“We’ve seen our panels used as flooring when there’s a need for insulated floors-where you have living space over an unheated garage, for example, or in coastal regions, where homes may be built on piers,” he says. Baker says that’s not an unheard-of use of his panels, which are more typically used for walls and roofs. We used panels for the new barn floor, too, taking advantage of their superior strength to span its wide distance. As August 2004 drew to a close, we were pleased to count the new ell and master bedroom extension at Carlisle among this year’s SIP totals. Panel construction isn’t a new technology, but the oil embargo of the 1970s gave the industry a boost, and by 2002 there were more than 12,000 new homes a year being built with SIPs. With gas headed for $50 a barrel and natural gas going up even more, that’s going to be a bigger and bigger issue.” The difference in performance is really dramatic. “With SIPs there’s nothing given up to framing members, just a spline every 24 feet as opposed to a stud every 16 inches, and there’s none of the lumber around windows and doors. You add up all the studs in a wall, and that lowers the R value of the wall overall.”īaker agrees. “In typical framing there’s a stud every 16 inches in the wall, and the R value of a stud is lower than the R value of the insulated walls beside them. “The real benefit of SIPs is that there’s no break in the insulation,” he says. General contractor Tom Silva notes that the R values of individual panels are only part of the story. July 16, 2004: I-joist floor panels form a blank slate on which to build the new ell connecting farmhouse to barn. The walls are six and a half inches thick, with an R value of 25.” That kind of top-to-bottom insulation will translate directly into lower fuel bills for this energy-efficient house. “The roof panels are eight and a quarter inches thick, with an R value of 32. “Long after our SUV craze is over, we’ll be dealing with energy efficiency issues,” says Jim LeRoy, president of Panel Pros, the company that installed the Insulspan panels at Carlisle. We’ve also been taking notice of the price of oil, which makes a second argument in favor of SIP construction. For example, after the Kobe earthquake in Japan there were documented instances of SIP structures left standing intact surrounded by the rubble of non-SIP buildings.” “In some cases SIPs can be up to ten times stronger. “SIPs are at least three times stronger than traditional wood frame construction,” says Frank Baker, president of Insulspan, which manufactures the panels we used on the Carlisle Project. But when you hear about panel buildings surviving hurricanes and earthquakes while their traditionally framed neighbors shatter into sticks, you have to take notice. We’ll admit that we’re traditionalists and, yes, we like to frame the old-fashioned way. In panel construction, beams and studs are replaced by structural insulated panels, or SIPs, which consist of a foam core sandwiched between layers of oriented strand board. Strength is one of the biggest arguments in favor of panel construction over traditional wood framing. And we think about building strength all the time anyway, since we want the houses we work on to still be standing 100 years or more from now, no matter what kinds of storms roar through. We get our share of other storms, though, including some wicked nor’easters. We don’t get a lot of hurricanes around Boston, although they do sometimes take their last gasp up here after the worst is over down south. You can choose the option that best fits your budget and design.The news photos of Hurricane Charley’s impact on Florida made a lot of people wonder just how strong their own homes are. Structural Insulated Roof Panels come with subfacia, ridge, and gable cuts to make construction as easy as possible. Your Gable roofs will be the next less expensive and then the most expensive is of course your Hip and Valley roof designs. When trying to cut costs, a monoslope or shed roof is your best SIP roof types option. Gable with Roof Beam SIP walls and Roof.Buildings up to 40 feet wide can use a semi-monoslope construction with only columns and a ridge beam down the center. Buildings up to 20 feet wide with flat or shed roofs are ideal for this system. SIP roof types such as a monoslope or shed roof constructed with SIPs are an energy efficient alternative. SIP Roof types can be an inexpensive way to build a well insulated enclosure.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |