V8 Field QA Q7: FoundationWalls

PHOTOS REQUIRED to confirm installation at several site locations and in sufficient detail to confirm thickness, type, and grade of the insulation installation for each foundation wall type that exists in the dwelling unit per ANSI/RESNET/ICC 301 APPENDIX B and HERS® Standards Chapter 9. If the as-built dwelling unit and model does not have any insulation present, a photo is not required for that foundation wall type. A minimum of one wideout photo is required for each foundation wall type that exists. Raters/RFIs are responsible for documenting reasons for missing the minimum requirement for photos of each foundation wall type that exists in the dwelling unit. Typically, Raters/RFIs are not present when exterior continuous insulation is installed before the foundation wall is backfilled with earth, and are therefore not able to collect full photo documentation. In this situation, the builder can provide the foundation wall insulation photos and documentation for the home. The QAD should verify that the documentation provided is sufficient to confirm the quality and accuracy of the installation. Many of these items may not be visible or accessible at a final inspection, the rater should provide photo documentation of the elements that are still visible at this stage.

SCORING: (These errors are assessed per verified wall, the same error can occur multiple times on each foundation wall type that exists and should be added to the overall total) "Satisfactory": When all mandatory photos are provided, and no errors in verification "1": One to two errors (listed below) "2": Three to four errors (listed below) "3": Five or more errors (listed below) "Missing Photo": One or more of the mandatory photos are missing, and no errors in verification "Missing Photo + "1": One or more of the mandatory photos are missing, plus "1" per scoring above "Missing Photo + "2": One or more of the mandatory photos are missing, plus "2" per scoring above "Missing Photo + "3": One or more of the mandatory photos are missing, plus "3" per scoring above "N/A": No Foundation Walls present in the home

GUIDANCE: Foundation Wall Verification Errors - The Rater/RFI can correctly identify or determine the following items: * Insulation thickness (not including framing) * Foundation Wall Construction Type * Insulation R-Value * Insulation Grade * Height Above Grade (distance from grade level to the top of the foundation wall) and Depth Below Grade (distance from grade level to the top of the slab floor) of each verified Foundation Wall * Total Horizontal Exterior Perimeter Length * Foundation Wall adjacency * Location of the Foundation Wall * If Continuous Insulation is present, Rater/RFI can correctly determine Top of Wall to Top of and Top of Wall to Bottom of Continuous Insulation measurements of each verified Foundation Wall * If Stud/Cavity Layer is present, document Insulation Material and Sheetrock Thickness of each verified Foundation Wall with a Stud/Cavity Layer * If Stud/Cavity Layer is present, document stud depth, spacing, or framing fraction of each verified Foundation Wall with a Stud/Cavity Layer