This probably has been discussed but my newb forum searching abilities brought nothing up… Question is: what is considered the true vapor retarder layer for CO Front Range newer construction homes? The course on it keeps saying: interior wall for CO/cold climates, and having it on exterior of wall for warm locations ie. FL to fit within the flow of hot to cold movement. But from my understanding with helping/learning building new homes for six years, is the vapor and moisture retarder is on the exterior side of the walls by use of 15# asphalt paper, tyvec housewrap and plywood on all new buildings in CO. Or atleast for the water barrier primarily being the tar paper. Is this true? From my learnings/googling and current stand point: (going outside in) stucco is about 50 perm, Asphalt 15# Paper is 8 perms (seems almost every house is now stuccoed or is the poly-foam insulation sheets under fake log siding on expensive homes (>1 for foam sheets taped together and still on exterior side, or >1 in ICF homes with a double vapor barrier on both sides on the concrete)), Tyvec home wrap 50 perm, exterior grade plywood >1 but cracks are never sealed, standard owens or kraft paper backed insulation 1 (with paper to interior), gypsum drywall 50, standard latex paints 5-10 perms. Probably half the homes I saw, the paper backing on insulation was not over laying the studs and stapled nicely together to create a barrier and more of just stuffed into the cavities and left as is. So is that still considered the vapor barrier even with more cracks/ seams then the exterior layer of plywood with about the same perm rating? Is the paper side stuffed to the exterior side in warm climates? (I’ll never inspect/ live in a warmer outside during winter climate, just curious) Please correct me on any misunderstanding and Thanks in advance for helping me to better understand properly!!
Typically, the vapor barrier is on the warm side of the envelope. I don’t know what the front range of CO is classified as.
Yes, I get that (and i know this is all over thinking it), but what is considered the vapor barrier? seeing how many workers don’t perfectly button up the kraft paper backing on the insulation (leaving seams/cracks every 16"s), that would imply the exterior plywood sheething to be a more solid (read less cracks) layer putting the vapor barrier on the cold side of the wall. unless a low perm paint is used internally but thats not the common practice, since its not the cheapest paint.
Jeez Simon… ever heard of paragraphs?