Proper vapor barrier?

I have gone round and round with the reps here in town.

They have even told me if the wrap is on reverse lap just tape it and it will be fine!
What do they know about building science, common sense and good practice??

So it is the sales reps that are retarded?

No, those that train them!! And then the sales force tell architects, contractors, and building supply dealer staff the wrong or poor info and voila…you have failing buildings.

It’s gotten so I don’t even like caulking as a moisture control measure. Lap everything so that water runs off it at each outer layer of the building- the siding and… the weather resistant barrier/sheathing membrane behind the rainscreen!

I don’t know if you’ve heard of the British Columbia “leaky condo” fiasco. In the last 15-20 years, it has cost at least $1 billion and possibly $2-3 billion in fixing badly built dwellings. BTW, the Home Warranty Program quickly went bankrupt as it only had about 35 million in its coffers. Here’s a now 10 year old report: http://www.qp.gov.bc.ca/condo/letter.htm . I have since seen a short TV piece on leaky highrises in Vancouver!!

Quote from an investigating engineer:
"I think it should be called the “rotten-condo problem, not the leaky-condo problem. There is a difference. Wood does not rot because it gets wet. It rots when it stays wet.”

From the report’s Executive Summary:

"However, climate and economic pressures do not account for the magnitude of the problem. The residential building process and building science issues have led to a disintegration in the quality of construction.

*1. The Building Process
The residential building process operates within a set of complex business relationships, statutes, and regulations. The Commission was presented with case after case of ineffective regulation regarding responsibility and accountability at each stage of the construction process. These included:

*(i) *an inability on the part of municipalities to effectively monitor building quality; to ensure inspectors play a meaningful role in maintaining building standards and in enforcing building codes;
*(ii) *a lack of provincial monitoring to ensure accurate interpretation of the building code, as well as its performance requirements;
*(iii) *a lack of developer, builder, and general contractor responsibility – often facilitated through protective corporate structures;
*(iv) *architects who have been unable to maintain professional responsibility in translating designs into quality physical structures;
(v) engineers who have been unable to ensure their involvement in the process will lead to quality construction of the building envelope;
(vi) a lack of training, skills, and qualifications that have led to a deterioration in the quality of worker performance;
(vii) an inadequate home warranty program which, in the majority of cases, is faced with a conflict of interest between its service to the homeowner and its obligation to the developer;
(viii) **a mortgage guarantee system which tends to **serve the interests of the residential construction industry and financial institutions, without due regard to the consume
r
, who buys its services;

*(ix) *a lack of information from the builder to the strata council to facilitate its responsibilities; and
*(x) *a lack of understanding as to the roles and responsibilities of strata councils and management companies, which has often left the homeowner confused and alone.

2. Building Science
In addition to economic pressures, climatic conditions, and a systemic failure of the building process, building science also played a role in bringing about this crisis of confidence. The factors related to technology, or building science, include:

*(i) *a poorly interpreted building code;
*(ii) *municipal by-laws that can lead to inappropriate design, exacerbated by architects, who do not understand the implications of their designs;
*(iii) *the use of new materials without an understanding of how they will be affected by our climate;
*(iv) *a loss of collective memory, and lack of conventional wisdom, among inspectors, architects, engineers, developers, and contractors regarding the requirements for effective building; and
*(v) *ineffective communication and transfer of knowledge among the professionals and business people (who understand the issues), to others involved in the building process.
*

IMHO, others involved in the building process often do not want to learn new information as it requires time and money to learn/re-learn and interferes with $$$$$ making process!!

Brian,

With the way you continuously argue your points here, I’ll bet you were divorced several times in your lifetime.

You are talking Canadian terms, I’m talking East coast terms.

Also, I don’t come here to argue my points. I have way too many things to do in my life than to make ridiculous comebacks and act like a child. I simply make my statements on this board and the readers of the threads can either heed them or simply argue their points like you do.

I’m done with this thread. Bye…

Bye-bye…!!

I hope you will allow me to post this question here, I found this thread googling the following question.

This may seem an odd question but here it goes: if I were to place homewrap on the inside of my wall, with the side usually facing the outside, this time facing the inside, would it then act as a vapor barrier?

  • short explanation: I have a ton of homewrap, it looks like fabric and not like the typical homewrap paper. I could use it in a roof renovation on the interior side where the end design is an exposed fabric of the same color.

Thank you in advance!