There’s an apartment complex being built by me and they have most, if not all the framing done. At my job, there’s a huge emphasis on keeping white wood lumber from getting wet because it will ruin the wood. But whenever I drive by this construction site, I see so many studs just exposed. It’s rained a decent amount since they began the project, so I’m wondering if any of the studs are damaged or will become in the future. How will they last the building lifespan after being soaked?
It is currently pouring as I type this and I can’t help but think what damage is currently being done. Someone put my mind at ease lol.
In: Engineering
They don’t. It really isn’t much of a problem if the wood gets wet. It would be a problem it remains wet for an extended period of time.
After the roof is on they may use a bunch of fans to dry out the interior.
For the most part wood that gets wet while it’s still in a bundle on the ground laying around Etc we’ll tend to Warp. Wood soaks the water and when it starts to dry out, it evaporates unevenly and causes the wood to Crown or twist.
Once the structure is built the Fasteners used hold it in place for the most part. There can still be some warping going on but for the most part it is controlled. Now the mold issue, it can get moldy of left uncovered for a long period of time. A little rain won’t cause a lot of issues. Sometimes when there is a project and it suddenly stops, and left outside for months, mold can form.
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On top of the other comments, builders will sometimes tell you to run dehumidifiers after you move in to help dry out the wet from building.
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Moisture in wood isn’t an issue. Trapped, constant moisture in wood is an issue.
Once the roof is on the inside will eventually dry out. It takes a couple weeks to get the plumbing and electrical rough-ins done. The sheathing will dry as well. House wrap and siding is meant to allow air flow.
Lumber in a stack will retain water due to poor air circulation, and will warp out of shape from uneven drying of the moisture.
Wood that has been erected for framing has plenty of air circulation to dry, and is secured from warping by being fixed in place.
As u/The-real-W9GFO pointed out the roof will be next and fans will be brought in if needed to complete the dry out process before adding wall sheathing.
In the past, houses were not very air tight so they were able to dry out easily. Now the outer walls have a breathable material on the outside and a plastic vapor barrier on the inside. They rely on powered air exchangers so they are more likely to get moldy. If you shut yourself in a new house and turned off the air exchanger you could potentially run out of air.
I built custom homes for 3 years and we always commented on how these beautiful multi-million dollar houses we were building won’t last long because of the building code.
Basically whether they rot or not depends on how good they designed their air system and how long after the rain season the house was sealed up.
Wood has to be fairly wet before it starts growing mold, like 30-40% moisture content. Normal construction lumber comes in around 15-20%, you’d have to leave it in a pool to soak up enough to start decaying.
Eventually they’ll get the “shell” up, the roof and wall sheathing with building paper. Then there’ll be a period of time where HVAC, rough plumbing and rough electric work is being done. During this time any residual moisture in or on the framing has a chance to dry before it gets sealed in by drywall.
I would appreciate an opinion on a house I see that was built at least 3 years ago, the roof is on, but the frame etc., has been exposed to rain and now appears grey. Can this type of structure be salvaged…
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