Installation of Hardiplank 2nd story Attic area

[FirstyLast]

Hello All, Texas resident here,

I was up in the attic the other day looking at the walls inside the attic, and noticed that the entire gable area (triangle) on the inside was only Hardi-plank installed over the black felt paper, and fastened to the wall studs. (Upper level 2 story bldg. )

I could peek between the felt seams and see daylight thru the horizontal hardi-plank. Ive looked everywhere trying to find out if this is normal installation technique, or should I have some type of substrate there. Some of the interior walls have bat insulation running up them, and I can see down the wall in between the wall studs where it looks like they blew insulation at least 8ft up, but in the attic, above that 8ft is only felt paper and hardiplank. No insulation, no ply, nothing. Any ideas?

[hausdok]

Hi,

Not sheathing the gable end walls of an attic is very commonly done and siding can be installed directly to studs as long as there is a moisture resistant barrier behind it and the nails are (obviously) driven directly into studs.

It sounds like you are describing a one-story home. Insulation is only required in the exterior plane of the living envelope; floors, exterior walls, ceiling. It wouldn't make any sense to insulate the exterior walls higher than the ceiling.

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

[mridgeelk]

jameshardie.com will answer all your questions.

Originally posted by FirstyLast

Hello All, Texas resident here,

I was up in the attic the other day looking at the walls inside the attic, and noticed that the entire gable area (triangle) on the inside was only Hardi-plank installed over the black felt paper, and fastened to the wall studs. (Upper level 2 story bldg. )

I could peek between the felt seams and see daylight thru the horizontal hardi-plank. Ive looked everywhere trying to find out if this is normal installation technique, or should I have some type of substrate there. Some of the interior walls have bat insulation running up them, and I can see down the wall in between the wall studs where it looks like they blew insulation at least 8ft up, but in the attic, above that 8ft is only felt paper and hardiplank. No insulation, no ply, nothing. Any ideas?

[FirstyLast]

Thank you all very much for the quick information!!

[inspect4u]

FirstyLast,

As long as the ceilings of the living areas in the attic have blown-in or batt insulation, the exterior and some interior walls would require no insulation, as you would only be insulating the attic. The interior walls that back up to habital areas would require insulation and this is why you are seeing batt insulation on those walls. My concern here is fireblocking. I'm assuming you're saying that when you look below the batt insulation you are seeing blown-in (loose fill) insulation. The wall is required to be fireblocked at the attic level. This can be done with wood (usually 2x4's), or batt insulation or other approved materials securely attached in place. The problem with loose fill insulation is that it tends to settle over time and leaves a void. However, loose fill can be used if it has been specifically tested for this purpose and demonstrates the ability to remain in place and to retard the spread of fire and hot gases.

Like Mike said, as long as the "Hardi-plank" is properly secured, I see nothing wrong with that installation.

[] Mike, your first line second paragraph, this may be but look at the subject title.[]

[Brandon Chew]

The codes folks are taking a second look at not requiring structural sheathing on the gable ends at the attic. After the barrage of hurricanes with Katrina and the ones that hit Florida a few years ago, they found that lack of structural sheathing on the gable ends was a key failure point in a structure that would have otherwise survived the hurricanes with minor damage. Wind tore a loose piece of siding off, which let more wind in, tearing more siding off. When the hole was big enough, lots of wind-blown rain came in causing extensive water damage to the occupied areas of the building below the attic, and in some cases the wind tore whole portions of the roof framing away.

Chad Fabry did a stint as a disaster inspector down there after Katrina. I bet he saw a lot of buildings with damage that I described.

Is it required? - depends on your local code

Do I recommend it? - I think it's cheap enough to put on the home before you install the siding that it's a wise thing to do.

Should you retrofit if it's not required and not there? - depends on your location, and how you balance risk and the cost to do it.

[Les]

Brandon,

you are starting to scare me with your common sense.

[Chad Fabry]

Damage by frequency;

#1 wind driven rain through roof after shingles blew off because they weren't nailed properly. Almost all of this damage could be prevented by requiring ice and water shield in hurricane zones

#2 Brick facades laying in the yards like they were built horizontal

#3 EIFS systems on all the commercial properties had to be removed becuase they failed miserably

#4 whole roofs were blown of...framing and all because they don't sheet gable ends

#5 building houses on grade even though it happens to be below sea level

#6 windriven rain through broken windows

#7 the double wide is missing

#8 any apartment building with mansard roofs needed to be torn down

#9 vinyl sided homes failed miserably and uniformly