Was a WRB required under Hardiplank siding in South Carolina in 2000?
adabner
| Posted in Building Code Questions on
Just had a home inspector blow a deal because the house built in 2000 wasn’t wrapped under the hardiplank siding. I can’t imagine it passed inspection if it was required by code.
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Adabner,
I wrote an article on water-resistive barriers in 2000 for the Journal of Light Construction. Here is the link: Choosing a Sheathing Wrap.
In that article, I wrote: "In many areas, building codes do not require any sheathing wrap at all, except under stucco, brick, and stone. “The codes are all pretty murky,” Butt says. BOCA, however, requires the use of #15 felt under all types of siding. In areas where the model energy code is in force, a vapor-permeable housewrap is required, unless special measures are employed to reduce air infiltration."
Two other points to keep in mind:
1. In 2000, the International codes hadn't yet been finalized or adopted by any jurisdiction.
2. Even today, in 2018, there are many rural parts of the country where no code requirements have been enacted, and where there is no such thing as residential building inspection.
Below is a a photo I took in 2000 for the sheathing article.
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It wasn't a code requirement in a lot of states. My own state (Georgia) didn't require it and my @sshole production builder wouldn't even install it if I bought the materials myself. *shrug*