Vapour barrier - where should it be installed??
Posted: Mon, 2023-Apr-24, 10:50
Hey all,
I'm about to start my build but am stumped about the proper way to install my vapour barrier. I'm in Ottawa Canada, so a cold climate where the standard way (and required by code) is to install the vapour barrier on the warm (interior side) of the room.
My existing construction is a standalone 28' x 28' building. I've attached a floor plan of the studio that is hopefully clear enough to describe what I'm talking about. The existing structure had drywall installed on all walls and ceilings and a continuous 6 mil poly vapour behind the drywall. (Orange outline)
My original thought was that I'd remove the existing vapour barrier on the walls, put the new vapour barrier on the new interior walls where there is double stud to the exterior, and then snake it back in to connect to the existing vapour barrier where the double stud walls stop (south side). This is shown in the Green outline. The problem with this is that I see no way to have a continuous vapour barrier between the two rooms' ceilings. Keeping it continuous between the north walls of the new rooms seems like it'd be difficult as well.
So my next thought was that I'd install the vapour barrier around the north, east, and west walls, as shown with the pink outline. In this scenario each room would have its vapour barrier installed on its ceiling. This way seems a bit odd to me though and pretty complicated.
Lastly I suppose I could keep the existing vapour barrier where it is and hope for the best! This doesn't seem like a smart option, although it sure would be the easiest.
Any help on this would be greatly appreciated! Hopefully the image describes what I'm talking about clearly enough, but I can provide more detail if necessary. Thanks in advance!
I'm about to start my build but am stumped about the proper way to install my vapour barrier. I'm in Ottawa Canada, so a cold climate where the standard way (and required by code) is to install the vapour barrier on the warm (interior side) of the room.
My existing construction is a standalone 28' x 28' building. I've attached a floor plan of the studio that is hopefully clear enough to describe what I'm talking about. The existing structure had drywall installed on all walls and ceilings and a continuous 6 mil poly vapour behind the drywall. (Orange outline)
My original thought was that I'd remove the existing vapour barrier on the walls, put the new vapour barrier on the new interior walls where there is double stud to the exterior, and then snake it back in to connect to the existing vapour barrier where the double stud walls stop (south side). This is shown in the Green outline. The problem with this is that I see no way to have a continuous vapour barrier between the two rooms' ceilings. Keeping it continuous between the north walls of the new rooms seems like it'd be difficult as well.
So my next thought was that I'd install the vapour barrier around the north, east, and west walls, as shown with the pink outline. In this scenario each room would have its vapour barrier installed on its ceiling. This way seems a bit odd to me though and pretty complicated.
Lastly I suppose I could keep the existing vapour barrier where it is and hope for the best! This doesn't seem like a smart option, although it sure would be the easiest.
Any help on this would be greatly appreciated! Hopefully the image describes what I'm talking about clearly enough, but I can provide more detail if necessary. Thanks in advance!