garage/workshop with sips?

[gmgrunt]

Hello all, I 've been searching around and reading opinions on pole vs stick. I plan on building a 36x48 with attic trusses for 2nd floor storage and wondered about using sips, they come already insulated with osb inside and I think you can get them with exterior siding already on.....it sounds good, but I wonder if the cost is way high. Anybody here done this or have knowledge about this type of building? Thanks, Jeff

 

[John in OH]

OK, I'll bite ..... other than what I do with my single malt scotch, what is a "sip"?

 

[Steevo]

Structural Insulated Panels

http://www.raycore.com/insulated-wall-panels.php?gclid=CJCj6_muz7YCFaF7QgodODoAmw

 

[PECVD2]

My Dad built a home for one of the original SIP design guys here in NM back in the early 70's. It is still looking good to this day. They had some type of plaster adheasion ready material on the inside with a rock facade for the exterior.

My neighbor demo'd an old slaughter/butcher facility built his garage out of the refrigerated room structural panels. His panels are stainless steel on the inside with and aluminum exterior, R54 (I think) wall and roof. Some of the panels have conduit run in them but for the most part he ran conduit on the interior. The original room was outside and about 3000sqft but his place is about half that size.

 

[rsanter]

We have 2 sip warehouses at work and they are nice buildings. Yes the materials cost more but they go up quickly so you can save on labor or I think you may be able to just put them up yourself
One building is sip OSB both sides and then stucco and the other building is sip with coated sheet metal on both sides

Bob

 

[freedomgli]

I love engineered products like this in concept but I have no first hand experience as I'm not in the building trade. I can see how there are certain benefits for the builder and first owner, but I wonder how the market views this construction method from a resale standpoint or maintenance/remodel 25+ years down the road.

 

[scrape53]

the cost savings comes in labor. if your building your self it will cost a little more than standard construction. good product though

 

[tomroblee]

I looked into SIPS before I built my country home about ten years ago. When done properly, the advantages of SIPS are quick erection time (if the erection crew is experienced with SIP construction), great insulation, extremely low air infiltration, and good soundproofing.

When done properly, the main disadvantage is higher material cost. If the erection crew is not experienced with SIP construction there may not be any labor savings. The labor needed for electrical wiring on exterior walls can be less with SIPS if the wiring is done in chases formed into the panels when they were manufactured. Electrical wiring will require more labor if chases are not formed into the panels when they were manufactured. Having the chases formed into the panels when they are manufactured obviously required that the all the details must be planned in advance and given to the panel manufacturer. The cost of transporting panels to your building site may be a problem if the manufacturer is a long distance away.

To use SIPS to the best advantage both the walls and roof need to be made of SIPS. The roof is generally constructed with a ridge beam and long SIP panels running from the walls to the ridge beam. Trusses are generally not used. If a conditioned attic is not wanted, it isn't uncommon to use SIPS for the walls, then use conventional truss construction for the roof. This compromise reduces cost, but sacrifices the air tightness of 100% SIP construction.

I tried to get some cost comparisons before I built. I couldn't find any builders with SIP experience. The best answers I got were "you have to look at the total costs over the life of the building" or " it will only add x% to the total cost of your project. This doesn't sound too bad until you consider that the framing/sheathing/insulating portion of convention construction is a relatively small portion of the total cost of building a new home.

SIP construction has been around long enough that it must be OK when done right. However, when it isn't done right it can be a mess. What air leakage that does happen with SIP construction is mainly through unsealed joints between the panels. If these occur in the roof, the edges of the panels can rot from the moisture leaking out. If a panel delaminates from a manufacturing or installation defect, it can be a problem.

You might want to start by looking at the Structural Insulated Panel Association website http://www.sips.org It has a great deal of information including links to manufacturers and builders in your area (if there are any.)