Sheathing & Housewrap Done Right

The premise: nobody drives past a house and admires its housewrap. But the sheathing and weather barrier decide whether the walls are dry in year 25 — and they're the two layers you can't fix later without tearing the building apart. Here's what "done right" actually means.

Sheathing: Structure First

• Nailing schedule is code, not preference. Edge and field spacing per the structural plans — it's what makes a wall a shear wall. Missed nailing shows up in inspections and, worse, in wind events.
• Gaps at panel edges. OSB moves with moisture; panels butted tight in wet weather buckle. The spec gap exists for a reason.
• H-clips and edge support on roofs. Cheap to install, impossible to retrofit, and the difference between a flat roof plane and visible sag lines in ten years.

Housewrap: The Physics Is Simple, the Details Aren't

Water always moves down and out. Every layer must lap over the layer below it — shingle-style — so gravity works for you. The failures we see on residing tear-offs are almost never the wrap material; they're the details:

1. Reverse laps that feed water behind the barrier.
2. Untaped seams that turn wind pressure into water pumps.
3. Window integration. Sill pan first, wrap lapped over the head flange, never behind it. Windows are where most wall rot starts.
4. Penetrations. Every hose bib, vent, and light block needs flashing or sealant integrated with the wrap — not caulk smeared over siding years later.

Why Your Framer Should Do the Wrap

When the same crew frames, sheathes, and wraps, the handoff failures disappear: sheathing gaps get fixed before they're hidden, and the wrap integrates with openings the framer just built. It's why builders include weatherization in our framing packages, and why we offer it as standalone scope on buildings we didn't frame.

Questions about a wall assembly? Ask us — free advice, honest answers, and we'll tell you if what you have is fine.