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Pole barn housewrap

Garagekit | Posted in General Questions on

Is it possible to housewrap a post frame / pole barn between the posts and the girts? That is before installing the horizontal girts, which would make a very square air tight box rather than installing the girts first and then wrapping.

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  1. GBA Editor
    Martin Holladay | | #1

    Garage,
    For your housewrap to act as a water-resistive barrier (WRB) that remains durable, it needs to be properly supported and fastened. If it is only supported by fasteners every 8 feet, it can pillow and flap when the walls are pressurized and depressurized by the wind.

    I suppose you could fasten the housewrap from the interior, after the horizontal girts are installed, but I'm not sure if that meets the installation requirements established by the housewrap manufacturer.

    Finally, it's important for you to realize that installing housewrap won't create an "airtight box." It's very hard to use housewrap as an air barrier, because it is so easily damaged during construction, and because it is penetrated by so many fasteners. I certainly hope that your pole barn will have wall sheathing. The wall sheathing should be your air barrier -- which means that you'll need high-quality tape to tape the seams of your sheathing.

    For more information on these issues, see "Insulating a Pole Barn."

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