wood foundation and egress window

[jodil]

I dont know too much about wood foundations, so hoping some one else does here.

This is more a window question than anything, heres the pic...

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This egress window doesnt look right to me. Although I am not used to seeing windows with no siding around them. Shouldnt there be some type of flashing or something overlapping the part where the nails are? The siding stops about a foot above the window.

thanks

[inspect4u]

Jodil,

Yes, the window should be trimmed out. Around here, it is usually a 1x2 nailed and caulked around the frame. Also, is that wood to ground contact? Siding should have a six inch clearance to soil.

Mike M

[inspect4u]

Also, you say the siding stops a foot above the window. Do you mean it ends at the soffitt with an eave overhang, or does some other material pick up from there?

Mike M

[Tom Corrigan]

Jodi,

I've seen many wood foundations. I've never seen one built correctly, never.

The big problem with the widow will likely be that the below grade foundation wall is framed just like you would frame an above grade wall. This will result in inward bowing of the foundation adjacent to the window. Look for multiple king studs rather than just one on each side of the opening.

These foundations have fallen out of favor. There 's a reason (many reasons actually) why they're not presently used much.

Tom Corrigan

[Scottpat]

It looks like that window is a replacement. I think I can see nail holes where the old window was trimmed out.

[hausdok]

Hi Jodi,

Look in the downloads section. There's a whole manual on permanent wood foundations (PWF) in there.

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

[jodil]

What I mean by the siding ending a foot above the window is this window is below grade a couple of feet (its not a true egress since its not a real basement.) You can tell from my first pic in this post where the window well is (see the timbers that frame out the well area?) Here is another example of a different basement window. This one the siding ends just at the top of the window. These are not replacements, this house is only 5 years old and is 4000 sq. ft. (a very expensive home in this town)

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The wood you see at the bottom of pic 1 (original post) and here part of the foundation. My concern is that once that black plastic has disinigrated the wood will be right up to the soil..

I'll go read the wood foundation download now. Thank you!

[Richard Stanley]

Thats gotta leak!

Doesn't it get filled with snow. ice, etc.?

R310.2 Window wells. The minimum horizontal area of the

window well shall be 9 square feet (0.9 m2), with a minimum

horizontal projection and width of 36 inches (914 mm). The

area of the window well shall allow the emergency escape and

rescue opening to be fully opened.

Exception: The ladder or steps required by SectionR310.2.1

shall be permitted to encroach a maximum of 6 inches (152

mm) into the required dimensions of the window well.

R310.2.1 Ladder and steps.Window wells with a vertical

depth greater than 44 inches (1118 mm) shall be equipped

with a permanently affixed ladder or steps usable with the

windowin the fully open position. Ladders or steps required

by this section shall not be required to comply with Sections

R311.5 and R311.6. Ladders or rungs shall have an inside

width of at least 12 inches (305 mm), shall project at least 3

inches (76 mm) from the wall and shall be spaced not more

than 18 inches (457 mm) on center vertically for the full

height of the window well.

[inspect4u]

That's a whole different ballgame, we don't see any basements around these parts. But I do know with the average rainfall we get, that's gotta leak, as Richard stated.

Mike M

[Jesse]

Are you sure you're dealing with a wood foundation? I see the timbers in the photos, but they look like they are only for the window well.

[carle3]

The installation instruction for most building papers will have a limited amount of time that they can be exposed to the weather. Ultraviolet will usualy break them down over time.

[hausdok]

Hi,

That looks like a dirty layer of polyethylene plastic to me - not paper. If so, the way that it's been done is going to allow wind-driven rain to drain behind the plastic where it will be trapped between the plastic and the wood. I should think that the wall above needs to be in drainage plane onto the plasic.

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

[inspect4u]

I can't really tell what kind of material it is. Am I looking at debri or cobwebs, or is that fibers in the material? Irregardless, like Mike said, water is going to get behind it. As I said earlier, we don't have any basements around here, but if that window well is below grade how is it suppose to drain??? Are the landscape timbers on all three sides, or is the front open? Guess I'm just not getting the whole picture.

Mike M

[hausdok]

Hi,

Most of the time, unless you've got a high water table or a house is placed below a hillside, window wells will drain just fine without a drain in them.

They'll have used a bead of caulking behind the nailing fin to keep out water. It will work for a time exposed like that but will eventually leak. It would have been prudent to use some 4" wide self-adhering bituthene around the perimeter of that window and then install some trim over the top of that to prevent it being damaged by UV.

Personally, I would have used a latex mastic to seal the polyethylene to the concrete around the perimeter of that window and would have brought it all the way to the top of the wall before sealing the perimeter of the window as above. I probably would have used Hardiboard between the bottom of the siding and grade and down the side of that wall in that window well, before installing the trim around the window, to prevent damage to the polyethylene. Done properly, everything would have been in drainage plane and the foundation, though wood, would have looked to anyone except a pro, like it was concrete.

I grew up in basement country. What I know from years of putting them in with my father is that if the foundation is done right, whether concrete or wood, it will stay dry. If it's done wrong, it'll leak - that's a given. Around here in the Seattle area, I'd say only about 40 to 50% of them are done right and the rest are wet without the wetness being controlled or with some other measure being used to reduce that wetness.

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

[inspect4u]

Thanks, Mike

I understand a little better now. So, basically you're saying the ground will usually absorb the water before it becomes a problem. I'm used to the Texas blackland (clay). Like we say, "You stick with it during the summer and it will stick with you during the winter."

Mike M

[shane the builder]

PWFs are common place here in Alberta Canada. Again most are not built right here as well. Windows installed in PWFs should be sealed the same as main floor windows. I see in the picture that there is no parging or covering over the foundation vapor barrier. Once the poly has been exposed to the sun for more than six months it will have lost its effectiveness. The code here is that all above ground exposed vapor barriers shall be covered. The general practice here is to wrap the basement in reinforced poly and cover the above ground area in 5/8 preserved plywood.

On the PWFs I build I use a multilayer system. First a rubber/asphalt mastic coating sprayed directly on the wood followed by reinforced poly covered with a High density polyethylene Foundation Waterproofing Membrane. And I would never leave the foundation exposed. Simply applying silicone behind the nailing fin will not seal a window. Ask yourself if you would let this window fly on a main floor. As for being an egress window I agree with Richard's approach. Look at your local and federal codes.