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GJ is such a great resource. I am happy to contribute.

For over 25 years, my wife parked her car in the pole barn. She left for work in a cold car. When it was below zero (-20F to -40F is common in winter), I would plug in the block heater so the car would start and she’d get heat a little more quickly. My vehicles were in the weather, requiring...

Nice shop! I used Messmer's U.V. Plus stain, either their Natural or Natural Cedar color. I didn't like the pink tones in the unfinished RevolutionPly. With just one coat, the Messmer's stain produced a nice result.

Thanks. I wanted a covered outdoor work space. When I showed my wife my initial sketch with a porch that just wasn't working out, she jumped in and added the clerestory. So, she gets the credit for the final roof line.

The Idaho company that did the tube layout for the radiant floor also offered to build a hydronic panel. I took them up on the offer thinking I only needed to buy and install the boiler they recommended. Have I already mentioned I don’t like plumbing? I’ve done a lot, I’m slow, don’t enjoy...

I have never owned let alone installed a garage door and opener. During my inadequate planning I read up on door openers and included ceiling outlets in the proper location for the two openers. Only after the structure was up did I realize how unsightly all that bracketing would be to hang the...

On to the interior finish. According to the manufacturer, all interior panel seams must be taped with one of the tapes provided (4”, 6”, and 12”). My understanding is that SIP failure is most often caused by moisture infiltration, which the tape prevents. The picture below shows me just getting...

Thanks. I like how efficient they are and how quick to build. The materials are probably more expensive than conventional framing. But quick construction may offset the cost.

Here is the almost complete exterior. I just need to install the lights and cover the beam on top of the porch posts with cedar. Now on to the interior and my biggest complaint with building with SIPs: electrical. I think electricians must hate working on SIP jobs. My neighbor, who convinced...

It took me and the 3 to 4 man crew only three days to assemble the structure. Now it was all mine to finish. Here’s what it looked like as I got started with the fascia. I have been maintaining a log home for over 30 years. I didn’t want to add garage exterior maintenance to the list so I...

When the crew arrived the following week, I was ready. Since I was working with them, I didn’t have much time for pictures. We finished assembling the entire structure in three days. Here are a few pictures showing the completed walls at the end of day one. The two 32 foot i-beams arrived...

The SIP shipment arrived about a week after the concrete work was completed. The concrete contractor arrived with equipment to unload the flatbed semi trailer. The forklift just barely managed to unload the two steel I-beams the engineer added at my request to eliminate any interior columns. The...

I never looked but if you find a standard molding with a profile that fits, let us know.

I forgot to mention that 2" blue board insulation exposed above the slab is going to come to the rescue to solve some of the electrical problems I encountered. Stay tuned.

Yes, our view is stunning, and we never take it for granted. As Firebrick43 pointed out, the footer is below the frost line. The 2" insulation on the inside of the stem walls and the insulation panels under the slab are there to insulate the slab. Realistically, we really don't have any frost...

The slab is 4” with fiber mesh and integral color. Here are pictures of the pour and slab finish. The final pour was for the 4’ apron on the garage door side and the 6’ apron on the porch side.

A month before he began the concrete work, I asked the contractor if he knew anyone who could help me put up the SIPs. He said they occasionally did framing work and once did a SIP project so he gave me an hourly rate for him and his crew of two and his boom truck. He also had equipment to...

My neighbor used hydronic radiant heating in his shop floor. And he convinced me to do the same. It’s efficient and you can use any energy source to heat the glycol. I planned to use propane. I found a company in Idaho that did the calculations and provided the output of their CAD software...

I still had lots of details to work out with the SIP manufacturer including snow load. Our county has no building inspectors so you can’t call a building department and ask for snow load figures. When I built our cabin, I just winged it. I used a 12/12 pitch metal roof with 2x8 rafters...

The SIPs I used are just two sheets of 7/16" OSB bonded to the closed cell EPS foam core. In my case, the only thing pre-installed in any panels, was the Romex in a couple of the roof panels for lights and garage door openers. All wall panels have vertical and horizontal chases to pull your...