I bought a new house last August and now I'm in the process of developing the basement.
A few walls were already in when I bought the house, the walls under the staircase. You can clearly see they were put in first, with a plastic vapour barrier under it, and then concrete floor was poured around it.
But the builder has also furred the concrete walls. I have a townhouse so the front and back outside walls are insulated and have a vapour barrier.
But the 2 party wall are just framed, but I don't see that there is any plastic under the bottom plate, between the concrete and the wood. The wood looks like regular framing, not pressure treated. They are nailed to the concrete.
I am a bit worried that the outside walls also don't have a vapour barrier between the concrete and the bottom plate.
Should I be worried?
Best Answer
If you are inside your home's warranty period, now is the time to check with your local building authority to see if pressure treated lumber is required for plates in contact with concrete. There's a good chance the answer is yes.
If the builder has to come back and fix, its pretty straightforward to change a plate.