Replies

1. 
   jackplane | Sep 22, 2006 10:46pm | #1

   This might be best posted at Breaktime, not Knots.

    

1. 
   Hochar | Sep 22, 2006 10:53pm | #2

   Good point. Thanks.

2. 
   SgianDubh | Sep 22, 2006 10:58pm | #3

   My guess is that you are overreacting. The materials that go into a new home are indeed wet. The timbers for the framing would almost certainly be in the region of 15%- 20% MC. The concrete is full of water when it's poured. The plaster on the walls is also wet. Plasterboard or sheetrock is made of gypsum and water. Even the wood used for many of the architectural woodwork such as doors, skirting board (baseboard) dado rails, panelling, architraving, etc., will have an MC of 10%- 12% or more.

   Certainly as you heat the house in the winter and run air conditioning in the summer this will dry the materials out, but it will take time for water in all these materials to work their way to the surface and into the atmosphere.

   In your area I'd expect internal residential RH to vary between about 40% and 60% over the seasons, with the low value being seen in the winter months. Give it a year and things will settle down. At that point you might be asking questions on this forum about how to fix the gaps where architectural features are mitred, splits in solid wood panels and cracks in the plaster over the plasterboard. Slainte.

    

   Richard Jones Furniture

1. 
   Hochar | Sep 22, 2006 11:09pm | #4

   Great information. Thanks a lot. Hopefully this will calm my wife down.

3. 
   JohnWW | Sep 23, 2006 12:30am | #5

   Perfectly normal.  

   A new foundation contains many tons, possibly tens of tons, of surplus water, so your dehumidifiers have their work cut out for them.  A green 2x4 can contain a pound or more of excess moisture so there's a fair amount of moisture also trapped in the walls.  The sheet rock and the paint probably have already given up most of their trapped water but the moisture in the framing and the concrete will only move into the air gradually. 

   You can speed up the process by adding more dehumidifiers and using natural ventilation when the weather is suitable.  It is worth checking that the kitchen, clothes dryer, and bath vents are properly hooked up and that there is proper drainage that takes rainwater away from the house, but your contractor is basically correct and giving you good advice. 

   John White, Shop Manager, Fine Woodworking Magazine

   
   

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   Edited 9/22/2006 6:22 pm ET by JohnWW

1. 
   Heuglin | Sep 23, 2006 07:08pm | #6

   Thanks for the response. I didn't realize there was still so much moisture in these materials.

4. 
   highfigh | Sep 24, 2006 12:57am | #7

   The caution I would make is that if everything dries out too fast, things will definitely be cracking. Let it take its time and things should be fine. It will dry faster in winter, too, and if the moisture is extreme, you may need to keep the dehumidifier running. Keep track of the RH and if it stays high, fire up the dehumidifier when you need to.

   "I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."
5. 
   GRW | Sep 25, 2006 12:05am | #8

   Hochar,

   I had a house built 5 years ago. It took about a year for the moisture level to get to normal. Keep the dehumidifiers running, and my builder told me to run the bathroom exhaust fans  as much as possible. After a year everything settled in. That's when some sheetrock joints crack, and the nails pop out a little. I don't suggest you spend alot of time painting the interior just yet.  This is natural, and not your builders fault.