Water gets into buildings. It’s an indisputable reality. The effects of inward driven moisture can wreak havoc on the structural integrity, durability and longevity of any building. The aftermath leaves homeowners and property managers struggling to fix problems including rot, mold and mildew. For architects and builders, failing to identify these potential risks and specify solutions to mitigate them can become a significant issue in renovation, as well as in litigation.
The marketplace is filled with a variety of drainable housewraps designed to protect the building enclosure and drain water away from the sheathing. While the assumption is that testing for their efficacy has been thorough, common code standards for housewraps don’t tell the entire story.