Are a few extra holes and gaps in OSB sheathing a concern?

9 years ago

last modified: 9 years ago

A production builder is working on a two story home for us.
The house has been framed, and sheathing and home wrap installed, but no
drywall yet. Is it okay for the
sheathing to have extra holes/gaps? There are a few ¼- 1/2 inch wide gaps between
some vertical OSB panels, (on wall and above some windows), and a few irregular
roundish holes (one in closet near
floor), and one up high in one of the rooms. I’ve asked them if they could fill them in or fix before the drywall
goes up, but they won’t give me an
answer. Since it will be an all-electric house, I wonder if these gaps/holes will cause undue air
leakage & drive our electric bill up.
Maybe it is not a big deal though. Anyone have an opinion on if this is
a big issue or not much of one? House will have vinyl siding on 3 sides with front of the house having brick.

Featured Answer

Tom

9 years ago

I wouldn't be concerned about some gaps here and there. The house wrap is what should keep the rain, etc. out. Depending on where you are located, I would want those areas sealed up prior to insulation with caulk or spray foam. That's actually what I spent today doing on my new build. Sealed up all gaps etc and insulated prior to drywallers coming later this week. This was done for more to stop air penetration then moisture. That being said, it doesnt look like a real quality sheeting job to me. Usually your seems should fall on a stud, etc. I'm not a carpenter by trade so take what I say as opinion. Im sure others will follow with more valid thoughts.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (10)

millworkman
9 years ago
Pictures? Definitely should be repaired though.
A D thanked millworkman
Ron Natalie
9 years ago
Disoriented strand board isn't a very good air block. Mostly it's used to give the structure rigidity. Depending on where (both environmental and local custom) it may be the case that they sheathe the whole thing in OSB or just places where they need to bolster the wall from racking.

Air blockage is primarily done by insulation (and possibly a vapor barrier). Depending on where the house is located and how you're insulating and finishing the interior determines how that is done.

What you definitely don't want is gaps in the house wrap or whatever is serving as an interior vapor barrier.
A D thanked Ron Natalie
Related Professionals
Southaven Architects & Building Designers · Athens Architects & Building Designers · Killeen Architects & Building Designers · Wausau Architects & Building Designers · Greenville Design-Build Firms · Fergus Falls Design-Build Firms · Carson City Design-Build Firms · Fort Collins Design-Build Firms · Missoula Design-Build Firms · Hopkinsville Home Builders · Raleigh Home Builders · New Braunfels Home Builders · Wausau Home Builders · Durango Home Builders · Toronto Home Builders
A D
Original Author
9 years ago

Thanks for the comment! It seems like something that would be much easier for them to fix before the drywall goes on. Here are some pictures of what I am talking about.
A D
Original Author
9 years ago
I appreciate the second comment as well; thank you! The house wrap seems attached the sides in pieces, not sure how attached but it seems to be covering most things, with loose overlap. They haven't put in insulation yet; I think that will be fiberglass on inside of sheathing.
User
9 years ago
They appear to be code violations.
A D thanked User
Renee Texas
9 years ago
Our builder put additional osb over those (subs can't read plans...ugh....things in the wrong spot, left with a hole when moved).
A D thanked Renee Texas
User
9 years ago
The placement of the sheet in the bottom center picture---with the gap beside the stud is a HUGE code violation!! That leaves that entire edge loose. Fix is simple, just add another stud.

The gap over the window is not a big deal. Holes are sloppy construction, but also not a huge deal. Might glue a patch on the inside.
A D thanked User
worthy
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Holes, gaps, unsupported edges, as noted above. SOP, for sure. Your home still gets heated and cooled and is far from structural failure. What 99.9% of new homebuyers don't see doesn't bother them. And production builders and their trades know that.

However, the OSB is an air barrier--though, depending on the brand, in continuous high winds not the best barrier--and a thermal barrier. So the fewer gaps the better.
A D thanked worthy
schreibdave
9 years ago
The roundish holes are probably where they connected a cable to hoist the panels in place with a crane. They were on mine. Every penetration into living space should be made air tight - or as air tight as you/they can make it. Housewrap and fiberglass insulation will not prevent air from moving freely in/out of your house. You probably don't want that. It would be appropriate to insist that those penetrations be fixed - add new studs, seal with spray foam, use appropriate tape, etc. If this is a production build I would bet that they will tell you they will do that and then ... they wont. I know because my new house (close tomorrow) was built by a production builder. What I did was I bought myself a spray foam gun, foil tape and caulk and went to the house every weekend and foamed/taped/caulked every penetration. Even after the subs "did it." I redid it. To my surprise my builder never balked at my doing this (a previous builder did). So your choices are to ask them to fix these things or if you are at all handy and motivated you can do them yourself - understanding that you dont want to screw anything up and that they may tell you to stop.

Good luck
A D thanked schreibdave