Greetings - I'm about to enter a contract to build a new home in
Central Ohio. I'm not very knowledgeable about home construction, so
please forgive my ignorance.

One of the options on the contruction of the exterior is to add a Tyvek
wrap under the siding. I understand Tyvek is a DuPont product build to
keep the "weather" out of the home. Living in OH, we get our fair
share of rain, snow, wind, and cold.

The option is an additional $1,200, which is alot. I'm trying to keep
the options/upgrades to a bare minimum, but do not want to be
penny-wise and pound-foolish.

W
9e8
ould this be a good option to purchase? What are the pro's/con's if
any?

Thanks in advance!
Ryan

We just finished picking the options for our future house, and we opted
for Tyvek. I don't know how big of a house you're getting, but we got
it for $900 for a 3,400 sq. ft. house with many windows. Both my father
and my father in law have convinced us that it will save us money in
heating. (We're in NJ). I'm not sure that it offers any extra
protection from snow or rain.

Either way, this will probably cost 10 times more to do it later, so
you might as well splurge if you are planning to live there for a
while.

wrote in message
oups.com...
We just finished picking the options for our future house, and we opted
for Tyvek. I don't know how big of a house you're getting, but we got
it for $900 for a 3,400 sq. ft. house with many windows. Both my father
and my father in law have convinced us that it will save us money in
heating. (We're in NJ). I'm not sure that it offers any extra
protection from snow or rain.

Either way, this will probably cost 10 times more to do it later, so
you might as well splurge if you are planning to live there for a
while.
Sounds flakey to me. If you don't spring for the optional house wrap, do
they use 15-lb felt, or naked wood? Or is your sheathing just foamboard? One
of my first jobs as a kid working construction was stapling up the felt on
the outside, over the plywood corners and celotex field areas- I can't see
how Tyvek would be any more labor, being a 9-foot wide roll. Just how
expensive is the roll stock and the seam tape? Silly me- I always assumed
some sort of moisture break over the sheathing was a code requirement.

Every time I hear stuff like this, the more convinced I am that McBuilders
are to be avoided, in favor of local independents. None of this option crap-
build to spec and quality requirements, and quote out the job that way from
the get-go. A good builder won't cut corners like that, IMHO. If house
wrap is needed, it is built into the price. If the buyer can't/won't make
that price point, make the house smaller, or go elsewhere. A good builder
won't build a cheapass house- the damage to his rep ain't worth it.

aem sends...

.. do
they use 15-lb felt, or naked wood?

No, they still put the felt on. Tyvek just goes on as extra insulation
around widows and doors, in addition to the felt. At least in my case.

... the more convinced I am that McBuilders
are to be avoided, in favor of local independents.

We don't really get a choice. Builder bought the land and is selling
the lots with a choice of models in the development. All these upgrades
are just a way for sub-contractors to make money. The builder hires
them for next to nothing to do standard stuff. For example if you do
not buy any tile upgrades, the tile guy is lucky to break even. But a
single upgrade to bathroom tile, listed for $800 (just to put down
anything other then the cheap white tile) will give the guy a decent
profit, since it will only add about $100 to the cost of the job.

We got very few upgrades, since the final price will affect the tax
amount. We will redo the kitchen and floors after closing for the same
amount that builder would charge, but with better materials , more
choice and no effect on our taxes.

On 16 Feb 2005 08:21:32 -0800, someone wrote:


they use 15-lb felt, or naked wood?

No, they still put the felt on. Tyvek just goes on as extra insulation
around widows and doors, in addition to the felt. At least in my case.

You have either been fooled, lied to, or somebody is misunderstanding.
Tyvek is a thin fabric and has minimal insulating value. What is good
about it is that it is draft tight, and repels liquid. It replaces
old fashioned "building paper".

If it is being used to flash around windows and doors, well, better
than if it was not, but it should have been used ont he WHOLE exterior
(IMHO). If windows and doors need addtl flashing, it oughta be
aluminum or copper and then Tyvek is the cheap alternative. If around
the windows and doors there is cavity that needs to be filled, yes
Tyvek to cover it is better than nothing, but it really should be
stuffed with actual insulation and/or foamed. Again, Tyvek is a thin
fabric with minimal insulating value. It DOES stop drafts (except at
the seams unless sealed).

I am aghast that "in this day and age" Tyvek and (there are other,
competing brands of plastic "house wrap") would even be an "upgrade",
to me it is standard. A better example: my office landlord, who is
know for being a cheapskate, is building a new low rise wood frame
office building up the street "on spec" (due to the area, it will be
colonial style like a big house). And HE has a house wrap on it, not
tar building paper, and on the WHOLE thing not just around windows and
doors. He is like the world's most frugal guy, but he has it on the
building he is going to own. Get it?

Get it!

-v.


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