Advice needed for closing hole in wall

[Raymond Fries]

I have zero knowledge of house construction so I am asking for advice so I do this right.

When our greenhouse was built, there was a PTAC unit installed in this opening:
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Last summer we had a mini split installed in the room and I want to remove this unit at the end of this month. I plan on cutting a piece of OSB the size of the opening and attaching blocks to it. Then, when I push it into place, I can nail the blocks to the existing opening. Does this sound OK? I can buy a roll of insulation to pack the opening.

Do I have to cover the outside with house wrap? Will a piece of visqueen work? How do I seal this from the weather? I hate to buy a roll of house wrap for this 2' x 4' hole. I have the siding and a piece of the sheathing they covered the inside with so I can make it look like it was never there.

Thanks for your help.

Take Care...

[Sam Murdoch]

I suggest that it would be easier to add the blocking to the frame work 1st then simply screw your patch piece to the blocking.
If you had a piece of house wrap or felt (tar paper) it would make you feel better but would not add much to the integrity of the building. Visqueen - no.

Ideally any layer of wrap should be overlapped by what is existing by 3" or more at the top and 2 sides but your new piece would overlap the existing at the bottom. It's likely that you can't do that without stripping off more siding. If you can slip the new piece of wrap under the existing and you have a piece - why not? But otherwise I would not think much about leaving it off.

Overlay the existing wrap seams and the seam of the new panel with wrap tape or Vycor (expensive too if you don't have any) or some other peel and stick exterior tape. In this case tape the bottom first, then the sides, lastly the top seam. Then apply your siding.

I think that covers it :).

[scott vroom]

Raymond, technically house wrap needs to breathe in order to allow vapor trapped in the interior wall to find it's way out. Visqueen is a vapor barrier and thus not suited for exterior house wrap. HYou can purchase an inexpensive roll of asphalt-saturated kraft paper Lowes/Home Depot etc for less than a full roll of visqueen, or just stop by a construction site and ask for a scrap piece of Tyvek or similar...I'm sure they'd be happy to part with scrap. Install the wrap in such a way that moisture running vertically cannot enter the envelope (i.e., tuck the top layer beneath existing wrap). If you already have a roll of 6 mil plastic then I suppose on that small area it might work out for you.

You mentioned it's a greenhouse....is it new construction? Looks like no interior walls and no windows.


I'd install the blocks inside that opening first (sister them against the existing framing) and then cut and attach the OSB to the blocks.

[Raymond Fries]

Thanks for the tips guys.

Scott it is an old picture. Here is one I took right befoe they finished installing the civering on the mini split tubing. You can see the PTAC unit here.

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Guess the other picture was pretty open for a greenhouse huh.

[Neil Gaskin]

We would do it as Sam points out above. If you're stripping the siding off the short wall to replace full runs then install the house wrap to the length of the wall, if not, you can you use a flashing tape to seal between the existing house-wrap and the new.

If you have any buddy's in home building or remodeling you might be able to get a small amount of either felt or wrap from them. If not maybe call a remodeling contractor or home builder and ask if you can buy just a small piece from them.

Around my part of the world we have Habitat for Humanity RE-stores, they sell various 2nd hand building materials such as cabinets, sinks, appliances, etc. We bring an awful lot of materials there that we remove. They may have a partial roll of something. You could also check your local craigslist.

[Dave Zellers]

+1 to all previous replies. IXNAY on the visqueen on the outside!

Maybe you can find a piece of house wrap at another construction site, otherwise don't worry about it.

Attach the nailers first to the wall then nail on the patch. It doesn't have to fit perfectly. Not even close.

I can still hear my old boss yelling at us when I used to frame houses-- "Let's GO! We ain't building cabinets here!"

That's when I decided I'd prefer building cabinets.

[Raymond Fries]

Would it work ok if I covered the OSB with the house wrap and then used the Tyvek tape to seal the gap between the OSB and the existing sheathing?

What is a good exterior nail to use?

[Neil Gaskin]

Is the rest of the structure doesn't have a house wrap or felt on it putting it over the patch really doesnt accomplish anything, if the rest of the framing is wrapped it would be best to use it. If you dont use it, I would use a window flashing tape over the seams.

Think like a drop of water, wrap or no, start with the tape at the bottom, then the two sides, going over the bottom strip, then tape the top.

The nail question depends on what youre using it for and what your climate is. Costal climate with salt wter near by youre best using stainless steel. If not, at a minimum you should use a double hot dipped galvanized. the electroplated galvanized doesnt last or hold. For sheathing and most sidings a 8d ring shank Beware if there are wires running in the wall. Use a stud gaurd over the wires before you put the sheathing on the wall.

[Sam Murdoch]

You could just screw it on with any exterior grade screw as well - 6 screws is more than plenty. Otherwise as Neil writes above - 1-1/2" minimum and 2" maximum - doesn't look like the patch is in a high wind area. This is a little piece that has no bearing on the structure. If you want to house wrap it Ok but really no need, but DO tape the seams.

[Doug Garson]

Another source for a small piece of house wrap is Lowe's or Home Depot, I often see skids of building materials covered with house wrap for shipping. I assume they throw it out as I've seen pieces in the dumpsters.

[Jim Andrew]

That tyvek tape is good stuff, yes you can use it to seal your seam. That is what it is for.