BASC Search | Building America Solution Center

A typical Las Vegas hot-dry climate home uses stucco siding and a tile roof.

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Stress Relief, BSI–015

Reference

Report covering coating and back venting wood based claddings and trim.

Masonry Detailing Series

Reference

Webpage featuring hundreds of illustrations of masonry construction details for brick, congrete, stone, tile, stucco, etc.

Building America Building Science Advisor

Reference

Web based tool providing decision-making guidance for selecting wall assembly components.

Adding Insulation when Re-Siding

Reference

Fact sheet poster describing how to add exterior, continuous, rigid insulation to the exterior walls when replacing siding on an existing home.

The Effects of Windborne Debris on Saferoom Wall Panels and Fenestration Systems

Reference

Projectile missile testing of various wall panel configuration to understand how the different wall constructions would perform when struck with wind driven debris from a hurricane.

Moisture Control for Residential Buildings

Reference

Report providing extensive guidance on controlling moisture in building envelopes through proper selection and installation on air, water, thermal, and vapor barriers.

Classic Rib® Install Guide

Reference

Installation manual for installing metal panel siding.

Key Installation Checkpoints for Manufactured Stone Veneer

Reference

Article providing guidance for installing manufactured stone veneer, including information on rainscreens.

Inward Drive – Outward Drying, BSI-061

Reference

Report covering reservoir claddings, back ventilation and vapor throttles.

Great Fire of London, BSI–098

Reference

Report covering the fire performance of combustible cladding over combustible insulation.

Siding Cost.org

Reference

Website providing the pros and cons of different siding materials for home building, including wood, vinyl, fiber cement, stucco, brick, metal, and stone.

FB Cavity Barrier – Fire rated ventilated cavity barrier

Reference

An example of a commercially available thermally expansive fire stopping product for controlling the spread of fires in a rainscreen cavity.

Weep Holes in Brick and Stone Veneer

Reference

An article written by Don Jackson of The Journal of Light Construction on how to detail brick veneer siding wall.

Drain the Rain…On the Plane…the Drainage Plane, BSI–112

Reference

Report covering the rainwater performance of building assemblies.

Moisture Management in Residential Construction Series - Stone Veneer Internal Drainage Plane

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Video from Home Innovation Research Labs on installing a stone veneer exterior with an internal drainage plane to protect the home from moisture issues.

Moisture Management in Residential Construction Series - Building Enclosure: Exterior Wall Overview

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Video from Home Innovation Research Labs giving an overview of moisture problems common to exterior walls and how to mitigate these problems with proper framing, flashing, sheathing, cladding, and insulation.

Performance profiles of exterior fire protective building envelopes

Reference

A study on how fires spread through exterior building envelopes with discussion on how fires propagate in a rain screen cavity.

HardiPlank Lap Siding Butt Joint Flashing

Reference

A article about the best practice method of installing fiber cement siding, to install flashing at the butt joints of the siding boards, rather than face caulking the butt joints afterwards.

Improving Drainage and Drying Features in Certain Conditions: Rain Screen Design for Absorptive Cladding

Reference

Guide detailing best practices on how to build wall assemblies with absorptive claddings such as brick, stone that drain and dry well.

Rain Screen Acknowledgement Form

Reference

An example of a form a building codes department created to ensure builders are fully aware and have taken steps to provide drainage so that water doesn’t accumulate behind siding. This example is from the city of Newberg, Oregon.

Resistance of Exterior Walls to High Velocity Projectiles

Reference

Report describing the testing of various siding materials for their ability to resist bullets from small firearms.

Brick Masonry Rain Screen Walls

Reference

Document focusing on the design and wall components that contribute to a pressure equalized rain screen wall, including the frequency of the weep holes and other brick masonry rain screen wall requirements.

Tennessee 'Bee Whisperer' Removes 35,000 Honey Bees from Brick Wall

Reference

A story about bees building a hive in the drainage plane behind the brick veneer siding. The bees entered the wall through unprotected drainage holes.

Nashville's Home Inspector reveals clogged "Weep Holes"

Video

Video showing how the weep holes in a brick façade are sometimes filled by the homeowner or subsequent contractor who mistakenly thought the holes are the result of an installation error during the brick laying work. These holes are important to the drainage and ventilation of the wall, please don’t...

Common Siding Failures - Avoid errors that will cause a fiber-cement job to fail

Reference

An article illustrating common errors found in fiber cement siding installations. Many of these errors and poor flashing examples apply to siding materials beyond fiber cement siding.

Wall Performance by Design: Role of Rainscreens in Moisture Management

Reference

A presentation about the need for rainscreens including the damage water and moisture ingress into a home’s siding and framing can cause, and ways to design a resilient wall that drains and ventilates well.

Construction Defects – Mortar Bridging and Mortar Droppings Still Plague the Industry

Reference

Article about how mortar droppings during the installation of a brick veneer can clog the weep holes in the wall assembly causing moisture damage. The article also illustrates products that can be installed in the ventilated cavity to mitigate this problem.

Standard Specification for Manufactured Polymeric Drainage and Ventilation Materials Used to Provide a Rainscreen Function, ASTM E2925–19a

Reference

Specification describing criteria for manufactured polymeric materials used to provide a rainscreen function, a means for the drainage of liquid moisture and the ventilation of vapor moisture that enters an above-grade exterior wall assembly which was published in the year 2019, and is available for...

Re-Side Right: A Systems Approach to High-Performance Re-Siding Projects

Reference

Technical report describing the Re-Side Right initiative by the New Jersey Institute of Technology's Building America research team that proposes enhancing home efficiency during the re-siding process by incorporating an insulating layer that acts as both an air barrier and water resistive barrier...