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kavade

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Posts:11

10/13/2007 11:42 AM
I'd appreciate any input, folks. My first question is about putting up a SIPs in December in Southern California. It is a simple design, a 28x28 square, two floors. Should take about two weeks to erect, I'm guessing. The company rep in Canada said no worries if there is a bit of rain. "You could dump these panels in a swimming pool and they wouldn't delaminate." Well, that's not what I've been led to think, but what do you folks think about that statement? Do I need to worry about the possibility of rain? We do sometimes get a downpour in SoCal, though that is not predicted (weather predictions - yeah, right) for this coming year. And question 2 has to do with ventilation. I once had a small 12x14 cottage made entirely of SIPs, with a sliding glass door and two 2x3 windows. It sometimes got unbearably stuffy in the summer, even with the doors and windows open. So, for this house I'm building I'm wondering how to ventilate it. Thank you for any advice. Kavade

SteelSipMan User is Offline

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Posts:51

10/13/2007 12:34 PM
Kavade; If your panels are OSB skins and you dumped them into a pool, they wouldn't delaminate because the glue is waterproof, BUT they would certainly start to swell and flake apart. OSB panels will certainly take several rains before starting to degrade. There are more builders in Florida using steel sips, than OSB because of the tropical conditions here, as well as termite issues. If you don't plan AC in the house you could use an air exchanger. LINK this would exhaust stale air and bring in semi-conditioned fresh air, you can also use a % timer to regulate operating times

mmacgowa

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Posts:542

10/13/2007 8:10 PM
Kavade, The problem with getting OSB SIPs wet is not with the SIPs but with the OSB. The warranty could be void if there was a future problem and there is water stains on the surface. There is an easy fix to this. Most billboard companies will provide you an old billboard face for little or no charge. The vinyl is very thick and will provide you with excellent cover. The only problem is tackling the vinyl as it can be a monster at 14' X 48'. You didn't state whether you will be building on slab or basement. In either case, I have considered puttting some PVC in the excacated area for exchanging cold air. This might provide you an inexpensive air exchanger like Chris suggested. The ground would be cooler and you could hopefully utilize excavated space. The PVC is pretty cheap.

BenMiller

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Posts:95

10/14/2007 3:29 PM
I'm building my first SIP house. It's a 2 story 30'x32', and we are ready for trusses at day 7 with a crew fluctuating between 2 and 3 guys (this includes 1.5 days of rain), but I also have the use of a telescoping forklift with a personel basket. Big time saver. I'm also getting rain on the house this weekend. I wish I'd put up the rain screen as I went, that'd make me sleep better. I did get a billboard tarp (15' x 49' for $30) and covered the panel stack, but I still wonder about that top cap and how much water it lets through. Ben

mmacgowa

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Posts:542

10/14/2007 9:24 PM
I wouldnt worry to much about the panels that are standing. The glued top plate will repel most of the water and the standing walls will drain. I have had some panel pieces out in the weather for six months and they still look like new.

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