Expert: Keith Fuller - 12/21/2011

Question
Hi Keith,  I am building a small (28x28) agriculture building in Hawaii.  The code they go by is IBC 2006. Before I erected the wood walls on the concrete slab, I put down the blue sill seal which I have used on a number of occasions on the mainland.  The Building inspector upon seeing that I had put down sill seal said that code does not permit it.  Instead they want a layer of roof felt.  To rectify the situation would not be easy and I was wondering if you might offer any advise that would sway the local building dept.  Regards, John Woertendyke

Answer
My suggestion is to get back to the building official there and find out why they are requiring the felt rather than sill sealer. Your installation should be fine for energy reasons. Perhaps they have a local amendment for a specific reason, or the inspector was just incorrect. That happens sometimes. If they require it for protection from a specific insect, then maybe you could have the foam sealer treated by an exterminator. This is the first time I've heard of this. If they are unfamiliar with a product used, then you could provide them with the manufacturer's information.

Good luck. Let me know how you make out.