I want to start a thread about the positive benefits of SIPs. I invite others to chime in with their positive experiences.

I've noticed these benefits over the past five years, that others might not have taken into consideration.

1. I still do not have any settling cracks to this day. No creaks, pop or odd noises of building settling. Nice eh?

2. I can hang a picture anywhere on a SIP wall and not have to find a stud.

3. There is a solid & cozy feel regardless of the weather outside. I can barely remember what it feels like to lean against a thermally bridged wall, or to pass a drafty switch plate. ;-)

4. Outside noises are greatly reduced. This greatly enhances the Feng Shui of the home itself.

5. Of course lets not forget the energy efficiency... I could probably sell the home at a greater value in this market. I have five years of utility bills on a house that did not require the thermostat to be babysat. $100 per month average for electricity/propane on forced air & hot water heater. The money the potential buyer saves converts into buying power. They become more qualified to make the mortgage payments. I can't imagine trying to unload a stick-framed home in this market.

I have to admit, I have zero regrets in building a SIP home. Its been worth every penny and then some.

What have your experiences been? Did I miss anything?

my only 2 concerns with sips has to do with strength when compared to icf. If I lived in say, arizona, colorado or new mexico, sips are a great option. But living in tornado alley, the concrete strength puts icf over the top FOR ME. the other is that i cannot build a sip house myself as easy as i can with icf. I think that the decision on wether to use sips or icfs is location dependent. they both are excellent with energy efficiency/speed of construction and both outperform stick any day of the week. icf walls and a sip roof marry very well. That is just my opinion of course.

I have lived in sip homes since 1986. I designed and built myself. They are all you say and more. Of course
sips have had their issues in the past due to technology not keeping up. Now technology is here for tight homes whether sips or icfs. Myself I would install and vicf foundation with sip upper walls and roof. Tornado alley is a concern but in all cases your windows will blow out and your roof would come off so we are really only comparing the walls. I design, build and supply both Vicfs and sips.
pdk

BoloRock, Good Idea for a thread I hope more SIPS owners will reply, though it seems that when people are done with their project they disappear from the site. Anyway do you have a SIPS roof ? what kind of roofing did you use.

My sip roof is an 8" (I would go to 10" or 12" now) and I used standard asphalt shingles. Also my roof has
rafters in the panels ever 48" oc. Never do that again due to heat loss. Seems small but when you see the
snow melting off your roof at the ridge and rafter locations you will think twice about the next time you build.
All designs I do now have not internal wood unless engineered to do so. I use exposed beams and set the panels on top so you can seal the joints with sip tape and have no heat loss. The house next door to me I built in 1986 and it still has the same 25 year shingles on with no distortion, curling, etc. They are getting mold on them due to the trees and most likely will have to be replaced in the next few years.

The best thing about my SIP home is siting inside on a 20 below day watching the wind beat up the trees and not hearing or feeling any of the cold or wind.

Pros:
1. Home is very quiet.
2. Energy efficiency is great - We recently got a plasma TV and with the heat I feel coming off it, we may not have to turn the heater on this winter.


Cons:

Still hear the occasional bang /pop tin canning during the temp. transition periods.  Gotten use to it, but still have to explain it to guests.  It sounds like Santa is landing on the roof.

I am curious about the type of SIPS you have that exhibit this response to temperature change, as I am still considering SIPS although leaning towards ICF. Are they EPS or polyurethane? Thanks JW

VB - Good call on your observation of individuals disappearing post-construction. I've been happy with the house, and probably would list that as my number one reason for having been away from this site for so long. I'm revisiting because I'm working on the rough designs for my next project, and I'm curious as to the new knowledge surrounding SIPs and eco-friendly construction techniques. I would certainly love to hear back from those who have been away for a while.

About the roof... I did an 8" SIP roof. If I had it to do all over again, I probably would go with a 10" SIP roof for the additional r-value. The 8" SIP roof performs quite well, but I'm always interested in pushing towards what could have been done better. In fact, had I gone with a 10" roof, I'd probably be curious on how the 12" roof would benefit me. *chuckle* The finished roof was done with 25 year architectural asphalt shingles over the top of felt paper. Zero problems, and completely satisfied.

The homes I designed and built in the past were installed using 12" twist nails. Pain in the butt to use.
Due to the roof panels expanding and contracting they try to loosen the twist nails, consequently the noises.
As the house gets older the noise stops due to the fact the nails have moved back and forth enough so they are not as tight. I have a floating wall in the master bath that is only connected to the ceiling panels. It moved up and down every spring and fall and cracked the drywall each time. It has not been 13 years and it no longer cracks. Todays sips are screwed together and do not move as much. They still try to move but the sip screws hold much better.

Dream It. Green It. Build It.

BoloRock and PDK Thanks for the roof info. I am having my shop drawings done now and decided to go with the 12" roof just because I did not want to "wish I had gone thicker" later on. The cost is minimal at this stage ( about 2 grand I figure ) and I want a warm efficient house for a long time. I am planning on furring up a second roof with 1x's and OSB - again, because I figure right now OSB at 7 bucks a sheet is a cheap way to preserve my panels. I am still wondering though if I am wasting money, and it sounds like you guys haven't had any issues.

See attached

This is more likely due to the material the skin is made of, and not the type of foam that is used, from what I understand.

sled4fun, what material are your SIPS skinned with?

Could it be metal roofing on top of the SIP roof that is popping during extreme temperature fluctuations instead of the SIP roof itself? Just asking because I have a very difficult time picturing OSB moving enough to pop.

All of R-controls sips are osb, panels are up to 24' long which are typical. Asphalt shingles over 15# felt.
Panels move all the time but are more noticeable with heavy temp swings in spring and fall. Its just like a hot water pipe sound when it moves in the wall of your home if its touching a stud. It expands with the hot water and then gradually cools down.

Dream It. Green It. Build It!

I think it has more to do with the fasteners, either being too tight, binding or stressed. the least little movement will pop it, but over several months it will eventually wear and seat in.