John Sayers' Recording Studio Design Forum Archive

I'm getting closer to actually starting (and posting) the first round of plans for my project, but in the meantime, plenty remains for me to learn. (Some complex, some still pretty basic!)

One thing I haven't grasped yet is how to avoid condensation buildup between leaves. With two well-constructed and airtight leaves, wouldn't the airspace between them be ripe for moisture? Even with a moisture barrier, won't the walls still "sweat" due to temperature differences, especially if the rooms sit on independent slabs with earth between them? (Moisture drawing up from the ground...)

I suppose using a dehumidifier is possible, but I can't imagine it pulling air/moisture from throughout an entire structure.

Either I'm worrying too much, or there is a common solution that I've missed.

I appreciate any input, or a simple point in the right direction.

Leaving the space between wall leaves open to the ground isn't a good plan; with other types of construction, the vapor barrier goes toward the warmer side so the heat won't be able to drive moisture into the wall. for northern climates, this means vapor barrier on the inside (right behind the wallboard usually) and an AIR barrier (like Tyvek) on the outside, just under the siding. Moisture can get through an air barrier, but air can't get through a VAPOR barrier.

Be careful of plasticized inner panels, oil-base paint, etc - these will act as a vapor barrier, so putting them AND a vapor barrier in the same wall is BAD.

Here's a week's worth of reading on this and other similar subjects; I've still not gotten enough time to "mine" this site completely -

http://www.buildingscience.com/resources/resources.htm

Browse THOROUGHLY; there is literally a TON of useful info here, most of which needs to be read multiple times for complete understanding... Steve

Thanks for the link -- I'll dig in.