The importance of a rain screen

A Rain Screen is an air space which is created behind the siding of a home. The space is usually one half to three quarters of an inch, and serves as a gap to allow condensation and water to drain behind the siding out to the exterior.

Water can and will get behind all siding, especially the side of the home that exposed to driving rain. In typical construction, once water either condenses behind siding or penetrates the siding, it has no place to go. Consequently, it is left to deteriorate the siding, building structure, and propagate mold growth.

It is now becoming building code in parts of the country that experience wet climates to always install rain screens on every home. Michigan does not require rain screens, and homes are rarely built with them.

In my eyes, a rain screen is a must in our northern Michigan climate. Especially homes that are built on the water and subject to intense driving rains.

-Chad Kotlarz