Old vs New Homes
You may
find this interesting.
During the conference call yesterday with the NJ remodeler and the factory rep from the major manufacturer, I shared some information that I discovered before both of them were born!
Did you ever read J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings
trilogy?
One of his best quotes, in my opinion, applies to many things in life.
“And some things that should not have been forgotten were lost. History became legend. Legend became myth. And for two and a half thousand years,
the ring passed out of all knowledge.”
I'm seeing this happen all the time in building and remodeling and that's one reason why I started Ask the Builder. I wanted to curate and preserve OLD METHODS of building that we know work and work well.
The young remodeler and factory rep didn't grasp
why having a vapor barrier on the OUTSIDE of a wall on the Jersey coast was a bad thing.
"Mr. Carter, old homes used to have felt paper on them under the siding and there weren't problems," proclaimed the remodeler during the call.
Good point! But why did the tar paper work back
then?
Well, you know what? I had the good fortune 45 years ago to remodel and tear into wood-frame houses that were built in the late 1800s and early 1900s in Cincinnati, Ohio. Many of these houses had tar paper on them.
The difference between those old houses and modern ones like the one
above in the photo is as vast as the chasm at the Grand Canyon.
Old homes had no insulation. Old homes often had balloon framing allowing a draft to happen in the wall cavity. Old homes had leaky windows allowing dry winter air to enter homes lowering the humidity to such a degree you got shocked constantly touching doorknobs and any other metal object.
Water vapor in modern homes is constantly trying to get outdoors in the winter months. When this water vapor hits a cool or cold surface water vapor can and will transform to liquid water.
When it's 15 F outdoors the OSB sheathing just under your siding is probably 16 F. How long do you think it takes water vapor to
transform into liquid water in those conditions?
This liquid water, should it form, will fuel fungi growth that causes wood rot.
In OLD homes there was so much air movement in the wall cavity the water vapor would evaporate before turning into liquid water.
Modern platform framing techniques prohibit the movement of air inside wall cavities now.
Both the remodeler and factory rep were pretty much speechless.
It really pays off to pay attention in science classes in
school. Please drive that point home with your kids and grandkids.
That's quite enough for today.
My favorite meal of the year is one week from tomorrow! WOOT!
Tim
Carter
Founder - www.AsktheBuilder.com
CLEAN Organically - www.StainSolver.com
Invisible Happiness - www.W3ATB.com
Do It Right, Not Over!
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