WATERPROOFING THE WALLS AND ROOF

We started by gutting the entire inside and stripped off all of the exterior siding. On this project, we’ve partnered with GCP and are using VYCOR enV-S Weather Resistive Barrier on the walls as well as the GRACE Ice & Water Shield for the roof—a premium performance underlayment. 

One of the challenges of renovating older homes is that self-adhesive products work really well on new plywood. But on homes like this one—early 1900s with traditional board sheathing—the product doesn’t always stick that well. There’s a lot of things working against you—dust, dirt, rough-sawn boards. I’m super impressed with the VYCOR product and its adherence to the old boards. We installed it by starting from the bottom and going up, stapling the top edge in place. Then we followed with a second piece placed above; the self-adhered overlap covers up the staples. And for easier application, we taped the corners first and then overlapped with the WRB. We also used flashing tape around the newly installed windows. Next, we added a 1-inch layer of ROCKWOOL Comfortboard on the exterior to provide additional R-value.  

‍ADDING STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY TO THE HOME

‍When you’re in the basement, you can see that every floor joist in this home was only a 2x6. So we’ve sistered every floor joist to add structural integrity. And all the subfloor has been flattened, and a new AdvanTech subfloor has been installed. The framers have done a great job of laying a really flat floor—crucial to successfully moving forward in any renovation. 

It’s time to discover what NS Builders can intentionally design and build for you! Contact us today to get started on your custom dream home. Together, we can make it happen. 

—Nick Schiffer