skimp on sheathing

[starquestMM]

I started redoing the converted garage at my house and found this detail where the original builders didn't run sheathing up to the top of the wall. It stops where soffit comes in. I am wondering what the chances its just the unconditioned original garage or if it runs the whole house like this? Was this common way to save $40 in the 90s?

 

[Leaflessshadetree]

Savings was probably more than $40 (mostly labor) even for just the garage. If it was part of a development you can multiply that times every house. Could easily be thousands of dollars to the developer/builder.

 

[nadogail]

Doing things right costs money and takes time.

 

[HogDude]

You could buy the Harbor Freight infrared thermometer. Maybe not calibrated exactly but it will show you if your suspicions are warranted.

 

[strutaeng]

I can't say if that was common in the 90s, but I doubt it. Maybe it was a new framing guy thinking this was fine (sheathing is stopped above the soffit, right?) Or rightfully could of been a framer that's how he did things.

Are you planning on fixing the issue? Some wood cleats toe-nailed around the gaps (on the outside) will allow you to screw or nail OSB on the inside. Lot's of cutting.

 

[haveissues]

Who knows what corners were cut if you didn't sit there and watch them build it. My neighbor had some siding blow off after a heavy wind. Turns out a high end house built in the early 2000's wasn't wrapped. I guess nobody was around to watch them that day....

 

[dougf]

Hell, its common today. Not their house, and they'll be gone when its discovered or when leaks/problems surface in a year ot two. Neighbor has the same problem on his build right now, just at the bottom. When you don't stay on top of 90% of contractors this is what you get.

 

[starquestMM]

You could buy the Harbor Freight infrared thermometer. Maybe not calibrated exactly but it will show you if your suspicions are warranted.

Good idea, I think i've got a buddy with one i can borrow off. If not i was thinking i could just poke with a long screwdriver and see if i hit anything.

Are you planning on fixing the issue?

yes, but haven't figured out how exactly. From the inside means a lot of drywall patching. From the outside means pulling the soffet and ladderwork...

 

[CraigStu]

I don't understand how that happens. Did they cut off part of a 4x8 sheet or is the wall built >8ft? Would using full 8ft studs vs pre-cuts cause that?

 

[KenC]

Are the garage studs longer than the rest of the house? If so that’s probably the only place they did that.

 

[Zeke]

I don't understand how that happens. Did they cut off part of a 4x8 sheet or is the wall built >8ft? Would using full 8ft studs vs pre-cuts cause that?

96" + 4.5 = 100.5". Looks about right.

 

[billconner]

Looks like they started at sill, and missing the depth of floor framing. I don't know if they relied on sheathing for lateral bracing, but this misses that. Maybe there are let in corner braces.

 

[larry4406]

Check the romex wire thru the sheathing hole. Looks possibly damaged...

 

[starquestMM]

The old garage is sunk down from the rest of the house about 7" so maybe I'll luck out.

I will probably replace that wire and all the wiring in this old garage area. It's looking like there has been a couple of iterations over time and the wiring is pretty ****** at this point.

 

[TimRich]

if it was intended to be a sheer wall, it is not a good sheer wall. When I built in the 90's this would not have passed inspection on a sheer wall. If it's not a sheer wall, then no sheathing would not have been a code violation, though I never worked with or for someone who would tolerate this level of incomplete.

 

[PoorUB]

I have seen it often, it doesn't make it right! It is simply the contractor skiming on sheeting as the soffit will cover it. Beings it is a heated wall on the inside it should be sheeted to the top plate and house wrap all the way too.

 

[firebirdparts]

I can't comment on the idea of "typical" but I do think there are a lot of houses everywhere that aren't completely sheathed. I would be willing to bet on that. I admit having helped build one that was sheathed on the corners and fitted with pink foam board on all 4 sides. The sheathing keeps the house from falling over, and that 4" extra, in a separate piece, can't help you. You may disagree with this, but it's not about you. It's about what the guy building the house thought. I'm going to bet he thought sheathing keeps the house from falling over.

A lot of people who live where electricity is cheap and the temperature is moderate cared very little about insulation and vapor barriers and all that. I would go so far as to say inattention to detail with regards to insulation is actually typical. The people building the house, if they didn't live in it, the cost of heating it had no impact on them at all. Obviously there are vast areas where nobody cared. People may believe that there was some sort of "insulation inspector" somewhere, but that's not how it is.

P.S. It sounds like there might be some beliefs about what sheathing is and what it does that need to be defended in this thread. You know what I mean? Like "if this sheathing doesn't go all the way to the top, then the house isn't [something]" Is this actually true?

 

[Zeke]

The 4" of so on the top would be a nightmare in CA. No engineer would allow a 4" filler. It would be a series of vertical half sheets all cut so that 2 sheets would cover min 1/3 and the rest. Staggered joints all on blocking. Huge waste factor.

The bottom line is the top plates have to be incorporated in the nailing schedule that includes at least another 1/3 of the wall.

This is IIRC.