Make house temporarily weatherproof - or leave it to elements?

[readiescards]

Roof on now. But windows not arriving for another 10 weeks (so going into Autumn).

 

All I can think of for temporary window opening covers are plastic sheeting, or thin polycarb windows stuck on with tape. Neither of which are secure or particularly wind proof.

 

Therefore is it worth going to the expense of installing some temporary cover over the window openings to keep the house weather proof now that it is internally dry, or is it normal practice to let the rain and wind blow through?

[PeterW]

A lot depends on what you want to get done in the next few months ..?? There will be a limited amount you can do if you're not wind and watertight so if you look at the cost of delaying vs the cost of a few sheets of OSB and some CLS to make temporary covers for  windows and doors you may be surprised. 

 

 

[Barney12]

Personally I'd knock up a few temporary windows with with CLS (or batons) and 9mm OSB. Cost is going to be circa £5 a sq meter so not much in the grand scheme of things?

[ProDave]

Our frame was exposed all last winter. I just sheeted the entire west gable end that takes the prevailing weather ith OSB over the windows and then a sheet of DPM over the whole wall.

 

I am still in that situation with my sun room that for financial reasons is not getting completed yet. That has the membrane on the walls and timber battens ready to take the wood cladding, and sheets of OSB over the windows.  I scrounged a couple of old patio doors that were being thrown away so I can at least let a bit of light into the otherwise boarded up room.
 

[nod]

2 hours ago, readiescards said:

Roof on now. But windows not arriving for another 10 weeks (so going into Autumn).

 

All I can think of for temporary window opening covers are plastic sheeting, or thin polycarb windows stuck on with tape. Neither of which are secure or particularly wind proof.

 

Therefore is it worth going to the expense of installing some temporary cover over the window openings to keep the house weather proof now that it is internally dry, or is it normal practice to let the rain and wind blow through?

Just a question

Why such a delay with your frames

Ten weeks seems a long time

[Pete]

Make sure you at least keep it watertight, you do not want the frame getting soaked as the wood will warp and twist. I know somebody who left their Timber Frame exposed for 3 months and is still paying the price of cracks and screw heads popping the plasterboard months after they had the house completed.

[Stones]

+ another on spending the money to make it watertight.

[Crofter]

Agree with everyone above. I'm the biggest cheapskate going but still used some 9mm osb to board over the openings temporarily. Actually I knew I was going to need some later in the project anyway so it won't go to waste.

On the smaller windows I just flew the membrane across the openings and left it in place (this was on a lower exposure elevation and windows less than 1m square).

I then spent about £15 on rigging up some temporary lighting inside- cheap pendants and a multipack of LED bulbs.

[readiescards]

Sorry forgot to say Brick and Block house (not timber frame) - see:  My house is going green - mould on inside blockwork - beginning to dry out now

12 weeks - we were (very) late deciding and ordering - Internorm still to confirm exact date.

 

CLS screwed to inside block covered in OSB and a few battery powered LED lights might at least help things progress, will investigate

Cheers all.

[joe90]

I think it's middle ground from keeping the damp out but letting enough draft in to dry the moisture out ?, I would temp cover Windows but leave draft gaps for drying purposes.

[Declan52]

The longer it sits the more it will dry out so try not to fully seal it up so wind can blow through it. If you need to put flooring down upstairs cover the windows in them rooms to keep the rain out.

[TerryE]

+1 on the above comments about keeping the house weather proof.   CLS or even 33×44 battoning and a decent heavy duty polythene or OSB will keep out 95% of the weather.  You don't need them airtight; the ventilation will help dry out the house.

 

I know that you are building your inner skin in blockwork, but it's just not worth all that mould and staining --  and you want the slab to dry out.

 

In our case we have a timber frame build with an external stone skin.  For reasons outside our control the frame was up for 9 months before we started the skin. Most of the movement / shrinkage on a TF is in this period so this delay has had an upside that the frame has done most of its settling before the skin was started.  But having a weather-proof interior has meant that we've been able to do so much. 

 

OK, it's not worth going past 1st fit without the windows in, but you can be ready to board out as soon as they are fitted.

Edited August 26, 2016 by TerryE

[jamiehamy]

We had a long period from getting the roof on to the windows arriving. I screwed OSB onto the front of the openings and stapled polythene to it and lapped it down which kept is virtually watertight. For some of the big ones, I actually cut damaged insulation boards and kept them in place with expanding foam - never moved an inch even in the fiercest gales earlier in the year. We took the OSB off a few weeks ago and it's in perfect condition for reuse. 

[Gone West]

When our frame was erected I asked for the OSB racking to cover all the openings as well. I had a simple plywood entrance door. The OSB was covered in Protect TF Thermo membrane which kept the inside dry over the winter. I routed out the openings in the spring and covered them with polytunnel plastic leaving the bottom with an overlap and open for ventilation. It seemed to work well. A friend, building at the same time, did not cover the openings and the wood fibre board around the window reveals got soaked and broke up.