Sill sealer and wood rot in residential wooden framing

I just realised that I hope I've understood what a 'sill sealer' is as this is all Americanese to me
From my Googling I interpreted 'sill sealer' as a moisture membrane between the timber wall plate and the concrete foundation...is that correct??
Or is 'sill sealer' actually just a sealant bead that closes the junction at the outside edge?

Greenalleycat said:

I just realised that I hope I've understood what a 'sill sealer' is as this is all Americanese to me
From my Googling I interpreted 'sill sealer' as a moisture membrane between the timber wall plate and the concrete foundation...is that correct??
Or is 'sill sealer' actually just a sealant bead that closes the junction at the outside edge?

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It is a thin piece of foam between the sill and foundation wall

ok sketch time
Google images seems to show the 'sill sealer' as the blue line I've drawn below (we would call it DPC or malthoid)
But is it actually just a bead of sealant along the edge (red dot in my sketch)?

Edit: I've put a photo from a job at the to show what I'm thinking of. It's a continuous strip of damp proof material (bitumen paper or similar) that goes between all timber and concrete - it's the black strip that you can just see the edge of

Ron247 said:

Were the other installations required by the contract or drawings? If not, it would bother me more just because I would feel like I got a lesser service, UNLESS I beat him down on price but the others did not.

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There is nothing in the contract and builder won't share the drawings and specifications. When asked, construction manager said there is nothing in the drawings related sill sealer.

Greenalleycat said:

ok sketch time
Google images seems to show the 'sill sealer' as the blue line I've drawn below (we would call it DPC or malthoid)
But is it actually just a bead of sealant along the edge (red dot in my sketch)?

Edit: I've put a photo from a job at the to show what I'm thinking of. It's a continuous strip of damp proof material (bitumen paper or similar) that goes between all timber and concrete - it's the black strip that you can just see the edge of

View attachment 9108
View attachment 9107
View attachment 9109

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Yes, this is it.

But...I gave 2 options. Which option is it?? The red dot or the blue line

ravinan123 said:

Yes, this is it.

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It's the blue foam under the sill plate (not the tape). It comes in a roll and is mostly for sealing out air/bugs. If you use a PT sill plate I don't think it really matters for rot prevention.

Make the contractor caulk along the sill on the outside to help seal air and bugs.

Harbringer80 said:

View attachment 9110It's the blue foam under the sill plate (not the tape). It comes in a roll and is mostly for sealing out air/bugs. If you use a PT sill plate I don't think it really matters for rot prevention.

Make the contractor caulk along the sill on the outside to help seal air and bugs.

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ooooooh ok that is something we don't use here. If you were to ever try to seal that junction it would be done with tape or sealant from the outside.

My bad. My hard line stance isn't correct. As long as they have the black tape to stop moisture going from concrete to timber I think it would be fine.

ravinan123 said:

There is nothing in the contract and builder won't share the drawings and specifications. When asked, construction manager said there is nothing in the drawings related sill sealer.

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This would bother me more. I am buying a new house, and I cannot see the drawings or specs!! Is the house still under construction? If so, how can he justify keeping them hid. Does the city have a set? I would insist on having my own set of drawings and specs. Even if I had to pay for them being copied.

Ron247 said:

This would bother me more. I am buying a new house, and I cannot see the drawings or specs!! Is the house still under construction? If so, how can he justify keeping them hid. Does the city have a set? I would insist on having my own set of drawings and specs. Even if I had to pay for them being copied.

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Yes, absolutely. That is messed up to not have access to the prints. They should be part of your contract documents.

Sounds like you need to turn this situation around or fire the contractor. They need to work for you. You need to have clear, written requirements, deadlines, and penalties, or you have no leverage at all to get what you need. You need a strong contract, you need the plans, you need specs, and you need someone in your corner who knows how these things are supposed to go, not just construction wise but business wise. If you don't have those things, they will build what they want to build and walk away, and you will just have to live with it.

Ron247 said:

This would bother me more. I am buying a new house, and I cannot see the drawings or specs!!

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This is very common for tract home developers. Even those building semi custom for a specific client. I had a friend buy a very high end home - it was a spec home that they signed the contract on halfway through construction - they bought it based on very generic floor plans and some exterior renderings. And when sent to them digitally, they were covered with watermarks.

I also got involved in a home warranty claim for a tract home. I was hired by the homeowner to provide an opinion. House was only 8 months old, but I had to get the drawings from the architect and had to sign a non-disclosure agreement. I wasn't even allowed to provide a copy to my client.

Going through the city might be an option if they keep digital records. Also just going to the site and pulling them out of the tube on the permit board, assuming the local building official requires them to be available like that. But if the OP isn't the owner of the parcel yet, they may not give them access.