Any Issue Buying This House?

[Jakemedic]

Greetings! My bride and I are looking into purchasing this house when it is completed. My issue is that it was not sided and the house wrap endured an entire hard winter without anything covering it. I seen a video this morning from Matt Risinger that showed how much OSB deteriorated in a 6 month old house. I didn’t know if I could put a link to it without the moderators having an issue on it. If you google him, it is his newest video.

So again, my question: Is there any issue with having Tyvek being not covered for a winter. Will there be an increase in mold, deterioration of the OSB underneath it?

Thanks as always for any help you may provide.

 

[strutaeng]

Should be okay. Dupont might have a technical note or something about leaving the stuff exposed for prolonged periods of time. I'm guessing something like 6 months.

If installed correctly, water has not gotten into the OSB. That's what the Tyvek is there for.

You can always do a quick visual to inspect the OSB, but I would think it is okay.

I think most wraps would deteriorate with UV exposure, not a big deal from winters.

Good luck.

 

[Jakemedic]

Thank you! I want this house to be our last house, and don’t want my bride dealing with mold or deteriorating OSB after I am long gone (hopefully a long time from now). The bright side, if we end up with the house, I get to build my dream shop in the yard! I have always dreamed of having a woodworking shop where I didn’t have to move out vehicles or wheel the table saw to the back after I was done cutting! I recently retired and finally have the time to build the shop and enjoy it, not just on nights and weekends. I appreciate you taking the time to respond.

 

[jd_1138]

Why do builders do this? if you wrap the house, it should be sided immediately, and it should be wrapped and sided ASAP after it's built. I don't get why they let it sit for so long (so the buyer can pick the siding color?). Is the house not sided yet? If not, I'd tell them to re-wrap it with new wrap at least before siding it.

95% of the buying population wouldn't know or care about a house not being sided for so long, but I am an OCD **** hole.

 

[66Caprice]

I believe Tyvek says on the instructions it must be sided within 6 months after being installed.

 

[sennister]

Should be okay. Dupont might have a technical note or something about leaving the stuff exposed for prolonged periods of time. I'm guessing something like 6 months.

If installed correctly, water has not gotten into the OSB. That's what the Tyvek is there for.

You can always do a quick visual to inspect the OSB, but I would think it is okay.

I think most wraps would deteriorate with UV exposure, not a big deal from winters.

Good luck.

I tend to agree. Look at it from this point of view. Tyvek is on but it is easy to inspect under. Now look at it another way. Lets say they let it sit like that for a year then threw up siding right before listing it. Now you might not know it sat that long unless you happened to drive by it every day. Also a lot harder to inspect once the siding is on.

So if it is going to be a case were it sat that long like that, it is actually better.

Inspect around doors and windows as well as all seams. Spot check a couple spots for the most part near the bottom. Worst case it can be fixed easier now than later and if that is reflected in the sale price you are good to go.

Tyvek isn't that expensive. Also being you are in a colder climate, consider insulation options that would go under the siding.

 

[Stuart in MN]

From the Tyvek website:

How long should Tyvek^® WB be exposed before it is covered with siding?
Tyvek^®HomeWrap^®and Tyvek^®StuccoWrap^®, Tyvek^® DrainWrap™ and Tyvek^® ThermaWrap™ should be covered within 120 days (4 months). Tyvek^® CommercialWrap^® should be covered within 270 days (9 months).

So, depending on how long it's been that way you may want to have the Tyvek replaced. As mentioned it's not that expensive, it would be easy to do at this point, and it would allow a good inspection of the sheathing underneath.

 

[alberto]

I'd first find out how long the manufacturer states that their OSB can be exposed to elements. If the OSB on the house falls within that guideline, I'd ask the builder to re-wrap the house and as they take the old one off, inspect the OSB and repair/replace any damage.

 

[LOW1]

What was your winter like? Warm and wet? Dry and cold? I'd be more concerned with the condition and moisture content of the OSB and the framing than with the condition of the wrap. Should be easy to find out.

 

[rburke65]

I think you will be fine. A home builder is not going to have a build sit there for 6 months.

 

[Whitworth]

See new construction sit for weeks or months with nothing but house wrap on them. Even during the summer, and all the downpours associated with it.

I'd guess the house in question is fine.

 

[Jazzman442]

I live in Florida and this is a NO No. Humidity will do a lot of Damage both inside and out if left like this.

I am surprised no one mentioned all the power lines and the steep driveway.. If your a car guy I think this would be an issue.

 

[redidbull]

I had always thought that the 6-9 months time was more for UV deterioration. Found this. Jim

Tyvek® is UV resistant, depending on style, from six months to over one year. Some physical properties will be reduced if exposed to UV for over one year. UV resistance can be improved with opaque coatings or with UV inhibitors.

 

[jd_1138]

I live in Florida and this is a NO No. Humidity will do a lot of Damage both inside and out if left like this.

I am surprised no one mentioned all the power lines and the steep driveway.. If your a car guy I think this would be an issue.

Yeah, it's a bad practice and should be against the building codes everywhere. The builders don't care (not their house), and the buying public (98% of them) don't know/care that it's bad to leave a house un-sided for so long.

 

[Stuart in MN]

I live in Florida and this is a NO No. Humidity will do a lot of Damage both inside and out if left like this.

I am surprised no one mentioned all the power lines and the steep driveway.. If your a car guy I think this would be an issue.

Iowa has a lot different climate than Florida...


The house wrap should have kept the sheathing dry, so as long as it's in good shape I don't see any big problems from the pictures (of course, it's best to inspect in person.) Houses are often built in winter time up here without issues.


The driveway doesn't look all that steep, and it will provide good runoff for rain or melting snow. As for the power lines, there's not much you can do about them - the service to the house itself is buried, so there aren't lines running overhead across the yard.

 

[Stuart in MN]

I had always thought that the 6-9 months time was more for UV deterioration. Found this. Jim

Tyvek® is UV resistant, depending on style, from six months to over one year. Some physical properties will be reduced if exposed to UV for over one year. UV resistance can be improved with opaque coatings or with UV inhibitors.

From my earlier post:

From the Tyvek website:

How long should Tyvek^® WB be exposed before it is covered with siding?
Tyvek^®HomeWrap^®and Tyvek^®StuccoWrap^®, Tyvek^® DrainWrap™ and Tyvek^® ThermaWrap™ should be covered within 120 days (4 months). Tyvek^® CommercialWrap^® should be covered within 270 days (9 months).

 

[dr_clyde]

****, in my Dad's neighborhood, Tyvek IS the finished siding.

 

[MoonRise]

Dupont says that the Tyvek Homewrap must be covered within 120 days of installation.

https://www.dupont.com/content/dam/.../documents/K16282-Residential-WRB-Install.pdf


Idiot builder, pretty much just ignoring the installation instructions from the product manufacturer and relying on the fact that any 'damage' probably won't show up until after he/she/they are done with the job.

IMNSHO, pick another place and builder.

Also, IMNSHO, that sheathing is WAY too close to ground level. You are just asking for water damage and rot and insects (termites) with the 'wood' so close to the dirt.

 

[Stuart in MN]

We don't know how long the Tyvek has been up, only that it's been up through the winter.


In the last picture the grade does look kind of close to the sheathing on one side of the house (the rest don't look bad) so that should be investigated. However, it also appears final grading hasn't been completed so that should be easily remedied.


Iowa has pretty harsh winters, so I don't know how much danger there is for termites there.

 

[Jazz1]

I would not be concerned, lots of glue in OSB to sustain a couple years although I would never install OSB on a roof. Just does not have the bite for roofing nails or the resilience to water that plywood provides.
Tyvek has to make some claim to give a sense of urgency to install their product.

 

[Dodge]

If worried about the deterioration of the Tyvek, just replace it. Not that expensive, doesn't look like that big of a house. I would replace it and be happy and not always wonder if you should have. my 2cents.

 

[BillK]

Thank you! I want this house to be our last house.............

I cant help you as far as the Tyvek goes but if I was looking for a forever house it would certainly not be in a neighborhood like that with other houses that close. I am on a 1/2 acre lot and have been here for 40 years but I sure wish I had held out for a larger lot way back when. We have been very lucky but all it takes is one bad apple to move onto the street and it could change for the worse.

If I had to do it all over again I would have no less than 3 or 4 acres.

Like a couple of others said I would think long and hard about that steep driveway. Mine is probably 1/3 of that grade and it is still a pain.

 

[johnnyradiant]

I would check to see that the forever lot would be approved for your dream workshop. The lots don't look big so their could be restrictions on the size you are dreaming about. I'd take the opportunity to look around and under the tyvek and if at all concerned with what you see (If you have a contract in place). My guess is it would be ok, but that is just a guess based on what I see in my region. My thoughts are that it would alleviate more concerns than actual issues.

 

[Jakemedic]

hello! Thanks for everyone’s opinions! I do appreciate it! Yea forever home should be in the country but our thoughts are being able to take care of the drive/yard and having close proximity to emergency services maybe important to us in the future. The lot is 1/2 acre so big enough for my shop and a nice sized garden. Termites are here in the cornfields of Iowa. It is something you treat for annually. The tyvek has been up since late October. They simply ran out of time to install siding before bad weather hit. They will be siding it once the weather gets better. I seen the Matt Risinger video this morning and got concerned about the house wrap and the OSB. If we get the house, we will insist on inspection before they side it. The driveway slope really isn’t an issue for us. We will have a second drive to the shop that would be flat for jacking up a car if needed. Again, thanks so much and no the finish grading hasn’t been done yet.

According to the building department, I can build 30% of the back yard as an accessory structure. That would allow me over 2200 sq ft. Not sure wife would go for that. I’m thinking more like a 24x30 or 24x36 with a 6’ overhang on th south side to use for a grill and a shady place to sit.

 

[MoonRise]

Tyvek installed in October?

That's way over 120 days ago.

At a MINIMUM, the Tyvek has to be replaced.

If the old Tyvek wasn't installed 'properly' (seams and edges and overlaps and taping and all that, especially around doors and windows and such), then the OSB is suspect too.

And just because right 'now' the building/zoning department says that you can put 30% coverage as an 'accessory structure', doesn't mean that the lot coverage limit can't change next year.

And double-check what the current zoning lot coverage limitation is. It might actually be that you can have 30% TOTAL lot coverage, and that might include driveway area in that percentage. Check.

 

[ForceFed70]

I think the OSB will likely be OK but the tyvek should be replaced before the house is sided.

Redoing the wrap is fairly easy and inexpensive.

 

[volleyball]

I would have part of the purchase that the builder pulls all the tyvek and you both inspect the OSB. If the builder believes that the OSB is good than the couple hundred in new tyvek should not discourage him.
Matt said in that video that what he said was for his climate, not yours. But flaking OSB is bad OSB everywhere.

 

[Leaflessshadetree]

I'd investigate the condition of the OSB but wouldn't be overly concerned with it.
I would be more worried about the interior of the walls and insulation. Probably not easy to check.
I like that there is good slope away from the house. At least the driveway isn't steep up near the garage (looks like about 20 FT, but I'd like more). It would be good to have siding, soffit and gutters soon. (Birds will be nesting and rain is coming).
Power lines aren't a concern at all. I like that it is underground to the house. But even overhead wouldn't be a deal breaker.
No basement would be the killer for me, but a lot of people are fine without.

 

[rust in the eye]

From the pictures I wouldn't worry. The fascia boards are showing some weather exposure but not grey, the red print on the Tyvek is first to fade when too much UV and it looks fine from here.
The quality of the installation has far more bearing on this than a few months exposure of the material.
It will cost the builder a grand or so to re-do it.

 

[Red 17]

Am I not looking at it right or do I see a sever shortage of windows?

 

[Chuckles]

Peel back a piece on the west side of the building, or if the inside isn't finshed look from the inside. You would see some swelling if it got wet. I bet you'd be ok.

 

[driftpin]

Dupont says that the Tyvek Homewrap must be covered within 120 days of installation.

https://www.dupont.com/content/dam/.../documents/K16282-Residential-WRB-Install.pdf


Idiot builder, pretty much just ignoring the installation instructions from the product manufacturer and relying on the fact that any 'damage' probably won't show up until after he/she/they are done with the job.

IMNSHO, pick another place and builder.

Also, IMNSHO, that sheathing is WAY too close to ground level. You are just asking for water damage and rot and insects (termites) with the 'wood' so close to the dirt.

We don't know how long the Tyvek has been up, only that it's been up through the winter.


In the last picture the grade does look kind of close to the sheathing on one side of the house (the rest don't look bad) so that should be investigated. However, it also appears final grading hasn't been completed so that should be easily remedied.


Iowa has pretty harsh winters, so I don't know how much danger there is for termites there.

I dunno about your building schedule of inspections where you are, you might find when it was done/inspected there.

 

[pcmeiners]

"I think most wraps would deteriorate with UV exposure, not a big deal from winters."

Agree, much less UV in the winter months. It is stated 120 day but manufacturers under rate performance to cover themselves for liability. Worked on a house with Tyvek exposed for over a year (not by me), no issues; I checked an exposed piece out of curiosity as a contractor, no stiffness, or breaks in the material. If you are not comfortable about it, go there with a construction stapler (Home Depot) undo the house wrap in areas of the house, and check the wood beneath, re-staple the wrap, chance are it is fine, like >99% in favor.

 

[sennister]

And just because right 'now' the building/zoning department says that you can put 30% coverage as an 'accessory structure', doesn't mean that the lot coverage limit can't change next year.

And double-check what the current zoning lot coverage limitation is. It might actually be that you can have 30% TOTAL lot coverage, and that might include driveway area in that percentage. Check.

I ran into this just this week. Spoke to the building inspector last June about a new attached garage knowing we are over on Sq Ft of Accessory buildings for our lot size. He said as long as it is attached with full footings (not slab on grade with a breezway to "attach" it we are fine. He was out in October to close out a building permit for new windows and I went over the garage paperwork asking about the need for a survey and everything given the green light. It was too late to start construction so we spent the fall and winter in securing financing and a contractor.

Monday the contractor went to get the permit and it was denied. They said now a garage over 750sqft counts against Accessory sq footage no matter if attached or not. I raised hell and last word I got was he was going to approve it because we had been in communication about this for months. He had already denied 6 other garages this spring. I will be able to breath again once I have the permit in hand and we start passing inspections.

 

[Jakemedic]

I ran into this just this week. Spoke to the building inspector last June about a new attached garage knowing we are over on Sq Ft of Accessory buildings for our lot size. He said as long as it is attached with full footings (not slab on grade with a breezway to "attach" it we are fine. He was out in October to close out a building permit for new windows and I went over the garage paperwork asking about the need for a survey and everything given the green light. It was too late to start construction so we spent the fall and winter in securing financing and a contractor.

Monday the contractor went to get the permit and it was denied. They said now a garage over 750sqft counts against Accessory sq footage no matter if attached or not. I raised hell and last word I got was he was going to approve it because we had been in communication about this for months. He had already denied 6 other garages this spring. I will be able to breath again once I have the permit in hand and we start passing inspections.

I would have had a hard time with composure dealing with the building inspector. Good advice, and before we put in a bid, I will be sure to obtain the official okay from the building inspector (preferably in writing). Good luck with your garage build! Hoping I will be doing the same this summer!

 

[MoonRise]

I would have had a hard time with composure dealing with the building inspector. Good advice, and before we put in a bid, I will be sure to obtain the official okay from the building inspector (preferably in writing). Good luck with your garage build! Hoping I will be doing the same this summer!

Rules can and do change over time.

Just because the 'building inspector' says "sure you build a garage" doesn't mean ANYTHING when the town/city/county/state/whatever changes the rules/codes/whatever between 'now' and 'then'.

example: builder is in the process of building houses. He has lots (parcels of land) that meet the 'minimum required lot size'. Goes to build the next few houses and now he's told that Nope, minimum lot size is now 2x what it was. The only way the builder was able to proceed was to combine two lots into one and build only half of the number of houses he was originally going to build. Oh, and the lots at the 'end' of the street couldn't be combined because they were the 'odd' ones left over after the rest of the lots were merged. (something like 5 lots on the left and right of the street, so builder thinks he's going to build ten houses. Nope, built something like 4 after having to combine the original lots into the bigger new-minimum size lots, 2 on the left and 2 on the right and the 'extra' fifth lot just left at the end.) IIRC, this was all while the first few houses were being built (permits and approvals all approved and in place) and the houses were actually being built (foundations, framing, roofing, etc in-process). And the way the houses sit on the 'lot' looks stupid to me, because they were built on the middle of the 'original' lot size and now are way offset to one side with an entire 'extra' parcel of land sitting next to the house, and then the no-longer-big-enough-odd-man-out parcel sitting after THAT and then the end of the street.

And for those folks saying 'no problem having the Tyvek exposed longer than Dupont says is allowed', who is going to legally/financially support or warranty that? Not Dupont, their product was not used/installed according to their own published instructions/directions. Not the builder, he's going to pretty much claim 'everything's just fine. Trust me.'

 

[larry4406]

Why do builders do this? if you wrap the house, it should be sided immediately, and it should be wrapped and sided ASAP after it's built. I don't get why they let it sit for so long (so the buyer can pick the siding color?). Is the house not sided yet? If not, I'd tell them to re-wrap it with new wrap at least before siding it.

95% of the buying population wouldn't know or care about a house not being sided for so long, but I am an OCD **** hole.

New construction guy here. Not defending what the OP has encountered.

There are many reasons why siding is not installed immediately.

Where I build we have to have a sheathing inspection. This is a precursor to installing Tyvek, windows, and doors. Once installed, the home is now “trade ready”.

We then have a house wrap inspection before masonry can be started (our units have front masonry standard). Meanwhile HVAC contractor is installing wall caps, plumber installing water heater flue and sump discharge, yet alone all the electrical penetrations for siding blocks for outlets, lights, etc. This trade roughin process can easily be one month. Installing siding early then poking all these holes in it and subsequent repairs makes no sense.

Lastly, the drywall weighs tons. The house moves after it’s stocked. Depending on house type you can warp/ripple siding if installed before drywall hang.

Waiting until all trades are done, Tyvek patches done and inspected at close-in inspection, and house hung then means you are ready for siding.

Ymmv but that’s how I run my houses as does all other builders in my area. 120 days from footing to completion. I’ve lost count but getting near 500 units this way.

 

[redneckcharlie]

New construction guy here. Not defending what the OP has encountered.

There are many reasons why siding is not installed immediately.

Where I build we have to have a sheathing inspection. This is a precursor to installing Tyvek, windows, and doors. Once installed, the home is now “trade ready”.

We then have a house wrap inspection before masonry can be started (our units have front masonry standard). Meanwhile HVAC contractor is installing wall caps, plumber installing water heater flue and sump discharge, yet alone all the electrical penetrations for siding blocks for outlets, lights, etc. This trade roughin process can easily be one month. Installing siding early then poking all these holes in it and subsequent repairs makes no sense.

Lastly, the drywall weighs tons. The house moves after it’s stocked. Depending on house type you can warp/ripple siding if installed before drywall hang.

Waiting until all trades are done, Tyvek patches done and inspected at close-in inspection, and house hung then means you are ready for siding.

Ymmv but that’s how I run my houses as does all other builders in my area. 120 days from footing to completion. I’ve lost count but getting near 500 units this way.

I've been biting my tongue on posting something and then came to yours. First one in the whole thread that is actually by someone that knows what they are doing. Tyvek here will last six months easily, and that's at 6000 ft of elevation. That wrap looks like it's done properly. There do not seem to be any seams coming apart or tape coming up. The brain trust here is pretty amusing at times.

 

[jd_1138]

I've been biting my tongue on posting something and then came to yours. First one in the whole thread that is actually by someone that knows what they are doing. Tyvek here will last six months easily, and that's at 6000 ft of elevation. That wrap looks like it's done properly. There do not seem to be any seams coming apart or tape coming up. The brain trust here is pretty amusing at times.

He may know what he's doing, and it's "standard practice" in the building trades, but that doesn't make it right. Better scheduling should occur to keep a house from sitting all winter without siding.

 

[tjpavlov]

There's lots of products that are way better than tyvek at this point. I'd remove and replace with a peek and stick product.