I am an Owner/Builder, considering constructing a 2,000 sf home in an area that goes through harsh winters with extensive snow (McCall, Idaho) with SIP's. I would appreciate a monetary comparison of using SIP's with a pine finish on the interior versus traditional framing and blown in insulation. I am currently only considering doing the roof in SIP's. The roof will have a 12/12 pitch on a 27' tall cathedral ceiling. Any suggestions?

the walls are where sips shine. they are sealed very tight. i wouldnt do a stick wall and only a sip roof house. doesnt make sense. personally i dont like using sips for roofs. its too limiting and very expensive unless its just a basic square shape.

I have found that the cost of SIPS walls vs. framed walls vary only in the 5-10% range, if the framed walls are built correctly. This is a very small percentage of the overall cost of your home. Just use basic chrome faucets in the bathrooms instead of the oiled brass fixtures. And the energy payback will allow you to replace the faucets in 5 years. As to the roof, this is where the SIPS will work best, unless the roof is extremely complicated. For such tall ceilings, consider radiant floor heat. It will be much more energy efficient in this situation.

Wes;

 

Here in Florida where most homes are block walls/truss roof we have found that due to rise in concrete costs  our steel sips system is now slightly less in both residential and commercial construction.
With all the other benefits that come with steel SIP construction: no termites, 50% savings on insurance, faster dry-in , etc.
We expect a surge in our business the second half of 2008

You are in an area that is similar in temp as I am. In Minnesota one of the issues with sick framing is moisture that gets trapped in the wall cavities and creates a mold issue. Why would you put yourself in that position with a stick framed building. I have all together quit bidding stick framed for ths liability reason. Here is an example of a freind of mine who built a 5200 sf house with 24' ceilings in 1/2 of the house. They installed a geo-thermal heating system with in floor heat in the basement and they heat the garage. There energy cost for heating, cooling, and domestic hot water is $1.15 per day! That is $401.50 for the whole year. This house is a timber framed with 6" sips on the walls and 12" on the roof.

Chris

Been in my house for about 2 years now.  2500sf ranch style with SIPS.   It is:
 
1. Very quiet, even in a strong downpour, comfortable.
2. I know we don't get the real cold winters here in Sacramento, but our summer temps are a bit high.   We only ran the heater twice this past winter and the A/C runs nothing like my last home that was "an energy efficient 2100sf"
3. The one thing that we most notice is that when you slam the door.  It feels like a solid built structure.  Not a wall vibrating echo chamber like most stick built.
4. Vaulted cielings with skylights look very nice.
5. An attic that you can store extra items in that is the same temp as the rest of the home is nice.  This is because the foam in the SIP is your actual attic.  The space above any room that is unvaulted is just ambient room temp space.
6. Very tight house.