General Contractor Chooses LP WeatherLogic^® Air & Water Barrier to Defend His Own Home

It’s rare when a general contractor wears the additional hat of homeowner, but that was the case when Jeff Smith recently built his new home in Blairsville, Georgia.

Smith wanted to defend his new home by preventing water intrusion while still allowing moisture vapor to escape. He also wanted to create a tight building enclosure to reduce air leakage and improve the home’s energy efficiency.

“Choosing the LP WeatherLogic system was an easy decision because of its durability, strong warranty, and the company standing behind it.”

Jeff Smith, Contractor Rep and Homeowner

Objectives

As both the general contractor and owner of the new home, Smith chose to use the highest quality building materials that could also save time and money in installation. He knew that LP WeatherLogic® Air & Water Barrier would be the defense against air and water intrusion and would have a major impact on the home’s energy efficiency.

“This is the first line of air and water defense around your house. It’s keeping out the water penetration, the air penetration,” explained Smith. “This is probably one of the biggest investments that you will make. And to have that security to defend the inside of your house. That’s exactly what you want.”

Builders FirstSource, the company where Smith works as a contractor representative, has stocked products from LP Building Solutions for nearly 10 years. His local LP representatives introduced him to the new LP WeatherLogic system, which consists of a water-resistive overlay bonded to an OSB panel that can be firmly sealed with accompanying seam and flashing tape. 

The LP WeatherLogic panels can be easily installed when framers are doing the sheathing. The panels then get sealed with an AAMA 711-13 approved acrylic tape that’s specially formulated with one of the industry’s most advanced adhesives. This installation process eliminates the need for a different crew to return to the jobsite to add house wrap. 

Implementation

The Blairsville home was the sixth home that Smith built himself, and it’s important that he selects and uses the best quality products. Smith was familiar with the LP Building Solutions portfolio, so it was an easy choice to try the LP WeatherLogic product. 

“I knew even though it was a new product, that it was made by LP. It was going to be a good quality product and have a great warranty,” Smith explained.

“Choosing the LP WeatherLogic system was an easy decision because of its durability, strong warranty, and the company standing behind it,” said Smith. “I take a lot of pride in using and recommending the highest quality building solutions, not just as a Builders FirstSource rep but as the builder and owner of this house… The LP WeatherLogic 30-year warranty was a major factor in my choice.”

Added Smith. “In this area we frequently get winds that exceed 60 miles per hour, and they can attack from all sides. By preventing water intrusion so well, this product gives me peace of mind knowing that it’s going to defend what I’ve built.”

Outcome

“We saved a lot of time on the LP WeatherLogic installation because it’s an easy, one-step process,” said Smith. “It eliminates the extra cost and delay of having a crew come back to do housewrap. In our area, the housewrap crew sometimes comes back from as far away as Atlanta (two hours away). So you spend extra time just waiting, and it can delay the final inspection.”

“I posted Facebook photos while we were installing the LP WeatherLogic panels, and I had something like twenty contractors contact me to ask about the blue product on the house,” said Smith. “Builders are always looking for ways to differentiate themselves from the competition, and when you’re driving through a neighborhood that nice blue LP WeatherLogic color really jumps out and grabs your attention.”

For more information, email customer.support@lpcorp.com