| The better building material for better homes |
 One of the most unique features of Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs) is that there are none of the vertical studs that are found throughout the length of a typical stick built home. Why this is good is that those same studs are not good insulators and there's a potential air leak point at each stud and in the fiberglass insulation used. Basically SIPs make your home function like a thermos keeping the inside of your home warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer.
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| Benefits of SIPs |
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Saves money by reducing heating and cooling requirements by 40% to 60%
Safer - 2 to 3 times stronger than traditional stick framing
Healthier with no offgassing and reducing dust particals
More comfortable as SIPs are more quite, tighter and less drafty
Easier on the environment using recycled material and on SIP home uses 75% less dimensional lumber
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| What are SIPs or Structural Insulated Panels? |
 Structural Insulated Panels are an engineered building system made with two skins of Oriented Strand Board (OSB) separated by a thick Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) core. Like an "I" beam, you get a very strong wall system without the need for vertical studs running through the exterior walls which are poor insulators and cause heat loss. SIPs are also excellent in that the dew point, where moisture condenses, is inside the living space where circulation systems can safely remove moisture. Other systems that use fiberglass with rigid or spray foam on the outside have dew points inside the wall where moisture can produce mold. SIPs were in development from the mid 1930's until the 1960's where they were refined and perfected. |
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Energy Star and Green Building
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 SIPs are perfect for building green homes that not only pass the Energy Star requirements but actually make those standards look wasteful. The changes to the Energy Star requirement for 2011 will help to eliminate stick built systems from being eligible but you have have the best exterior wall system on the market today. |
| Are there limitations to building with SIPs? |
If you can build it in traditional stick frame, you can build it in SIPs. Because SIPs come in panel sizes up to 8'x24' and thicknesses in 4", 6", 8", 10" and 12", they are very versital to create any design. There are specific requirements that need to be kept in mind when using SIPs but this will not limit the design. In fact with SIPs you can create a more dramatic vault or provide more space in a roof design, than possible with scissor trusses.
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