Here is a video showing the SIP's panels being installed on the house. Sorry for no action photos, but it's kind of hard to video while lifting panels into place. One of the things which made this installation go as quickly as it did, was the prefabricating of the panels from the manufacturer. While designing the building I utilized standard panel sizes to minimize waste of materials, as well as money. 8' walls are an efficient use of the panels, as they are built as 24' panels and then cut down to size. The ceiling sections of panels were designed at 24' to use one single panel to extend from the exterior wall to the bearing wall. The less connection points used to make the panels work is always recommended, less joints equal less air leakage.
So why would you use SIP's to build with? There are several reasons, the first being the increased R-value of the wall system. The 6-1/2" SIP used for the walls of this house have an R-value of 24.5, the total R-value of the wall system is R-26. The ceiling panels have an R-value of 40. A typically constructed building using the stick frame methods would have walls with an insulation value of R-19, but that is not the true R-value of the wall. The lumber contained within the walls has an R-value of 5.5, creating a thermal bridge points within the envelope. SIP's, although they have some lumber, located for structural load points have a continuous R-value throughout the wall section. One of the other reasons for using them is the decrease in air leakage. Air leakage into a building can contribute as much as 40% of the total heating and cooling energy loss within a structure. One other reason is the ease of construction, once you become familiar with the methods of installation the system goes together easily, this is also reliant on a good design and fabrication. So the roof is going on tomorrow and the next few days as we push towards getting the building weather tight and ready for our (Warm Light Wall) system to be installed next week. Stay tuned
Tom
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“The less connection points used to make the panels work is always recommended, less joints equal less air leakage.” That is right! Also, when making use of these panels, always make sure that every edge of the panels are tightly attach together to achieve optimum insulation for your home. You did well in using precut SIP panels for your construction. That definitely saved you a lot of money and waste.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting post. I'm a contractor in Texas, and we do a lot of construction for new homes that are going solar. I also do quite a bit of window tinting in Grand Prairie and surrounding areas. It seems like everyone is becoming very energy-saving conscious which is a great thing.
ReplyDeleteGreat article. The structural insulated panels looks really interesting, I've never seen anything like that. I'm a roofer in Manchester NH and we also do general contracting quite frequently, and this is definitely something that I'll be sharing with my team. Thanks!
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