Do people do this often or is it just too big of a pain? I am working on finalizing my design where I am pretty sure I will go with urethane SIPs, 4" or 6" is still undecided. Using an ICF foundation (basement) my plan was to install a treated 2x10 across the top of the ICF. The I joists would sit on the inner 4" of the plate and the 4" panel would sit on the outer. Attached is my proposed detail. If I chose the 6" route, I do not think there is enough space to set the panel and the floor structure on the ICF wall. In that case I would sit it on the floor and spray foam the rim joist area.

The attachment did not work for me.  Since you mentioned setting the urethane SIP on a treated 2x10, I assume that the SIP skin will not be metal.  Is that correct?

You may be able to use a treated 2x12 instead of a 2x10 over the ICF wall which might give you the needed bearing for the I-Joists.  Some floor systems need only 2 to 3" of bearing.  Have you confirmed that the I-Joists you plan to use really need 4" of bearing?

Correct, OSB skinned SIPs made locally.
The bearing only needs to be about 2" for the floor structure. The overall thickness of the ICF is 9.75" including the foam, but has a flared top to gain more concrete bearing. There is probably just barely enough room to fit the 6" panel and the floor structure there as well. The 2x10 would be just shy of the full width of the wall, which is why I was going that route. I could rip a 2x12 if I really needed the extra fraction of an inch of bearing.

I am not sure why the attachment did not work.

here, I will try adding an image.

Some SIP companies will cut (and sell) you a RIM board piece, so you can put the sip on top of the floor, and still achieve most of the insulation shown above. And why waste the money furring out a wall in front of the SIP? Especially if using 6", just use the wireways provided by the manufacturer?

Posted By NFC on 01 Feb 2012 01:06 PM
Some SIP companies will cut (and sell) you a RIM board piece, so you can put the sip on top of the floor, and still achieve most of the insulation shown above. And why waste the money furring out a wall in front of the SIP? Especially if using 6", just use the wireways provided by the manufacturer?

Most electricians "liken" using the chases to fishing wires in a remodeling job.

Your plan will work well for either 4" or 6" SIPS. I have used this method several times and like the results.
Most I joists require no more than three inches of bearing, so you should be OK with 6's on a 2x10, since you will have 2.75" of bearing to work with.

lzerarc,

Does the ICF come from the factory with the tapered tie beam at the top of the wall or will that be a field modification to the last ICF block?

Jeff,
That is called a taper top form, and it is commonly available from most ICF companies.

Izerarc,
Several clients of Eco-Panels have used this type of attachment (both 4.5" and 6.5" PU panels) with success in the past. Where are your building and who are you getting your panels from?
Craig Payne
[email protected]

does anyone have any thoughts on the insulation layer within the inner frame wall? This is obviously to raise the insulated value of the wall (especially within a sealed space). I am curious of the added insulation which is basically sandwiching the inner ply of osb on the sips panel.