What is the best way to build walls in humid climates?
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How do you prevent walls from rotting in humid climates?
Rose Alderson
Nov. 5, 2018Last updated: Aug. 2, 2020
Hi there, we live on the gulf islands, building a new home as owner builders and figuring it out as we go. I worry that being in such a damp environment for so much of the year, we could have an issue with mould, as other neighbors (a professional builder) who used plastic Vapour barrier have had mould show up in less than 2 years on his north wall. How can we avoid getting mould?
If your neighbour had their walls rot that could be for a number of reasons - it could be design related, quality of workmanship, or even due to a ‘micro-climate’, meaning their very specific weather conditions on their property. Learn all about climate zones here -
Building Climate Zones USA & Canada - Why they are Important
我对这个人没有任何评价，但我想指出的是，成为一名专业的建造者并不总是等同于一个高质量的建造者，也不是每个建造者在设计时都将耐久性考虑在内。You do live in a morehumid climatesobuilding a house without moldtakes more thought, but don’t let one wall failure get you too distressed.
So, starting with the micro-climate - The north side would not be exposed to the sun, so it would limit the ability of a wall to dry, and if you happen to get a lot of wind driven rain from that side then it would definitely increase therisk of moisture damagewhen building in a wet region like yours. There may also be trees or undergrowth very close to their home to hold moisture. Thewall assemblyand house in general may also not have been designed in consideration of the climate.
As for the vapour barrier, those are most likely to create a problem in an air-conditioned home in a very hot and humid climate, so if you plan to have AC and keep your house very cool then upgrading to a ‘smart’ membrane is good idea. They are more breathable than standard 6 mil poly vapour barriers.
From a design and quality of work point of view, we have many pages on durability that I will point you to, but I will give you a quick list of things to consider:
The most important thing to do is what you are already doing, which is to consider the challenges of your climate and to do some research ahead of time so you design and build accordingly. Look through ourbuilding guide categories如需更多帮助，或使用我们的搜索栏，输入“墙的组装，耐久性，模具，模具等。”尝试一下，如果你没有找到所有你想要的问题，请随意提出另一个问题。