too many ways for the interior seal to be subverted, in actual construction practice, and one is left too uncertain about long-term performance and durability.
@@leestevens446 Yep. I'm surprised he said that. I'm losing confidence in this channel.
Thank you both. What you're saying makes complete sense to me. I'm in zone 5 and was super skeptical of what he's saying here. Just seems to be pushing the products, unfortunately.
This was very misleading and contradictory to his channel. Should be reported and redone.
A comment about damaged house wrap:
Some years ago (probably 20+), there was a minor scandal when folks removing siding were finding the Tyvek house wrap in shreds. It did not have excessive UV before being covered and the siding was correctly installed. This was reported in Fine Homebuilding or (New England) Journal of Light Construction (I forget which). duPont did take steps to address the issue, probably by revising their Tyvek product. The point is, there are a lot of houses out there with the old product. If you are a builder/renovator, don't be surprised if you find something as Matt displayed towards the end of the video. Best of luck.
Can we just all take a second to marvel at the mullet action at 2:59? You know this guy likes to party.
Hell yeah
We used a double aluminum foil faced board, with clapboard directly over it here in Ct and have had zero issues.
An absolutely critical feature of all Dorken products is that they all begin with dork. And if you like myself lap up every bit of information Matt and like minded builders post you too are a dork.
Most educational, & informative... tks Matt for sharing your expertise...
Matt, have you ever used Solitex Mento 1000? It has an interesting technology to enable vapor permeance without having any micro holes or weaves to achieve it. I'm considering using on my full gut rehab of a 1870s house and would love to hear your take on it!
Thanks for continuing to address this very important element. I'm wondering: are you saying there is no place for the reflective faced wrap in northern climates? Is it because the heating demand is much greater than the cooling? Is there not a reflective material that also has a perm. factor? Thanks again.
Thanks Matt for your videos. I am not a builder and will not likely own a home again, but your videos are very interesting. If I were a builder, I would consider your videos must-see required reviewing.
Watching your channel for a while and I've been doing drywall 20 years in Missouri well I've learned that most of the house's around will not last and do nothing to save on heating and cooling if anything they will cost more than older homes heating and cooling bills. They look good but are made cheap and most are around 250,000 and will have mold within 3 years. Lots of money for a house that could make the home owners sick
Totally agree, I do some residential work in KS/MO and some of the new 600k plus houses “which is a lot for the area” are built horribly almost every shortcut is taken
yesterday I seen some guys putting siding on no house wrap
It's a 260,000 house most of it was wrapped but it was the cheapest wrap you can get and wasn't taped at seems
This is becoming common everywhere. I know builders who will go over various options with clients and the costs. Most of the time, the client will opt for the cheap stuff in order to use the money for a nicer kitchen or bathroom despite the fact that the builder tells them that should invest elsewhere because the kitchen and bathroom can be renovated where as other areas can not be. People seam to stay in a house for only a few years now and then move to a bigger house, or move south once they retire, so they are not looking for anything long term. Higher end houses though, will be built well as people will be staying longer.
I’ve seen some people use ice and water shield for house wrap is that good?
Where does ZIP sheathing fall relative to zero perm, 30-50 perm, or 200-300 perm, and what climate zones can and cannot zip sheathing be used as WRB?
I live in east Texas what house wrap should I use for vinyl siding?
Very interesting new product. Thank you Matt.
have you found a better house wrap product since this video? we live in Arkansas so we have high heat/humidity
Matt, what about using two layers of house wrap to protect the one underneath?
Feel like you were creeping on my browser history today. Spent the morning researching house wraps. 🤣
Woot! He shouted out Minneapolis :)
I have to say, I really was impressed with Dorken products, but was utterly pissed with their sales team. I understand they want high volumes, but they were all but uncooperative with my small business. Perhaps just one sales person sucked, but they rarely followed up, wouldnt finish my RFQs, and didnt seem to have any means of working with my local distributors as an alternative to going direct. Not sure if it is just the region or what, but I cant buy a product they seem to go out of their way to not sell to smaller outfits.
How did you end up getting their products? Direct? Distributors? There are no distributors in my area which is why they put me directly in touch with their regional sales team, but the lack of follow up was frustrating.
I had a similar problem with their sales.
Wow, well here’s some good feedback for their team, hope they read it and use it to improve...
@JohnDoe, @TurningShortFinal: We are not proud to hear about your experiences. This is not the level of standard we strive for and will take your feedback as a turning point to do better. If there’s an opportunity to work together in the future or if we can resolve an immediate issue, please email pbarrett@dorken.com.
@@Bottleworksnet
So did you get your issues resolved? Freek?
@@FreekHoekstra we definitely will!
Hey Matt, I have felt covered gypsum sheathing 1950s house.... how can I seal cavities before reinstalling insulation???
Does winter damage house wrap more than summer? You mentioned Minneapolis has less UV, but we get a lot of howling wind during the winter and snow.
Building an 8x8 treehouse with 4 windows plus skylight and AC.
Is DuPont weather-mate plus house wrap good for Georgia climate? any thoughts compared to tyvek etc? thks
Hi, any study about if the peel and stick house wrap improves heat loss inside out?
Matt, what is your view on armor guard paint products, never have to paint again. Love to see one video about this.
I feel like this channel is about 75 percent sponsored content now.
This was very misleading and contradictory to his channel. Should be reported and redone.
Agreed. No real content, all marketing and only focusing on one manufacturer.
Yes and no.
The products he advertises are the same ones he uses on his builds. It's not like Matt's advertising Dupont, he's advertising a Delta product, which he's used other Delta items before in previous builds.
@@WorldFactions okay yeah he used to use delta, but that whole thing about Northern climate zones was false. Matt's channel has become inspiration for passive house building, and now he's promoting a non passive house product and stating false information. In climate zone 6, we have 80-90+ for at least 3 months and we see below 32 for maybe 1 month.
David Mashiah zone 4 sees 80-100+ for 3-4 months then down to -35 F in winter.
This is what sucks about living in hampton raids Virginia it's super cold for half of the year, then hot and humid the half
if you ever do a episode on paints and stains can you import some "sandoline" to show people. Soaks into wood.
Dörken has a whole commercial line as well, thank you Matt
Exterior foam insulation will create a zero perm exterior regardless of the house wrap. Might be why the mineral fiber board is so popular in the Canadian builds featured on this channel
Moisture in the air will kill it especially with those temp swings. Bad idea
what would you reccomend for zone 4 Marine area (Seattle).
I live in the northern California valley where it's dry and hot. What would be ideal? Lowe's wrap has a perm 12 while Tyvek has a 54. Any advice would help.
I Build in Michigan, are you saying that i should be using a visscreen on the inside over my insulation and then drywall over that?
Matt, I spoke to a Tyvek rep 1/26/2023. He said that Dupont no loner approves with non gasketed fasteners. Specifically the 1" crown staples that DuPont makes mension in their document K22331. There are a lot of Tyvek videos our there that show non gasketed staple be used as the primary fastener. What I the use of the non gasketed fastener? Can it be use or no?
Hey Matt, love the channel. Was curious your thoughts and practices for garage doors. I want to make my garage a conditioned space but can find no help on best practices for sealing and insulating. Would love to see a vid with your techniques on your real rebuild. Thanks
You can’t seal or really properly insulate a garage door. You remove it and build a wall. Although they do make insulated G doors. But that’s kinda pointless.
And if you park cars/mowers in your garage, or store items there that release fumes (paints, gas cans, solvents, etc.) you must keep the garage completely sealed off (air and fire and fumes) from the rest of the house. This likely makes it impossible to use the home HVAC to condition the garage because it would create far too many air gaps, etc.
I think the biggest issue om housewraps is wind damage. Even if it is taped and secured, wind will pull staples through the wrap. Pre applying homewrap at framing is a perfect way to ensure a terrible wrap performance
Matt how would you terminate your house wrap against a fireplace or external brick on a remodel for Houston?
Matt, Most of the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee is Zone 4. I have been struggling on determining on what to do with the outside and inside of my walls. I will be using SIPS outside my timber frame. I originally intended to use Prosoco on the outside of the sips and then create an airgap between the sips and the board and batten. I did not plan to do anything inside as I am going to use a dehumidifier/ERV system. Does this sound like a good idea?
I'm in climate zone 4. What house wrap would be best for my zone?
Nice video. My question with a lot of the products they are not carried at our local Lowes or Home Depot and how do you get these products?
Your past videos use SA foil barriers, wraps "Tyvek", and on some rare occasions, fluid / liquid applied. What is the current day recommendations? I am around the Pittsburgh, Pa. area. I like the idea of a fluid applied over the sheeting, foundation and door/window openings. No "origami" as you put it. I can see the attraction of plastic wrapping for the quick and dirty builder. My dream would be T-studs with 3/4" plywood (not OSB) with a quality commercial fluid rolled on and then 2X layers of 2" comfort board. Are the test panels of barriers you showed still relevant? Thanks for the great video content.
David, you are on the right track in thinking full fluid applied. Be cautious about Tee studs and comfort board, however (and be sure to have lots of cash for 3/4"plywood). It is imperative that any continuous exterior insulation system combined with cavity insulation be balanced in relative R-values across the assembly. To work, without creating damaging repercussions, the dew point MUST be in the exterior insulation layer, per your climatic conditions. If you are using Tee studs, that says to me that the exterior layer R-value will have to be quite high (and Comfort Board is low, per inch), depending on how you complete the cavities. I have done continuous foam on roofs for over 40 years now, but did not do continuous exterior foam on the walls until about 10 years ago. We had to have a HERS rating of less than 10, to get a building permit for this project. I (contractor) had oversight on the entire wall assembly/ insulation scheme, and knew we had to go for the continuous exterior on the walls. When the HERS rater ran the numbers with 2" polyiso, we hit about HERS 6. The architect asked to reduce to 3/4" polyiso (to save "precious inches of allowable floor space), and the rater ran the numbers again. The HESR rating only changed by 1 or 2, stunning how little difference there was. The catch? The dew point was now in the 2x6 stud wall cavities, under a significant number of days, per our Colorado climate. This translates into rot. Way too risky for me, and my liability insurance carrier. The upside? Continuous exterior insulation is incredibly effective, by the simple fact of ALMOST eliminating thermal bridging. It is not the R-value that governs, but rather the fact that you do it at all. For the project cited, the FG batts were installed and contributed, but the cost benefit and ROI are significantly diminished, because the exterior layer is so effective. It is the Law of Diminishing Returns.
This project was a bit ahead of its times. Due to complexity and "outie" windows, I decided that I had to have a liquid applied, VP, SELF-SEALING membrane. We had already been using Rub-R-Wall (hot liquid applied pure rubber, goes on 1/8" to 1/4" thick; totally awesome) for the foundation, with 2 1/8" Perimate foam over. For the walls I sourced a Carlisle commercial product, Barritech VP, offered with a set of complementary products. I did extensive tests with OSB pans, coated with Barritech, peppered with fasteners, and fasteners through foam. Valid test required an air seal over the test pans to prevent evaporation. Final test, the Barritech showed no signs of ANY penetration into the OSB substrate, after 30 days filled with water. House has been operational for 8 years now, functions impeccably. My strong recommendation is put the money into 100% liquid applied and the most exterior R-value you can afford; the rest of the stuff is just along for the ride, and will suck down your wallet disproportionately to the gains you might make.
We built in high exposure/ high wind zones, like 130 to 160 mph. 7/16" OSB is a very acceptable sheathing. It is imperative that you mind the cuts and cutouts, block all edges. and follow a rigorous nailing schedule (like 3-4" on all edges, 6" in the field). We use 4x9 and 4x10 sizes extensively, to tie sill and rims and roofs (via blocking) all together: do not underestimate the value of this. There is no need to go heavier, except on roofs, where 5/8" OSB has significantly better (roof) nail holding characteristics.
To elaborate on what @Lee Stevens wrote about the dew point in the wall assembly being in the exterior insulation (outside of the interior face of the sheathing). This requirement is spelled out (more like implied without actual explanation) in the 2012 and above IRC (International Residential Code) section R702.7.1. Code section R702.7 requires class I or II vapor retarders to be used on the interior in certain climate zones. However, if the desire is to make a more vapor open assembly to the interior, a class III vapor retarder may be used if a certain minimum amount of exterior rigid insulation is used, as given in table R702.7.1. Note that as wall stud size increases, which means higher R-value of cavity insulation, the R-value of the exterior insulation must increase also, to keep the dew point outside of the sheathing. This is what @Lee Stevens means when he says "It is imperative that any continuous exterior insulation system combined with cavity insulation be balanced in relative R-values". The proportion of exterior R-value to total wall R-value must remain constant, regardless of wall thickness. For PA zone 5, this proportion is about 27% (of total wall R-value on exterior). 4" of Comfortboard would be well over this minimum even for a nominal 6" framed wall.
@@nomen_meus Excellent addition and elaboration. Once in a while I actually restrain myself, and try to cut things short.
I try not to tell anyone what they "should/ must" do, but think it important to try and help guys who are serious, but not quite there yet, to avoid the obvious pitfalls. An implicit goal of my reply was to get folks to think carefully about what the cavity insulation is to be. Someone who is contemplating closed cell spray foam in the walls (utter overkill) along with continuous exterior, has a different scenario than the guy using FG batts in the cavities. My other "hint" was to carefully consider the ROI of the total package. The continuous exterior foam, done properly, is so effective that it makes a serious reduction in the impact of the cavity insulation, which translates to less benefit for any increased costs of "improved" performance. My own experience says the optimum is to keep the framing as simple and conventional possible, which becomes the most cost-effective, then put the most into the exterior layer. The Tee studs are a very interesting product (which I have not used), but they really change a lot of things in a structure, and don't solve all problems as simply or as completely as does the continuous exterior foam.
What would you put over Zip R9 in NE? Will be using Hardie Board siding.
See, you say certain things are for the scorching hot south, and certain things are for the freezing cold north. But what about the Midwest? I’m in Cincinnati, OH... and I never know which to follow. I’m literally right in between zones 4 and 5. I tend to lean towards the more northern options, but I never really know. I’m not a builder, but I’d like to become one in the future.
What about the "smart" vapor barriers that will allow more vapor out of a wall cavity than in it? Also, does it make sense in the mixed climate zones like mine that can see temps as low as -20 to 100 to have both an exterior and interior vapor barrier?
Absolutely NOT. The wall cavity becomes the moisture trap that leads to eventual destruction. It is hard for most people to realize and embrace, but most vapor barriers are not perfect, at least the ones on the interior of the framing (too many penetrations, and they never get, or stayed, sealed). The consequence is that vapor/ moisture gets into the cavity, past the "barrier". The problem arises because the forces that drive vapor and moisture INTO the cavity are stronger than the forces that will "drive" it back out safely, and drying becomes difficult or impossible. If both sides of the cavity are inhibiting vapor transfer, then you are doomed.
Would you recommend this for a retrofit on an 86 year old house when replacing the siding? The existing sheeting will remain is diagonal 1x8 oak.
Having watched his channel long enough, if you have the whole outside ripped off, you most certainly should look into adding waterproofing, air sealing, and vapor controls along with insulation. Just realize you may have to pull or replace the existing windows to do it right. And you would then need an hrv/erv to take care of indoor air quality. It all depends on how much you are willing to spend.
Have you come across Vacupore? A vacuum based insulation panel needing 1/10th the thickness of mineral wool?
In the UK we have Kingspan OPTIM-R vacuum insulation panels with a declared thermal conductivity of 0.007 W/m∙K accompanied with rigid thermoset polyisocyanurate (PIR).
Vacuum insulation works great but you pay a downright absurd price for it. It's also pretty terrible to work with as far as construction goes. You can't alter the panels in any way and for any special sizes you need you either have to have all of the measurements planned out and ordered well ahead of time or you have to use conventional insulation for the areas where you need a custom size. If some installation detail changes slightly that messes up the measurement of one of those custom pieces now it's not going to fit, and hopefully it's too small instead of too large. Attachment is also a big headache. On conventional insulation materials you can drive a screw all the way through the insulation into the sheathing and studs underneath. Putting on siding or a rain screen or making penetrations is no big deal at all. Even after you've dealt with the hassle of construction, you have to deal with that limitation for the lifespan of the building, and that's something that's completely nonstandard that the homeowner will have to be constantly on guard for. New penetrations aren't going to be a realistic option and if the third owner forgets about that and calls the local cable company to add a cable connection on some exterior wall, the installer isn't going to even waste half a second to ask the owner if this is a one in a million VIP insulated house and he's going to drill right through it. Same goes for using it on a roof, the roofing contractor that swore up and down that they're bonded and insured and that fancy insulation is no issue for replacing the shingles is probably going to use roofing nails that are too long and go right through the panels, and no one is going to even discover the issue until all of the extremely expensive insulation is destroyed. That's also probably not something their insurance company would even cover. And if any damage at all occurs to a panel the panel goes from being really great insulation to really bad insulation and something as simple as a little tiny pinhole leak from a nail head protruding into it slightly will destroy it. The only significant benefit it has over conventional insulation is the thickness, and you're making a lot of compromises to go from e.g. 4 inches of closed cell spray foam to 1 inch of VIP. In certain specialty applications like commercial refrigerated buildings it can make more sense.
hi matt, for rainscreen applications with exterior insulation (i.e. rockwool comfortboard), do you recommend using the Delta Vent S on the outside of the insulation (just behind the rainscreen and girts) or behind the insulation (directly against the CMU). thank you!
What house wrap and insulation would you suggest for a zone 4, Ozarks, Central North Arkansas? Thanks for great content Matt.
I know it’s a little off topic, but long story short, I have a East-facing wall that was wrapped in Tyvek HomeWrap the last day of January (located in Monterey, CA) and siding is finally going up in a couple weeks. It’s a few weeks beyond the exposure rating of 120 days. Is it trash or can siding (with rainscreen) go up without worry?
Finally something accurate on here for northern climates. I want to know is it possible to have continuous insulation in the north while still being permeable? And something other than rockwool.
I put up a comment on this about 1/2 hour later. Continuous exterior insulation, if done properly, is the absolute best approach, particularly in cold climates. All other details must be brought into alignment, there are some potential disaster scenarios with mix-and-match approaches.
EPS would be vapor permeable, though not nearly as much as rigid mineral wool (3-5 versus 30 or so). One company (Amvic) is making perforated foil-faced (actually metalized polypropylene) EPS that is about as vapor permeable as unfaced EPS. Mike Holmes has used that up in Canada, with polyethylene vapor barriers on the interior.
I would disagree. I'm in climate zone 6 and would not but vapor impermeable layers on both the inside and outside of a wall assembly. This can trap moisture. If using exterior foam, I would not put a vapor barrier on the interior wall.
Yes, XPS (extruded polystyrene) and EPS (expanded polystyrene) rigid insulation. XPS has higher R-value. I believe there are also some PolyIso insulation brands (advantage of higher R-value) that are Class II (semi-impermeable) and not foil faced.
I've been planning on insulating my garage in southeast TX and found it has no sheeting, no wrap and the existing siding is rotten and it's all that's keeping the structure stiffened. I've been watching your content to get some ideas, and I really love your opinion. I was thinking of just going with a zip system with the liquid flash. Would that be overkill since I'm going to have the garage door on one side that will always be leaking air and radiating into the space. Interested in your opinion.
My thought on this is would you rather have one leaking garage door or four of them? We built a garage here in Ohio a couple of years ago, standard construction, osb sheathing, tyvek house wrap. What I did do though is air seal and insulate as best as I could, we have insulated garage doors, and I foamed any areas that could leak and I used mineral wool insulation. It is unheated but even in negative Temps in the winter I can store cases of water out there and they don't freeze. It adds up, you may want to get a better garage door, but even if you don't the rest of the building being tight will still make a difference.
So Matt, how does zip sheathing qualify as a desirable houseware in northern climates ??? Its perm is
Sht..... I still have my Arrow Hammer Tacker 🤘🏻😎🤘🏻
What would you put over ICA above grade?
Matt , I am working on a project and my boss has chosen to use Dow house wrap Weathermate and 1 inch dow foam over a osb 2x4 wall assembly. Where should the house wrap be installed? Over the foam or over the OSB? We are in Texas. The directions For the Weathermate says over the OSB. The direction for the Dow Foam Can not be found on there website for this or any exterior aplication.
Seems like from the other videos he has posted, the wrap would go over the OSB, then cover that with the foam.
ruclips.net/video/7YO0t1FtyCg/видео.html
ruclips.net/video/5cZ_7ZoWTn0/видео.html
ruclips.net/video/-GkJ1GbFtas/видео.html
ruclips.net/video/kgw6IABJ_Kw/видео.html
Timely. I'm remodeling my place in Minnesota and had to cut away an entire side of my house to install windows. Now I need to get a new wrap/barrier in place to seamlessly blend the old stucco with the new wall system. Spray foam going in the inside next week, r-guard flashing around the windows, just need to figure out the right wrap to go over the sheathing.
Why can't I use a zero perm WRB if I do a "perfect wall" house? Do I still want perm in the north?
This was very misleading and contradictory to his channel. Should be reported and redone.
@@David_Mash Wait what? Me or Matt?
By perfect wall I think you mean a wall where all of the insulation is continuous and outside the sheathing, right? Per Code, the IRC does not forbid a Class I (
Are these products better than the ZIPsystem?
In which way should you insulate a new build in a tropical climate?
I’m confused. Does this mean the Zip 2.0 system is not suitable to northern climates? I thought it was a full air and water barrier.
You should be confused. There's a lot of wrong info in this one.
Matt- does it make sense to do the details with a higher end house wrap when combining with large sliding windows? I’m in climate zone 3C (Southern CA) on a view lot. I will be installing two 30’ x 9’ Anderson Multi-glide windows. Should I go to the expense of a nice house wrap/insulation with such big openings in the wall?
If you place any value on your wall assemblies, then it is a good idea (nice wrap).
Why not compare some Henry blueskin vp 100 to this dorken. Henry is so much easier to get.
And while you are at it, Grace EnVs, Benjamin Obydyke Hysdrogap SA as well !
I live in a place where I have about 180 days of it being hotter outside, and 180 days of it being colder outside. I really don't know where the housewrap should go in this situation.
Would you mind explaining why these are supposed to be better than Tyvek? Tyvek Homewrap and Tyvek Commercial wrap have UV exposure limits of 4 and 9 months, respectively. Delta Vent SA is only 50 days and Delta Fassade SA is 7.5 months. Yes, you showed some beat up Tyvek, but based on the specifications, it seems like Delta would fair no better. They are more expensive for.... what exactly? I don't think it has ever been explained. If it's supposed to hold up better over time, let's see some of that. You did see the results of the J.J. Pickle Research Center after all and posted about it in your blog. (can't see the pictures any more though).
I'm Building in Zone 3-4 i'm on the line so probably zone 4 to be safe everybody talks about Very hot or very cold Zone 4 is very hot in summer and cold in winter in the 20's at night occasionally definitely not northeast cold but it is cold from time to time I am thinking about 2x6 wall with 5.5 inched celluse or open cell spray foam in wall and 8" open cell rough deck with Zip R9 on entire home your thoughts will this work this climate zone
this dude is a goober..
call me un-informed but if a house is being built and you normally would put the house wrap on then the siding but it takes the siding a long time to go up[i.e. the wrap would be exposed for over a year] wouldn't it be best to save the good wrap till its ready so it is protected from uv light and have a temp/sacrificial wrap that is easy to go up for the time being?
thinking about it now while typing i can see an argument about windows and doors needing the be watertight as they are installed but baring something large i would think getting a wrap and siding up in a reasonable time would be a priority.
Do these guys learn from data centers when it comes to designing a conditioned space?
While the old Arrow stapler is bomber, I have been disappointed with the longevity of some of their more modern specialty ones.
Did he say no mirrors?
Am I the only person here who watches this for no real reason?
I'm an engineer, chemical, and keep asking myself "what are the units on these permeability numbers being quoted?". Doesn't matter, just here for the general concepts that go into building good structures.
@@andrewmonfort4881 Science in media has a long history of abuse.
Not at all, I have no intention of ever building a house, but like to nerd out on knowing what works and what does not.
That moment you think this is a Dorken commercial only to be blind sided into it really being an Arrow commercial.
Anything with uncovered fasteners is full of holes
Where does the Zip system sit on this scale?
I don't think you should use an interior vapor barrier when using Zip, and especially not when using Zip-R.
Good question on zip?..we going with Georgia pacific version of zip...delivered this week..be going on soon....I'll have to ask my builder if inside will be wrapped...SC zone 3
ZIP, ESPECIALLY IF WELL DETAILED,tapped etc, is pretty impermeable- soem evidence it can get down to 1.5-or lower -and this is with a product composed of plain OSB on interior side ! Yikes !
I’m in zone 5
If I am in a location that is warm, with no rain, and no humidity, can I get away with no house wrap?
Then you wouldn’t be “air tight”
I'm not using house wrap I bought cheap mistint exterior latex paint and painting the wood very heavy like to keep the water out OSB is a joke plywood is what you want, and build the roof at least 4 feet past the wall so rain doesn't get the wall wet. Anybody that doesn't build like this should not be a builder.
While I find these videos quite enlightening, the real education needs to take place with the people who write "codes". In a large part of the US, rural building authorities have stopped even inspecting, let alone providing correction. Builders have figured out where to build cheaply with minimal government interaction--and I'm 30 miles from a major city.
Unable to acquire product
18-24 months? Hmm
Should we not just want to slow down moisture but NEVER stop it completely?
So every wall in every climate should breath all the way through it!?!?!?
Why are homes going years just wrapped? It isn’t a semipermanent siding. Who are these builders ?
Heya Matto, can you consider a build with a built in Lionel train that can disappear after the Christmas season? That would be a game changer for me as well as other observing Christians.
Got excited when you dedicated the show to Northern Climate Zones, but have to say, Pretty disappointed with this video. In NY zone 6, the Canada videos were so helpful, but this video was contradictory and seemed like you're pushing a product you wouldn't use.
The older Arrow staplers are probably good, but the new ones are total junk.
56 on center lol
The red headed step child of building materials: coatings. Like Rodney Dangerfield, they get no respect. Even though coatings can out perform most "house wraps", they are not labeled a "house wrap" even though they are the only material that can present a monolithic membrane with semi permeable air, water, moisture barrier. C'mon Matt...
Autobiography of a yogi by paramhansa yogananda just read this book before your death. If you want to realize and know that thing living in that body. I said know and realize not just believe(blindly).
What are you talking about ???
Haha my dad recommended me that book. My mom liked it but I never read it because I think mysticism is nonsense
Bummer that this was a sponsored video instead of a comparison of varied products. Disappointing video.
Build a proper brick wall, sorted, this wood and membrane system is nonsense.
Not a complaint, but I don't see the link above for the whitepaper. That's a great resource. Love what you do.
Hi Donovan, here's a direct link to the white paper: www.dorken.com/media/docs/products/DORKEN_UV_White_Paper_FINAL.pdf