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Checklist for Decay Resistance

Patricia Skinner, Attaway, Denise, Reichel, Claudette H.

Architectural detailing that sheds rainwater away from walls:

___ Overhangs all around (2 ft. wide)

___ Roof pitch between 3:12 and 6:12

___ Roof drip edge

___ If lacking overhangs, non-clogging gutters or diffusers

___ Covered entries

___ Cap flashing with drip edges above windows, doors

___ Extended, sloped window sills

___ Sloped porches, balconies, driveways, etc.

Roof leak reduction: 


___ Simple roof design

___ No flat roofs

___ Minimal penetrations; leak-resistant vent systems

___ Properly installed flashing at penetrations, valleys

___ Step and kickout flashings if a roof intersects a wall

___ Higher performance underlayment for leak-prone roofing types

Continuous drainage plane in walls exposed to rain:


___ Drainage space behind cladding in high-rainfall areas

___ Vented space behind cladding in extreme-rainfall areas

___ Or, sealed masonry construction (reservoir system)

___ Flashing of windows, doors, etc. that continues drainage plane

___ Shingle-fashion installation of all materials

___ Flexible flashing tape, waterproof coating or sill pans and corner guards

___ Doors set in pan flashing or “seat” in slab

Hot, humid climate ideal wall assembly (South Louisiana):


___ Air flow retarder to the exterior

___ Vapor diffusion retarder to the exterior, if used

___ Permeable interior finish (no vinyl wallpaper)

___ Unfaced cavity insulation

Mixed, humid climate ideal wall assembly (North Louisiana):


___ Air flow retarder to the interior

___ Permeable interior finish (no vinyl wallpaper)

___ Vapor diffusion retarder (not vapor barrier) that adapts to seasons:

___ ≥ R 5 insulating foam sheathing or foam core

___ Kraft paper-faced insulation to interior

___ Special membrane that is low-perm in winter and high-perm in summer.

Water managed foundation:


___ Ground slopes away from foundation

___ Gasket (capillary break) between foundation and framing

For slab-on-grade house:


___ Durable plastic sheeting under slab and lining the grade beam

___ Coarse gravel drainage bed under slab

For raised house:


___ Ground level inside crawl space higher than outside

___ Entire wood subfloor treated to resist decay or insulated and sealed like a wall

___ Plastic ground cover in enclosed crawl space

___ Drainage board for any below-grade walls

Other:


___ Exhaust fans, clothes dryer do not vent under house or into attic

___ Wood, fiber cement siding backprimed

___ No plumbing within exterior walls

___ Stainless steel hoses for clothes washer

___ Sloped floor and drain or drain pan for clothes washer, water heater

___ Air infiltration control (see Energy-efficiency section)

___ Humidity control system (see Healthy/ Indoor Air section)

Long-lasting materials and equipment:


___ ≥ 40-year roofing warranty, 12-year total system, 100% warranty

___ ≥ 50-year cladding warranty or masonry

___ ≥10-year window frame, 20-year glass warranty

___ Pressure-treated wood, masonry, steel structural components

___ Fiber cement, plastic fiber composite or other long-life trim

___ Plastic lumber or pressure-treated wood decking

___ Appliances, equipment with longer-than-average warranties

___ Long-lasting floorings

___ Foundation designed for soil conditions

8/27/2007 11:19:09 PM
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