OK, I’ll just admit it.
I sometimes build RTM houses.
Feels a bit confessional to just come right out with it.
For those of you not from western Canada, ND, MT, and MN, an RTM is a regular house built on temporary beams and then hauled to its site when it’s done and rolled off the beams onto a crawlspace or basement.
Anyway, there are a couple of real weak points in an RTM. One of them is the seal between the house and the mudsill on its permanent foundation. When I build on site the sheathing laps over this joint and so does the housewrap and siding. With an RTM everything sits flush with the bottoms of the joists, so the joint between the house and mudsill is wood to wood and exposed. Builders in this area usually just leave it but surely there’s a better way that somebody is using.
What are others using to seal this joint? Polyurethane caulk? Accoustical sealant? Silicone? (hope not) Butyl caulking? It needs to be quick to apply since you’re working around the house movers who are always in a hurry to be somewhere else.
j
Replies
SillSeal.
It's a plastic, spongey foam, that comes in a roll.
Yup, I know sill gasket. Have you used it before on a moved building? If so, detail that process out for me, if you don't mind. I was just posting with Scott about how that might work in terms of tight time and space. j
I've never used it for that.But it does stand to reason that if you have time to run a bead or three, of caulk, all the way around, you have time to run the sillseal.Suggestion: Cut it in strips, tack the strips horizontally just above where they will be placed, and then hurry and place them, in the time alloted....You are always welcome at Quittintime
What Luka said is the first thing that comes to my mind. We call it "sill gasket".
This sounds like a extremely simple and inexpensive solution, but perhaps the problem is more complex that I understand. Is it?
Scott.
Edited 9/20/2009 2:24 pm by Scott
Have you actually used sill gasket under the rim on a moved building? I'm not sure how I'd get it in there in that quick bit of time between when the rollers get swept out and the house getting set down. I was thinking something gun-able since most of it could be done while the rollers were still under it. You're right, it's the obvious choice. I'm setting one this week. I'll have to give it a try. I'm also using a mover I haven't used before and he may have some good ideas. thanksj
Have you actually used sill gasket under the rim on a moved building?Nope. That's what makes me think I don't entirely understand the problem.>>>I was thinking something gun-able since most of it could be done while the rollers were still under it.Perhaps the manufacterer has a recommendation. I would think they need to be code-compliant, and around here sill gasket and a PT bottom plate are code requirement.Good luck,Scott.
<Perhaps the manufacterer has a recommendation ...>sorry, i don't mean to be dim, but the manufacturer of what? when i do a mudsill i do PT, but sometimes my customers will subcontract the foundation themselves and i've had a couple who have used a fir mudsill w/ poly barrier over concrete. Local inspectors are all smiles and obviously passed it. j
>>>sorry, i don't mean to be dim, but the manufacturer of what? I just figured that when you said,>>>an RTM is a regular house built on temporary beams and then hauled to its site when it's done and rolled off the beams onto a crawlspace or basement....That there was a manufacturing company, or at least a sole proprietor that was liable to be code-compliant. Maybe it's you. (You lucky devil). In that case I'd seek the advice of the local inspector. Get it signed off, and hand the inspection cert. to the client.Scott.
It is me that's on the hook for compliance and I am a lucky devil for that reason among many others. Sill gasket's a good idea, I'm just trying to scheme up a way to get it in there. The house I'm having moved this week is going about 250 km from here. The movers will pick it up in the morning on Thursday and have it set by the end of the day. They really go, 'specially when you consider that you can only do about 70k with a house down the highway. that's a job i'm more than happy to have someone else do. j
sill gasket is best solution. is a foam stip (see image) used to fill the gap between the sill plate and foundation wall for a tight, uniform fit that eliminates heat loss from air infiltration. Made of polyethylene foam, durable and moisture-resistant so it will remain intact for years of energy-saving performance.