Structural Insulated Panels

The SIPS for our walls were delivered today. The roof is supposed to be here tomorrow. Basically, SIPS are a sheet of styrofoam sandwiched between two sheets of oriented strand board (chipboard). They are joined with splines and expanding adhesive. When the shell of the house is completed it is better insulated, more airtight, and more structurally sound than a standard two-by-four constructed house. A standard built SIPS home is comparable in strength to a hurricane reinforced two-by-four house, and is more energy efficient so that the house can use as little as half the energy of the same house if built with two-by-fours. If you would like to read more about it, go to the SIPS Association website.
John says he is having difficulty getting people to work, with it being the holiday season and all, so he is aiming to start erecting the SIPS after the new year.


SIPS stacked and ready to be erected


Close up detail of the SIPS