Framing has just begun on my new house. I expected that treated wood would be used for the sill plates. Instead, regular fir lumber was used on the part that's been completed so far... my builder says he did this because the treated wood is hemlock and of poor quality. However, the house plans specify use of "rot proof sills". He has used foam gasketing under the sills on the poured foundation. He also says he can paint on some wood preservative if I wish him to.
Should I be insisting that treated wood be used on the rest of the sill plates?

As I read the 2003 International Residential Code, it seems to require that sills be pressure treated when they are less than 8 inches from the exposed ground. (R319.1.2) That applies for masonry and concrete foundation walls. If your house is built on a slab foundation, then the sills must be pressure treated unless they are separated from the slab by an impervious moisture barrier. (R319.1.3) Decay-resistant heartwood of redwood, black locust, or cedars may also be used instead of pressure-treated wood.

Pressure treated wood should be used for several reasons. It is moisture resistant, and helps to prevent decay, and termite attack. Pressure treated wood is not fool proof, but it should be installed. email me with questions
www.ripbugs.com
Good Luck!

I would, if you, be very leary of your contractor, starting now. If he thinks that this is acceptable, what else does he consider "acceptable". I would be cautious, very cautious..... Good luck with your home. By the way, get a copy of the BOCA codes from your city building inspection department and get their input.

By the way, BOCA codes have been extinct for a few years, and they were never available from local building departments. The applicable code is probably one of the versions of the International Residential Code, and a copy will cost you between $60 and $80 depending on where you buy it, Check with your local building department for which version of the code they use, before you buy one.

They are available from International Codes Council or from technical book stores.

Maybe the contractor considers it acceptable because according to the code, it may possibly be acceptable, depending on how far above grade the sill is located.

This is a link to 2006 International Residential Building Code your contractor is wrong contact local building inspector before he goes any further that bottom sill will rotout and you will have to replace at considerable expense. I would find another contractor. Good Luck

http://www.conradfp.com/pdfs/TreatedWood2006IRC.pdf

Posts like the previous one raise panic when panic isn't necessary. Before pressure treated wood came into wide use, no sills were ever pressure treated, and there are millions of houses with conventional lumber sills, some for a hundred years or more, and the sills have not rotted.

So, to say that:

quote:

that bottom sill WILL rot out

is a bit off the deep end. Much depends on how far above finished grade the sill is located. I quoted the 2003 IRC, and according to those provisions, a treated sill may not be required.

Just because they did it 100 years ago dosen't mean it should be done now
Lets look at the facts:

Original post says
the house plans specify use of "rot proof sills

the plans were approved by the building department and contractors can't change them when they want to

Original post says
the treated wood is hemlock and of poor quality

Lots of PT wood is hemlock why not get it somewhere else so he can use good quality

Original post says
He also says he can paint on some wood preservative if I wish him to.

Any painted on preservative will not be equal to PT wood Thats why its called PRESSURE TREATED
it also wont penetrate the portion thats already in contact with the poured slab

The previous poster is a Architect (NY) and Home Designer (PA) I am surprised that he isnt concerned with the builder changing the plans

I included a link to the 2006 building codes you can find your answer in black and white better yet contact your local building inspector and ask him or you can wait and if you have to spend thousands of dollars replacing rotted sill plates mabey you can find a Architect (NY) and Home Designer (PA) to help pay for it Hopefully it wont be when your retiring or sending your kids to college I would rather you panic a little now than later when it will cost you.

2 things
Do it right the first time and you wont have to do it again
And
Contractors Quote
You dont need building permits it will only cost you more money

It was done over 100 years ago, and it continued to be done up until a couple of years ago, and conventional lumber sills do not rot unless there is a reason, such as being too close to grade.

We don't know the distance to grade in this instance, but if it exceeds the code minimum for distance to grade, the sills can certainly be considered "rot-proof", even if they are of conventional lumber. And they will conform to the code besides.

If the architect really wanted treated sills, he should have said so in uncertain terms, Calling for "rot-proof" sills leaves a pretty wide latitude.

There are literally millions of houses with conventional lumber sills which have remained in perfect condition, and they aren't even gasketed like the ones referred to here.

Let the man build the house, and worry about the BIG things.

This is taken directly from the 2006 IRC which was cited:

2. All wood framing members that rest on concrete or masonry exterior foundation walls and are less than 8 inches from grade

So, if the wood framing members (the sills) are more than 8 inches from grade, they are code-compliant, and if I were the architect, I certainly would accept them as "rot-proof", because the code does.

Do you only have one lumber yard available?
If I recieve inferior lumber I would take it back and find better.The old may have worked in the past but if the plan called for treated perhaps there is a reason or maybe its just
there.What ever. The man questioned it, had a concern ,he is paying the bill,, he should get
(with in reason) what he wants.The builder probably should have asked the owner if he would mind the use of fir.THEN used it.Whats he going to paint? the top of the wood THat only has the box sitting on it? I think you would want to paint the usual rot spot, the bottom.which would mean lifting all the sills he put down .so he might as well just replace them with treated,hand picked of course. Vancouver? Hows the weather out there.
Ps I dont thing the code calls for Ice dam on the roof but ny had quite a few leaking roofs due to our wierd winter,putting down that roll before the shingles would have saved alot of cielings.

The International Residential Code, which is used in most of the USA, does indeed require "waterproofing shingle underlayment" extending to a point two feet inside the exterior wall.

And the plan called for "rot-proof" lumber, not treated lumber, and if the wood is greater than 8 inches above finished grade, conventional lumber would be code-compliant.

Im refering to the self adhesive underlayment not felt.

So am I. Required by code.

I thought it just called for underlayment period.what ever the case one course was not enough for a upper state Ny winter especially with the January thaw.