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 http://www.houzz.com/pro/stevehoma/pea-builders

Our name defines sustainable construction.

Progressive

Materials & Methods

Using progressive materials & methods to build high performance homes.

Our name defines sustainable construction.

Progressive

Materials & Methods

Using progressive materials & methods to build high performance homes.

Strength: The osb skins on SIPs act similar to an I-beam or I-joist. Dimensional lumber is glued and nailed into the factory cut channels creating a double sided I-beam of sorts. This makes a wall section of SIPs 2 to 3 times stronger than conventional stick frame construction, because loads are transferred through both sides of the osb skin. This also creates an ideal situation for meeting the strict wind loads in WI building codes. The whole house becomes a “Shear Wall” able to handle transverse loads much higher than metal braced or single sheathed exterior plywood structures.

Insulation: The insulation value per inch of Polystyrene in SIPs, although not  high at about 3.7 per inch, is continuous. Consider the insulation value of an R-13 SIP wall vs. an R-13 fiberglass/stick wall. Since the stick wall has 25% of its exterior insulation surface in studs, it has a considerable loss of insulation value. And since only the plate material changes when SIP walls get thicker, it costs very little to upgrade to thicker walls. We typically use 6″ or 8″ with an extra layer of foam on the exterior for a water barrier, which gives us R-values of 26 and 34 respectively.

Air tightness: Probably the most important aspect of SIPs is how air tight they are. Fewer pieces and heavy attention to caulking make SIPs up to 4 times tighter then stick walls. Non-uniform stud cavities and poor quality installations are the norm with fiberglass insulation. Although many different band-aide approaches have been developed to counteract these failures, nothing comes close to the simplicity of SIPs. Continuous polystyrene insulation surrounding the whole house gives performance values for air tightness that rival that of the German “Passive Haus”. With 8″ SIP walls, PEA Builders regularly gets ACH (Air Change per Hour) numbers under .6 ACH @ 50 pascals or .05 ACH (normalized). That’s about 70% better than “Energy Star” standards.

  And, listen to us live on 1310 WIBA-AM’s ”Ask the Experts show” in Madison on Saturday 10 – 11 am, or on their website, WIBA.com.

 Check out our updated photos below!

Rain Watching Room

Upper cedar plywood trim detail with cedar window wraps. Maple ridge natural stone applied over a 6″ layer of polystyrene foam, Crazy!

Side door exit via cedar deck to the side yard from the owners favorite room.

Foyer

Looking in from the front entrance gives glimpses of the living room and kitchen through a beautiful poplar privacy wall. Vaulted ceiling carries thoughout the entire first floor. Spaces are defined with floating shelves and a glass panel (for privacy) over the master bedroom wall.

Fireplace

The living room is framed by a see- thru fireplace and a built in poplar bench with see-thru privacy wall to foyer. Acid stained concrete floors throughout the 1st floor cool things off using the principle of “Thermal Mass”.

Pass thru Buffet

The dining room looks into the “rain watching” room through a built-in maple hutch and glass windows. Opposite the dining room is a patio door which exits to the beautiful exterior dining area complete with stamped concrete and lower level hot tub.

Check out more pictures on our facebook page; www.facebook.com/PeaBuilders

(don’t forget to share or like us)

Please call ASAP if you need a private showing.  Otherwise,

We look forward to seeing you there!

Steve & Mary Homa

262-501-5001

We’re excited to show off this one of a kind “Prairie” ranch with lower level kids recroom, bedrooms and private bath. Don’t worry, mom & dad are spoiled too, with their own private 1st floor master suite with his and her closets and full bath with walk in shower.

Our favorite Architect, Chris Manske, collaborated with Steve to introduce the classic “Prairie” architecture (his specialty) with Steve’s understanding of “High Performance” homes and materials. Creating a home that is beautiful and inspiring as well as comfortable, quiet and low impact on the environment.

Front Exterior:

Upper cedar plywood trim detail with cedar window wraps. Maple ridge natural stone is beginning to go up.  Cedar siding is next.The white foam is a 1″ layer of polystyrene that serves as a water barrier and siding base to protect the 8″ SIP walls behind.Triple pane Fibertec windows complete

Foyer:

The foyer serves as the transition space not only to the outside, but to the lower level via maple stairs, the master bedroom to the right and the garage to the left. Beautiful poplar railings and interior doors (just wait ’til they get stained!) mold the space.

Living Room:

The living room is framed by a see- thru fireplace to the right and a built in poplar bench with see-thru privacy wall to foyer. Acid stained concrete floors throughout the 1st floor warm things up with radiant hydronic heat. Notice the floating shelves and columns (waiting for stone veneer).

Dining Room:

The dining room looks into the “rain watching” room through a built-in maple hutch and glass windows. Opposite the dining room is the entrance to the beautiful exterior dining area complete with stamped concrete.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Steve & Mary Homa

262-501-5001

Our name defines sustainable construction.

Progressive

Materials & Methods

Using progressive materials & methods to build high performance homes.

Our name defines sustainable construction.

Progressive

Materials & Methods

Using progressive materials & methods to build high performance homes.

Our name defines sustainable construction.

Progressive

Materials & Methods

Using progressive materials & methods to build high performance homes.

Our name defines sustainable construction.

Progressive

Materials & Methods

Using progressive materials & methods to build high performance homes.