3 EASY Upgrades for ANY Build (no skills needed)

With the help of my son, Will, let me show you how you can easily improve the water and air sealing of your next project. These are upgrades that require little to no skill and can be done in a few hours but will have a profound and lasting impact on the durability of your house.

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Huge thanks to our Show sponsors Builders FirstSource, Polyguard, Huber, Rockwool & Viewrail for helping to make these videos possible! These are all trusted companies that Matt has worked with for years and trusts their products in the homes he builds. We would highly encourage you to check out their websites for more info.

[superspeeder]

Child labor, love it!
Tip: it’s much more economical to run a line of Zip tape around the bottom of the wall and then use a much thinner bead of liquid flash. The liquid is prohibitively expensive and may not cure properly if applied too thick.

Also, if you’re applying the liquid flash over the tape make sure to wipe the tape with acetone; it has a release agent to keep the tape from sticking too well to itself, and will result in a poor bond with the liquid flash.

[AToday]

I don’t have kids but one day I hope to have a son as excellent as Will. So impressed by his maturity and work ethic. Well done Matt, you have a wonderful family!

[crabkilla]

Love to see the kids coming up to the trades! We need more of them!!

[philremmers]

Matt, it is great to see your son Will work alongside you!! Blessings to both of you!!

[Padoinky]

It’s cool that you’re engaging the younger generation into the family biz and the social media aspect of how to do a “how to do” show - kudos

[N_A_RLW]

Thank You, for helping " Stud Pack " and look forward to your collaboration ! 😎

[SparklySpencer]

Actually it was super awesome seeing you interact with your kids. Learning a family trade, especially one that will serve him and his family well for generations is a beautiful thing - even if he grows up a little and makes up his own mind as to what he will do in the future. I am impressed and am reminded of the many times my grandfather and I worked on several construction projects together. Best wishes to you Will, and may you have a fulfilling career. From an outside perspective, your dad is really kind of cool, I have enjoyed learning about building science through his platform, and I am glad he is taking the time to pass his knowledge to you as well.

[anhny]

Where I am from Lexel is about $19 per tube. There's really no need to use $700 of Lexel on the inside on that plate when you're already doing such a thorough job on the exterior where your air barrier is. Keep the air barrier continuity on the exterior side and do your vapour control (if necessary) on the inside. Liquid flash and Lexel do not allow vapour transmission and will trap between the plate, sill gasket, and concrete. The ZIP Liquid Flash would be nearly $2000 for me as well. Using Siga Fentrim 430 you could have a quicker job completed for half the price. I know cost typically isn't an issue with Matts builds, but it's something I think people should look at..

[dreewarren]

Great video and teaching the younger generation. Just a tip, if you cut the white scraper in half, it will tool easier, stay cleaner as well. That’s what we do on our commercial projects

[QuietRiverBear]

The ability of a family business to be passed onto the next generation requires: 1) a next generation, 2) training them to take over, 3) letting them take over, 3) letting them make mistakes, 4) and fix those mistakes, 5) giving them the tools and knowledge to take over, 6) giving them the complete control and ownership when the time comes, 7) not saddling them with debt buying the company from you, 8) you preparing your retirement funds without a windfall from selling the company. It’s your legacy, not your bucket list fund. If your business is your bucket list fund don’t even bother making it a family business. The debt will be a weight on your children and your [grandchildren]. [ed due to not checking auto-incorrect]

[FightinAggieFarmer]

Love to see your son out learning. So glad my father had me out working with him growing up. Even though I’m not doing the same thing he did, it built a foundation that’s really helped me over the years.

[snowgorilla]

Great to see your kid learning the how's but way more important the why's builds a great work ethic. WELL DONE !

[cneal]

Gah! It breaks my heart. The builder we chose said he knew how to install the zip system. He had no clue. Panels shot through and over driven. No roller was on site until I called the GC. He had the framers just tape over all the nail seams like I wasn’t going to check after I told him they had to be flashed and panels needed overnailing because it wasn’t up to code. Found out he didn’t have sill pans installed. Guy got fired for way more than that though. When I brought up sealing with liquid flash he almost had a heart attack.

[FallRiverHomesScott]

Great work by a Father and a Son! 👏👏🙌😎👍

[poohbear]

Wills a natural, great to see young people involved in construction!

[eh_bailey]

Matt, I love you are out there with your son. Would it be more cost-effective to use liquid flash on the concrete and the gap and then tape the bottom edge of the zip to meet it (after it cures)?

[Casmige]

I’m in my 60s & I have fond fun memories of doing grunt work.

It Gave me time to think, ruminate, & methodically evaluate the building process…. The what, why, where, when, & how of it all.

I learned more doing grunt work & pulling wire than anything else.

If American kids would get out & do the jobs that people say Americans don’t want to do? Not only will their self-esteem come up but they’ll lose baby-fat weight & they’ll have a trade that can’t be outsourced to Chynaaaah.

[robertrisk]

Wiil surely did a great job, both with the sealing and the talking. He looks a lot like the other Risinger YouTube star, the one who uses a white gown to work. Way to go.

[MonkeyFencing]

Love it! Great video and love to see another generation getting in the trade! Wishing you continued success!

[Crusader]

Great job, Will. You have the gift of gab just like your dad. Well done presentation.