# Walls open to outside above basement windows!



## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

Looks like ballon wall constrution to me.
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q...51F44CF727996B459972AD15CD5B60C5909A&first=80


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## gregzoll (Dec 25, 2006)

How tall is the structure? Post a picture farther back showing the whole house from ground to roof.


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## Windows on Wash (Aug 30, 2011)

+1

Not sure that is balloon. Looks like something funky.


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## BadHouse (Oct 30, 2012)

*In response to request for more pictures*



gregzoll said:


> How tall is the structure? Post a picture farther back showing the whole house from ground to roof.


Here's a pic of the whole house on the side where I took the pictures, as well as a pic of one of these basement windows from the inside. From the inside, things look normal, as far as I can tell; the insulation is stuffed into the space between 2 joists, and there's the big sill plate or whatever underneath it.

It's a two story house w/ very, very steep roof. These basement windows are recessed into the foundation a little bit (which I think is normal), and there are those metal wells around the outside of them. It's the recess where the gap in the wall above is; it's like they never closed off the bottom of the wall where the recess is, but again, doesn't look like anything rotted out; just looks like when they did the wall, it's flush against foundation, but they did nothing to make up for the fact that there's nothing under the wall where theose windows are recessed inward.

It looks like there's more foundation above the window on the foundation side of this gap. I've included a pic of the window from the INSIDE as well. The basement ceiling/1st story floor are well above the top of this window.


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## gregzoll (Dec 25, 2006)

That is actually a 1 story bungalow, not two story. Balloon framing would not be what you are seeing. What they actually did, was bring the siding down lower than it actually was, when the home was built. Mine is that way also, the siding goes two rows below the rim joist.


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## BadHouse (Oct 30, 2012)

*Can anhone give advice on how to close this gap at bottom of wall on outside?*

A siding contractor told me the basement windows were put in after construction, and when they knocked the foundation wall out to make the windows, they did not close up the gap this caused at the bottom of the wall (wall used to be touching foundation, not foundation is gone where they put windows).

Can someone tell me how they would close this up? It's a small space to get to, up above the steel window wells, and there's nothing really to nail into on the SIDES. I supposes I could nail soemthing up into the bottom of the siding, but I doubt that would be very sturdy. This is in Michigan, with very cold winters and hot summers. We're getting blown in insulation, so I want to try to seal this up in a way that won't condense.

Please help.


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

Looks like it would be simple enough to rip some 1/2 plywood, prime and paint it making sure to seal the outside edges and just nail it up.
I'd use my narrow crown staple gun, it's small enough to fit in that area.

It would be no differant then what you have to do under a bow or bay window when it over hangs like that.


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## gregzoll (Dec 25, 2006)

The siding contractor is an idiot. Not, it is just shoddy workmanship, when they lowered the siding down farther than it was, when it was built.


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