b'THE OFFICIAL NFBA MAGAZINEcontinued from page: 21roof and exterior wall surface components are criticalistakenfromMoistureControlGuidancefor to ensure the building is protected from liquid waterBuildingDesign,ConstructionandMaintenance throughout all temperatures the building is likely tofoundathttps://www.epa.gov/sites/production/experience.The owner, the builders customer, mayfiles/2014-08/documents/moisture-control.pdf be most concerned about esthetics and maintenance. However, the reliability of the chosen system over timeProtecting from subsurface water and soil also needs to be considered.A capillary break, whichmoistureminimizes the movement of moisture from outside intoAny building has the potential to have challenges from the building structure, must also be incorporated intosubsurface water and soil moisture simply because the building system.A Pen Test can help determine if thebuilding has direct contact with the soil.However, the RESEARCH & TECHNOLOGYchosen design will protect the building from rainwaterbuilding practices to protect a given building depend upon moisture penetration.An example this pen test isthe site soil characteristics and seasonal and permanent shown in Figure 2 from Moisture Control Guidance forwater table depths along with building foundation type. Building Design, Construction and Maintenance whichTypes of building foundations to be addressed include can be found at https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/ concrete wall and foundations for shallow crawl spaces, files/2014-08/documents/moisture-control.pdf on the webdeep basements, partial or walkout basements as well as from USEPA.This document is an excellent resource toslab-on-grade and post-frame construction foundations.understand and address moisture problems in buildings.TheconstructionprocessforanewbuildingisThree different strategies are typically implemented theimplementationofthematerialselectionandto control subsurface water and soil moisture.These transitiondesignphase.Attentiontodetailisstrategies include the following:critical.The success from selecting best materials1.Control or Minimize Subsurface WaterUse and developing sound transition designs will occurfoundation or footing drainage to remove subsurface only if the building is built according to the design. water from contacting building foundation and Figure 2 footings.2.Minimize Surface Water InfiltrationImplement building foundation construction practices and surface water drainage practices so minimize surface water infiltrating close to building.3.Protect from Soil MoistureInstall vapor barriers and capillary breaks to protect building from soil moisture penetration.Foundation and footing drainage provide the base control of subsurface water by removing the water from the soil next to the building.Keeping water away from a building foundation protects the building from frost heave problems and minimizes any water leakage problems into a building basement. Two publications provide detailed discussions about foundation drain systems for slab-on-grade construction, crawl space foundation construction and basement wall foundation construction.The first one is Moisture Control Guidance for Building Design, Construction and Maintenance from USEPA.The second one is Build a Better Home: Foundations which is available from APAThe Engineered Wood Association (http://www.apawood.org/).This APA publication focuses on home construction, but the foundation information is applicable for any building that uses wood frame construction on top of a concrete foundation system.Figure 2: A Pen Test can help determine if theEither a seasonal or permanent high-water table can chosendesignwillprotectthebuildingfromadversely impact a building foundation.A properly rainwatermoisturepenetration.Thisexample continued on page: 2322 / FRAME BUILDER - NOV2023'