Capillary Break, ventilation of cedar walls, Interstate Commerce, or how to tax a friendship...

I have an urge to do things right when it comes to construction. Only want to do it once, even if it takes some effort to do it "just right". Done right, a project, a construction, a design, will last a life time, and it is a good thing for me, for future owners, and for the environment we all live in as a whole.

Hence, I've seen far too many houses that have serious moisture and mold problems. All because they just been erected too hastily with little or no attention to water and moisture management. Water comes in two ways, from the outside in the form of rain (strait falling and wind driven), and trickier to manage, from the inside in the form of water vapor.

Every construction in a tempered/cold climate should have a vapor barrier on the inside of the wall cavity, to prevent the ever present vapor (=water) in the inside air to penetrate the wall cavity and condensate (form water) once it hits a cold spot somewhere in the wall cavity (happens of course mostly during the colder months when wall is cold from the outside, gradually getting warmer until you hit the nearly room tempered inside surface.

This is fairly simple stuff, but so often overlooked by shoddy construction, like believing that the paper on faced insulation actually will work. But no, you will need to install a properly laid out plastic sheet (no thinner than 4 mil) before putting up the drywall and also ensuring that you have sealed all electric boxes and - the worst culprits - bucket lights in the ceiling.

On the outside, people try to "seal up" the siding by applying liberal amounts of caulk in order to keep the water out. Good thinking, but most times it is really not necessary and it can also "seal" the outside, preventing it from being properly ventilated.

Instead of applying caulk all over the place, better is to allow the siding to "breathe", and correctly manage the water that happens to sneak by it. It is done by a water resistant (NOT water tight) barrier (Tyvek, felt, asphalt paper, etc) and flashing to ensure that water that gets behind the siding is allowed to "run off" in an orderly fashion, without ever getting a chance really "touching" the core of the wall cavity (the wood and insulation). Contrary to what many believe, the siding is not really the "water barrier", but instead the "weather barrier", there to protect (from sun and physical damage) the "real" water resistant barrier (normally not ever seen once a construction is finished).

In cases when you have a natural wood siding (Cedar, pine, fur, redwood, etc) it is always advisable to provide for a space (air gap, or capillary break) between the back of the siding and the water resistant barrier. Good installers use furring strips laid out on top sheathing (OSB or plywood) normally matching the location of the wall studs. This works relatively fine when you have the (dreaded) horizontal beveled siding. The vertical furring strips provide for an air cavity that both lets water run down and air to raise, drying the siding if/when it gets wet (actually, not if, but when, it always will).

If not providing for this air space, or "capillary break", there is always the chance that when the siding does get wet, moisture is trapped inside and behind the siding in such amount that it starts to overcome the water shedding capabilities of the water resistant barrier, Tyvek, felt, asphalt paper, etc. Remember, this barrier is NOT water proof, and when exposed to enough moisture, its water shedding capabilities are overcome and it will allow water to migrate from the outside to the inside. This is potentially a BIG problem if you used OSB boards instead of the (pricier) plywood for sheathing. OSB has so much end grain and it very easily (and happily) soaks up moisture, trapping it and eventually starts forming mold.

The drawback of the vertical furring strips can be that it may provide a chance for the siding to "buckle" since there is really no support between the (needed) furring strips. Buckling is however better than the alternative, a wet and soaked siding, allowing water to eventually get absorbed into the wall cavity, leading to moisture problems, and eventually mold and other nasty stuff.

A neat application of the siding, at a "real" distance from the "actual" wall cavity is referred to as "rain screen". Likely the best application since it provides for a true ventilated outer shell, but one sort of have to prepare/design for it from the get-go, and not everyone likes the style. It also can provide a haven for isnects and all type of critter to nest in the air space created between the rain screen and the sheathing.

When you are using vertical siding, furring strips can be used, but they will create horizontal cavities, really not ideal since water cannot freely run down, and air does not have the free space to raise as it gets heated.

There are a number of products on the market to battle this problem. One of them is Cedar Breather and Home Slicker from Benjamin Obdyke. Essentially a plastic "airy" mesh, that creates about a 1/4 inch air space behind the siding, allowing for water to run down and air to raise, thereby allowing for the siding to naturally dry out. For those who read this and are really picky, yes Home Slicker is for walls, and Cedar Breather is for roofs, but according to BO, Cedar Breather can also successfully be applied to walls (just not as pretty color...).

Now, this product is not cheap, it is probably cheaper to build a house with "true" water resistant plywood, than to apply the "mesh" (additional labor cost for the "mesh" not counted). But, in our case, the addition was already built using OSB, so there was little other choice - if wanting to do things "right", while using vertical siding. By the way, in my mind, vertical siding looks far better than the rather boring "beveled" siding and water sheds better when it is allowed to flow with the grain, instead of perpendicular to it.

I was happy to find a stock pile of Cedar Breather cheap at a building outlet store in the Atlanta area. Problem was, Atlanta is about 2,700 miles away. On the other hand, these "rolls" are mainly air so it cannot be that pricey to ship a few up to Seattle. Hence, here started an effort to investigate how to best (=cheapest) get "them rolls" from Atlanta to my project.

After looking for product specifications on-line once could find out that the rolls where about 10 lbs each, less than 45 inches long, and likely some 12 inches thick. 6 rolls would come in at less than 70 lbs, and that is really nothing when it comes to shipping. However, remember that these rolls are mainly "air" and therefore pretty bulky. Having suspicions, I checked with UPS on-line, I did go to the UPS store in Kirkland to inquire what the cost would be if one came in with 6 of these, asked them to be packaged and sent away. Cost estimate ranged from a shipping cost of about $40/roll to, roughly $100 if they were bundled together as one large (super large) package.

Still not too bad.

But, the store in Atlanta does not ship, so I needed a way to get these rolls from the store, to the UPS office less than two miles away. UPS would take care of it from there, package them, and more importantly, ship them to my garage. Had to get hold of some (friendly) friends in Atlanta that could do a little detour during their daily travails, pick up "some rolls" and drop them off at the nearest UPS office.

Tried a few of the past Ericsson friends and colleagues. All out of town on vacation, and some even out of the country. Why, is Atlanta that bad? After all they voluntarily moved from Seattle to Atlanta. Not really eager to ask, but into the picture comes a VERY dear and good friend, but I know she is busy, have tons to do with all her animals, and also a busy work schedule in the legal sector. In any case, I had not talked to her for a long time, so if nothing else, it was time for a call and a status update.

Long story short, she had no problems (at least she did not say so...) to swing by this store and drop off my "rolls" at the UPS store. By the way, this is TRUE friends. I sent her all the information and also before sending her out on a Saturday drive in Atlanta, I did call the UPS store where these "rolls" most likely would be dropped off and asked them (his name was Andrew) to double verify shipping costs. Even Andrew came up with reasonable cost, his idea was to package these rolls three to a package so I'd be looking at some $70/package for freight and under $30 for packaging material. Total cost about $200. Still not a bad deal, and after that I sent my friend on her way to pick up "them rolls".

But, even with a GPS she had some problems finding the store, and once at the store, she called me and said she was not sure she could get more than four rolls into her car (a Saturn Vue, so no skimpy sports car). I could be OK with four rolls, but of course six was even better. She promised to try and believed that she could get five rolls if she folded the front seatback. Hey, five is better than four...

I call her a while later to check on progress, and she is now at the UPS office where Andrew is helping her unload "them rolls". Upon being reminded on "Seattle" and "bulky" items, he did recall my call to him a few hours earlier. Good, he would not let me down, or more importantly, my friend with car-full of "rolls" she certainly had no use for. We ended the call and I went back to painting outside, something I'd been doing since early morning, and for the past week as well for that matter.

When I happen to be down in the garage to fill more paint in my pail, the phone rings. It is my friend, she really did not say much other then that I'd "better talk to Andrew directly". After having gotten the rolls out of her car (likely no small feat...) and into the UPS office, allowing for proper measurement and eyeing out proper UPS packaging, it turns out that these are becoming "massive". Weight wise it is still not much, but there's a lot of "air in there", maybe even bypassing the limit for size of package that UPS can accept on "UPS Ground" (UPS freight is not available on Saturdays). Andrew is estimating that the freight will be somewhere close to $700...

Yikes....

I ask my friend for a few minutes of "contemplation" before I'll call her back.

Now I have dear friend that stands at a UPS office in an unknown part of Atlanta with "some rolls" of mine, rolls that now are becoming so expensive that it might be better just to dump them "somewhere", and buy all new stuff up here. Bright idea; Wonder if the store will take them back? I call the discount store and of course the manager (Gary) who sold them is out and only a podunk (sorry, mean no disrespect, but you really were not able to provide any assistance) helper just keeps telling me to call back in "10 minutes" when Gary has returned.

Quick call to friend at UPS Store to briefly discuss ideas. She clearly remembers that "sales are final" and that the rolls cannot be brought back. And, although she does not say so, I know she has no intention/will to fight to get these rolls back into her car. Especially not with her bad back! Hugh, this is going to hurt, not her back but my already thin wallet...

I guess "Andrew" in the mean time has not been completely inactive and must have been fighting with "them rolls" and figuring out that 1) yes, they can be shipped UPS Ground, and 2) packaged in two large boxes, total shipping cost will end of somewhere closer to $550. OK, much better, but far from the "good deal" this was at the outset.

But, I have a friend in "dire", standing next to a lot of "air" of mine, so quick decisions are essential. It has already taken up much more time of her well deserved Saturday rest than (at least I ) planned for. Remember, a 20 minute drive to the store a 10 minute drive to UPS, drop "them rolls" off and away you go...

After biting the really sour apple (correction, I think it was grapes I had in the fridge), the only logical - and friendly - decision is to go ahead and ship these rolls the way UPS Andrew has advised. Out with the dear old credit card, let Andrew charge it all so he can get moving, on likely his best freight sale of the week, if not year, and more importantly, so my friend can get back home to house, hubby, and dogs (not necessarily in that order).

After a while, I get another call, he had missed a digit on my credit card, and I was also advised that I'd get a tracking number and invoice e-mailed to me. Good, this is finally on its way.

But, in an effort to save a few $$$ on a good deal, I ended up paying heavily for shipping and really taxing hard on a distant friendship.
Lessons learned:

1. Before engaging in Interstate Commerce, think twice

2. Before shipping UPS, have it all figured out in advance

3. Friends are great to have. Use them wisely and sparingly. You never know when they are needed for real...

"Not by name mentioned" friend in Atlanta - I owe you!