# Soggy subfloor



## jim baird (Feb 23, 2011)

A house under permit (just barely) was framed, OSB'd on walls and roof, Advantech floored, but no roof felt, no house wrap, no windows or doors for almost a full six month period, during which two or three snowfalls and several rainy days introduced lots of moisture to the forlorn looking structure.

Have served notice on permit holder that expiration looms, and that re-permit will need evaluation by third party of condition of flooring, which has swelled at joints and at door openings and at locations in field where swelling occurred around interior wall bottom plates.

Anyone here seen anything similar?


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## fatboy (Feb 23, 2011)

Yup, several when housing went bust around here. Approached them the same way as you, require an engineers sign-off, or the manufacturers sign-off on the condition. Or, remove and replace.


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## jim baird (Feb 23, 2011)

My email to Huber (I think the product is theirs--(AdvanTech)) got a phone call from a rep in our area.  He said his material was warrantied for 300 days exposure, and if edges swelled they would be willing to look at it and fix it (sanding edges etc) if buyer had the proof of purchase etc.


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## cboboggs (Feb 23, 2011)

Yep, handled it the same way.


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## GHRoberts (Feb 23, 2011)

While I agree that weather may cause problems, I have a question.

Do you also require that the lumber, nails and whatever else is present be reexamined?


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## jim baird (Feb 23, 2011)

Good question, GH, as usual.


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## JBI (Feb 23, 2011)

Most extreme one I dealt with had been sitting for almost three years in Upstate NY weather... the house wrap had completely deteriorated and all sheathing was compromised. The subfloors on the interior were still good, but around the perimeter most had delaminated. New buyers Engineer told him to replace everything (except the sound subfloors). In the rpocess the contractor found framing in poor condidtion as well that no-one had picked up on.


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## DRP (Feb 23, 2011)

In 6 months through the cold season, I doubt there has been much damage. Depending on finish is a subfloor required? I did walk into one that the owners had gotten sidetracked on right behind our helper, just as he went thru the floor. We ended up replacing a number of joists and lots of plywood but it had also been several years in the weather.


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## dhengr (Feb 23, 2011)

Seems to me they are each different problems, but both based on deteriorated structural condition cause by the weather exposure.  The sawn lumber might be wetted and dried several times and still retain most of its strength.  It’s a judgement call.  The sheet goods scared the hell out of us when they started swelling, crumbling and delaminating after very few wetting cycles.  At first it was glue in plywood which was not water resistant, let alone waterproof.  They got that fairly well ironed out and the newest thing became wafer board and then OSB and the like, but then the random or somewhat random fibers sucked water like a sponge and swelled and failed.  Newer products and better glues have started to resolve the sheet goods problems to some extent.  And finally special surface and edge treatments are starting to solve some of those problems.  But, that’s still a judgement call, and you probably have a more direct path to a sheet goods manufacturer for their engineering support or financial backing of their product.


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## DRP (Feb 24, 2011)

APA help desk?


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## peach (Feb 24, 2011)

Even Tyvek has an exposure limit..

Structural lumber will withstand wetting better than any sheet goods.

I don't know that I'd accept an engineer to sign off.


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## Mac (Feb 25, 2011)

We had the project architect verify that everything was OK, and got a stamped letter for the file.

Hey JBI, Orange county is _down __state. True upstaters think everything south of the Catskills is NY City!_


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## Daddy-0- (Feb 26, 2011)

That advantech is good stuff. It can be exposed to lots of weather. It helps if you drill a few holes in it so the water won't pool and get in the cracks.


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