Gap in wall/frame. Type of caulk to use.

[hal1]

New problem. Had my post frame inspection/pre-drywall walk through. Some very poor and non existing caulking that I want to finish myself rather than leave it to Taylor-Morrison (the home builder)

At the base of the wall where the plywood meets the footer there is very poor and missing caulking - to the point where you can see the outside. I'm very unhappy and this is just inviting the bugs to come an live in my walls and house.

Some of the walls have tar paper and some don't. It was explained to me why but I don't remember. - something about support walls having it on the outside or something.

Anyway,

They did very a poor job caulking. Even on adjacent stud spaces. I don't trust them to do this right so I want to caulk myself.

1)What caulk can I use that I can get at HD or Lowes - I don't have time to get it on-line, which is the only place I see the polyurethane.

2)I know HD has some OSI Quad but don't know what flavor to get.

3)Also, the one common theme I noticed was that while most of the tar paper panels were caulked, albeit it poorly, NONE of the non-tar paper panels were caulked. Is there a reason for this? I should caulk these too, right?

4)I was also thinking of using a can of foam with straw to get behind the studs - as indicated in the picture with the red arrows

The 3rd picture is showing daylight from the outside. I know nothing is vacuum tight, but this is ridiculous.

I'd rather fix this myself because if I insist that they fix this I know one of 2 things will happen. Either They'll say it's fine if it passed the city inspection. or they'll 'fix' it with the same lack of quality as the first time.

Yes, I see the places that the wall isn't even nailed to the footer, but once again, the superintendent will site that it passed frame inspection.

The reason why time is of the essence is because this is the only weekend I can caulk because insulation goes in next week.

 

[nw3dogs]

Home depot and Lowes should both have a polyurethane caulk on their shelves. One question I have is in the second photo there's sheathing on the left side, but not the right. It appears to be metal starter strip for siding behind the tar paper. Did they not sheet the whole walk, and if so why?

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[nadogail]

Where I live, Home Depot seems to have a very wide selection of caulks, sealers and adhesives.

You will have a wide variety to choose from.

 

[hal1]

One question I have is in the second photo there's sheathing on the left side, but not the right. It appears to be metal starter strip for siding behind the tar paper. Did they not sheet the whole walk, and if so why?

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Yes, none of the non-tar papered panels have that metal sheathing. Not sure why.

And interesting enough, HD /Lowes does not have a polyurethane, i double checked. That's why I was wondering which flavor of Quad.

 

[hal1]

For something off-the-shelf and local, this seems to fit the bill? I MAY be able to get to a masonry shop that may have Sikaflex 1A, but I need a backup plan. Polyurethan wondow & doow sealant work? See below

http://www.lowes.com/pd_72007-22579-90618_1z0vjliZ1z0yyfaZ1z11a8h__?productId=999977054&pl=1

or

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Loctite-...dow-Door-and-Siding-Sealant-1675293/203163736

 

[vtcat]

Any polyurethane is 1000 times better than silicone.

 

[nw3dogs]

I used flagstaff for location they have this. http://www.homedepot.com/p/Loctite-...dow-Door-and-Siding-Sealant-1675293/203163736

What is on top of the tar paper? The metal piece is for your siding. Why isn't the part where you see the tar paper sheathed? Or is it on the other side of the tar paper which would be wrong!!

 

[Fixed]

Any polyurethane is 1000 times better than silicone.

Just curious, why is that? Stronger, or better seal?

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[APEowner]

What do the plans call for? That should be specified. Further, you should be holding the contractor to the plans not the city inspector's OK.

 

[zak77]

I gotta agree that the tar paper and aluminum strip are very oddly placed, in my opinion. Maybe there's a reason for it that i just don't see?? I can totally understand you wanted to do the caulking job yourself since it doesnt seen like the crew is really doing a good job. Good luck passing a blower door test with some of those gaps. I was recently at a new house where the had caulked the seams and working on the rough-ins but the caulking had cracked due to the movement/drying of the wood. Granted it's better than no caulking at all but it'd piss me off to no end to see that after all the time and effort it took to seal every nook and cranny of the house. And it's not the first time i've come across this issue. So make sure you use a high quality flexible caulking so as the wood dries and moved over time, cracks dont form and negate all that effort. Not sure if you can find it but one brand of caulking i've used for years and have very high praise for is Geocel. I've had lesser brands fail less than a year in but the Geocel is still looking great after years of exposure. It maybe more expensive but you only get one chance to do this right so use the best you can get.

 

[1991Syclone]

You'd be surprised how many corners are cut by big builders when doing subdivisions. I went through the same thing years ago when Morrison Homes (before the merger) built my last place.

There was a switch outlet on the wall right where the railing was supposed to go. I pointed it out to the construction "supervisor" and he assured me that it would be addressed before drywall went up.

A week later I went out there to see the drywall up, a cut out where the outlet box was, and the railing nailed over top of the outlet box with half of it showing. You might want to set some time out of your schedule when the inspector is supposed to be there and do a walk through with him to address your concerns.

In a large subdivision like that with multiple homes going on, I'd be surprised if the inspector is looking too hard at everything based on the amount of work to be done. If it doesn't look like someone is going to die from a shoddy job, he's probably going to pass it even if there are massive gaps where you've pointed out.

 

[hal1]

Thanks all. I got the sikaflex 1a at a construction supply store nearby. Yes, I should have make them do it over again, but insulation and drywall is going in next week and I sure as heck wasn't going to trust them to do it right the second time, because after it's all closed up I'll have no idea what they did inside, if anything at all.. All in all, I'd rather do it myself.

 

[hal1]

Okay, I think I remember now. I'm not sure but I'll double-check tomorrow.....

The whole house does not have plywood around it, it is framed, and then the plywood is only on certain sections, I guess those are 'Shear' walls? Then, the tar paper is wrapped around the entire house, and then the styrofoam lath and chicken wire around that. So now from the inside you only see the tar paper where there is no plywood Shear wall. So thats flashing at the bottom is to attach the tar paper to the wall base.

 

[drjcustis]

If I'm understanding correctly, and I'll be honest that I'm having trouble figuring out what's going on from the photos, they are OSB sheathing only the bare minimum. A few hundred dollars more and the entire structure would be sheathed. Hence the reason I'm building my own.


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[hal1]

Yes, this is before tar paper wrap before the lath (foam and chicken wire)

 

[nw3dogs]

Yes, this is before tar paper wrap before the lath (foam and chicken wire)

http://s3.photobucket.com/user/hal1/media/IMG_20160325_123155_zpsxaf6caw5.jpg.html

So then add you stoning/ bricking the house. What's your final wall siding going to be?

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[hal1]

So then add you stoning/ bricking the house. What's your final wall siding going to be?

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After *** was wrapped in tar paper (no pics), the put foam around the house. It's then a stucco finish.

 

[Boomer343]

I'd use some low expansion foam for doors and windows. You can use the trigger to regulate the foam with a bit of practice. If you get excess just let it cure and cut it off.

Go across the bottom and up the side of the studs 3 or 4 inches.

 

[kaymccampbell]

You build like that here, the owner buries you out back and finishes themselves.
That thing wouldn't survive what we call a breezy day.

 

[jbwilkins]

Okay, I think I remember now. I'm not sure but I'll double-check tomorrow.....

The whole house does not have plywood around it, it is framed, and then the plywood is only on certain sections, I guess those are 'Shear' walls? Then, the tar paper is wrapped around the entire house, and then the styrofoam lath and chicken wire around that. So now from the inside you only see the tar paper where there is no plywood Shear wall. So thats flashing at the bottom is to attach the tar paper to the wall base.

The metal at the bottom is weep screen....basically it's there to provide a finished edge to the bottom of the stucco and direct any moisture that gets behind the bead board to the outside... Thats what the 'building paper' is for also...to protect the framing from water.....

I don't see any caulk between the bottom plate and the slab either ( typically seal the interior corner so it's visible.......that would be a code requirement.....most likely the insulation a subcontractor will do this before installing the batts or blowing the walls (they may also be responsible for the framing to weep screen joint too)......

Just by the looks I'm guessing you're in PHX...or somewhere in the SW....

 

[hal1]

I don't see any caulk between the bottom plate and the slab either ( typically seal the interior corner so it's visible.......

I'm going to do that myself. They put some type of foam layer between the bottom plate and the slab, not my first choice.

 

[KenC]

That is " sill sealer". Actually does a more complete job than caulk as it is the full width of the bottom plate. Compresses to seal against the slab and plate. Code in a lot of areas.

 

[hal1]

That is " sill sealer". Actually does a more complete job than caulk as it is the full width of the bottom plate. Compresses to seal against the slab and plate. Code in a lot of areas.

I was thinking that I may still caulk there if there's any added benefit.

 

[Git]

I would check with your builder. It is pretty common that when the insulation goes in that someone goes through the house and seals all of these joints - in between studs, floor plates, where wires go through the top plate, where plumbing goes through the studs, etc etc

You may just be getting ahead of them. See if there are some houses further along in the tract and what they have done to them

In S Cal it is pretty typical to wrap the house with tar paper/chicken wire like that and only have shear walls here and there The entire structure then gets sprayed with 3/4 to and 1" of stucco. As someone pointed out - the metal strip at the bottom is the 'weep' screed and has holes in it to allow any moisture that gets behind the stucco a chance to drain out

 

[Bill Anderson]

One thing I noticed in the 3rd pic, the pic above theone with arrows, is the stud on the left, looks like it is not aligned with the bottom plate. It looks like it 3/16" - 1/4" jutted towards the outside. That looks like it is causing the gap, or a least contributing to the gap. You might want to shim that stud to bring it in line with the other studs. If you don't, then you will have a low spot (vertically) in your drywall. Maybe just the angle from the pic, not sure.

Also, on adding caulk, in addition to the foam pad which is under the base plate, the caulk is not needed, and would be a waste of time and money. The foam does a great job of making a complete seal bw the baseplate and the floor/slab.

 

[Bill Anderson]

That's why I would never have a large home builder/tract home builder to build a house. Did it once and never again. They cut so many corners, and generally speaking, their project managers are incompetent, not all, but from my experience, many are. Often the project managers have no building experience, or any time in the trade, they're just a person with a pen and a note pad.

When you build a house, be prepared to be there at least once a day. If something is not right, then point it out to the GC and document it, and have him to sign off on it, and make sure he knows you won't be fixing his fups.

 

[hal1]

I would check with your builder. It is pretty common that when the insulation goes in that someone goes through the house and seals all of these joints - in between studs, floor plates, where wires go through the top plate, where plumbing goes through the studs, etc etc

You may just be getting ahead of them. See if there are some houses further along in the tract and what they have done to them

Nope, they're done, finished with frame inspection, which means they're now ready for insulation and drywall. All the homes had similar issues. I saw one worker yesterday going around a house with a caulking gun. As everyone knows, there's no way that the guys they hire are going to do a job anywhere near as good as you or I would - and I barely know what I'm doing.

You could see where they (attempted) to caulk all entry point of tubes, pipes, wires, etc. I went there to day and 'finished' what they were doing. Lots of places, like where the A/C lines and drain pipes went out through the wall, that needed a little more attention.

 

[csp]

I was thinking that I may still caulk there if there's any added benefit.

Yes there could be a benefit. If there's any uneven surfaces in the concrete there may be gaps between it and the sill seal. It's not very thick. I would caulk that joint if it were mine.

You mentioned lowes and HD not having polyurethane, but OSI Quad is a polyurethane.

 

[hal1]

You mentioned lowes and HD not having polyurethane, but OSI Quad is a polyurethane.

There were a few flavors of Quad, none actually said Polyurethane, so I didn't know which to get, if any.