The Defects We Find Most Often Behind the Walls of New Austin Homes

This is the category we flag most often, and it is almost always more than one item per home. The water-resistive barrier and flashing details on the exterior sheathing are the home's primary defense against wind-driven rain, and they all get buried behind brick or siding. Common findings include flashing tape that has peeled or was never pressed down (tape unstuck), tape applied with wrinkles or voids that can channel water in, tape installed from the top down rather than in a shingle fashion, tape missing entirely at penetrations, and the wrong tape used for the brand of sheathing, which can void the warranty. On cellulose fiberboard sheathing we frequently see torn or damaged panels, overdriven or missing and overspaced fasteners, seams that are not backed by framing, and panels lapped lower-over-upper so water can get behind them. On housewrap we see torn material and reverse laps. We also routinely find masonry flashing installed behind the strapping rather than over it, which can trap water against the wall.

Seen in the field as tape unstuck · tape lets in water · tape installed top down · flashing tape missing/damaged · wrong tape used · sheathing torn or overdriven · seam not framed or blocked · housewrap reverse lapped · masonry flashing reversed.

If there is one finding that appears in nearly every pre-drywall report we write, it is missing fireblocking. The IRC requires fireblocking in combustible construction to cut off concealed vertical and horizontal draft openings and to form an effective fire barrier between stories and between the top story and the roof space. That means fireblocking vertically at ceiling and floor levels, horizontally at intervals not exceeding ten feet, at interconnections such as soffits and drop ceilings, between stair stringers at the top and bottom of the run, and around vents, pipes, ducts, cables and wires at ceiling and floor level. We commonly find it missing at the garage, above laundry appliances, at stair landings and in the chases that run between floors.

Seen in the field as fireblocking missing at garage · at stair landings · between subfloor and attic · at chases between rooms · around penetrations.

Shear walls and portal frames are the assemblies that keep a home from racking sideways under wind load, and they are detail-sensitive. We regularly find wall bracing simply missing or not matching the plans, anchor bolts or the approved powder-actuated fastener alternative missing at the bottom plates of braced wall panels, portal frame straps that are too short to reach the top plate, undersized bolts and washers (the code detail typically calls for a minimum five-eighths inch bolt with a two inch washer), single bottom plates where a double is required, sheathing breaks placed outside the center third of the wall, and hold-downs that are offset or fastened with nails that are too small or too short. We also see TWB strapping used in place of approved strap or let-in bracing, which the product evaluation reports do not allow.

Seen in the field as wall bracing missing · bolts or PAFs missing at shear wall bottom plate · strap short at header · small bolt or washer · single bottom plate at garage · hold down tie offset · insufficient fasteners at hold downs.

After the framers leave, the plumbing, electrical and HVAC crews cut through the framing to run their systems, and that is where stud damage tends to happen. The IRC limits how deeply a stud may be notched or bored: a stud in an exterior or bearing wall cannot be notched more than 25 percent of its depth, and bored holes cannot exceed 60 percent of the stud depth, with edge-distance and doubling rules. We frequently find studs overbored or overnotched beyond those limits, studs that are split or gouged, studs that are loose, and gaps between studs and the plates or headers they should be tight against.

Seen in the field as stud overly bored/notched · stud damaged · stud loose · gaps at studs · improper stud reinforcement for a 3 inch pipe.

The code requires a continuous air barrier in the building envelope, with breaks and joints sealed. In practice the air-sealing foam often misses spots: junction boxes, the gaps between studs and the bottom plate or sheathing, and holes drilled through the sheathing for wiring and plumbing. We see these gaps in a large share of homes once the foam stage is reached, frequently at the shared garage-to-living wall, at exterior corners and around the sliding glass door.

Seen in the field as gap at air barrier · unsealed junction boxes · stud-to-plate gaps · unsealed sheathing penetrations · garage wall to interior.

The double top plate ties the wall framing together and helps carry loads around the structure, so its splices and connections matter. We routinely find top plate end joints offset less than the required 24 inches, missing nails in the plates, metal reinforcement ties missing or installed improperly, top plates not properly tied to headers, and single top plates where a double is required. Occasionally we find a combination of these stacked in one location above an entrance or garage door.

Seen in the field as top plate splice under 24 inches apart · top plate missing nails · metal reinforcement tie missing · top plate not tied to header · single top plate where double required.

The sill or bottom plate is what physically ties the wood structure to the concrete foundation, and the anchorage details are easy to get wrong. We find anchor bolts missing or spaced too far apart, shot pins overspaced, anchor nuts and washers loose or missing, anchor bolts that may not extend deep enough into the concrete, and bottom plates that are not fully bearing on the foundation. The Wood Frame Construction Manual is explicit that sill and bottom plates must have full bearing on the foundation system.

Seen in the field as anchors missing or overspaced · shot pins overspaced · anchor nut or washer not tightened · bottom plate not fully bearing · insufficient support under wall.

Manufactured connectors such as joist and truss hangers only reach their rated strength when every nail hole is filled with the specified fastener. The most frequent finding here is hangers missing fasteners, sometimes because a nail hit a knot and never seated in the wood. We also find hangers missing entirely where a joist should have been hung, joists that have been notched or bored beyond the allowable limits, ledger boards that are under-fastened, and engineered beams that may have been switched so that a larger beam bears on a smaller one. Buckled floor sheathing edges show up as well.

Seen in the field as hangers missing fasteners · hangers missing · joist improperly notched or bored · ledger board missing fasteners · larger beam bearing on smaller beam.

The mechanical and finish items round out a typical report. On windows we find units that bind or do not operate, broken glass, and sashes that do not fit their frames, all best caught before the drywall traps them. On HVAC we find kinked or compressed flex duct, damaged duct wrapping that hurts the insulation value, and insufficient clearance between a gas appliance vent and combustibles. On plumbing we find drain lines run with a negative slope (the code wants a uniform slope of one-eighth to one-quarter inch per foot), excessive distance between a trap and its vent, missing nail plates where pipe runs close to the framing edge, and improper water heater drain pans.

Seen in the field as window binding or broken · kinked/compressed duct · insufficient vent clearance to combustibles · drain negative slope · nail plates missing · offset toilet flanges.