Hi all,
  My wife and I are in the process of planning/designing a house we are going to build in Steamboat Springs, CO.  I was wondering if you collectively have a few good links you could point me towards to get additional information on SIPs.  I've gone through the links on this site and have hit several manufacturers sites as well.  We're pretty excited about the possiblilities of building with SIPs (we're leaning towards a hybrid Timber Frame structure with SIP walls and roof), but its so early in the process that most things may change.

Thanks,
Jeff

Have you read all of the articles in The Learning Center?

Email me if you have any specific questions.

Good Luck!

Jeff,

timber frame will be a great way to go for the mountains. And you are definately on the right track with SIPs. You can visit our site, ezbuildus.com. We can provide you with materials and framers if necessary. I have a good framer that can supply an electric bridge crane.

Have you considered using nail base panels rather then SIPs? The advantage is that they are less expensive and you might find a finish that will work better then OSB for the panels as your structure is in the timber. Also, if you are going to use precut panels it will be a good idea to plan a long time for framing as you will want to make sure the numbers line up after the timbers have settled. Or you might use raw panels and just cut to fit.

Check out ICS Urethene Panels, just found this site, neat concept.At the R-control site if you sign in as a builder they will give you a lot of useful Acrobat reader files. Things you may never have considered. There is a large file that gives you construction details. I built a home in Camp Sherman, Oregon 15 years ago with R-Control panels and am now designing a new home in Pendleton, Oregon with R-Control. Their reps tend to be helpful if they are sure you are serious. I have to tell you, I did not have enough information when I started my first home. Thankfully, the product is incredibly easy to use. They will take your plans and engineer them for R-control panels and give you a panel layout. From that layout they can precut your panels for you. Save yourself a lot of headaches and use this service. Cutting panels on site is time consuming and creates a lot of hard to dispose of waste. Storage of panels on site is a must. Larger panels are hard to manage. If you use larger panels, which I recommend, get to know your local crane operator. It's a great building material and I can't figure out why everybody doesn't use it. Take your time. It takes time to put it all together. Hope this helps. Richard