Hello,
I am looking for a designer to build a small house out of SIPs. I have had a bit of trouble finding any. We live in Minnesota.

I have however found Don Whippie from www.timberframedesign.net. He designs timber frames as well as SIP, post and beam and conventional homes. Has anyone had any experience with him? 

Or can anyone else recommend a designer/architect?

Thanks,

Sam

Good morning Sam,

We have designed several dozen SIP houses for cold climates.  Most have been in New Mexico and Colorado.  We have also done civil work in Minnesota (Ramsey, just North of Minneapolis), (I am a civil engineer, and my partner is an engineer also). 

If you have a sketch or concept (drawing or written description) please send it to me and we can get you a price.  We also sell SIPs and assemble/erect them; additionally we have built several SIP houses in the Taos/Santa Fe NM area.

We are located in Austin, Texas and it would be a bit far for us to come and construct your house; however, I wanted to let you know that we are experienced in this area.  I think people who have actually built SIP structures are better and designing SIP structures because we know what the builder will be facing once construction begins.

Additionally we own a structural testing lab and perform structural test on SIP panels for a variety of manufactures.

If we may be of service please contact me at:


Matt B. Phelps, P.E., R.S.

Advanced Green Building Products, LLC

210 CR 138

Hutto, Texas 78634

512/670-9400 (O)

512/670-9707 (F)

512/748-8199 (M)

[email protected]

www.advancedgreenproducts.com

www.apec-llc.com

www.sipstesting.com

 

Sam,

I have emailed back and forth with Don a few times. I ended up purchasing existing during my recent relocation, however I was thinking of a timberframe hybrid.

I did not see anyhting from him that scared me away.

Most interesting was that he would provide the design and ALSO obtain multiple frame and enclosure quotes. Of course an individual could obtain quotes as well, but I would have felt more comfortable with Don knowing the ins and out of the trade.

I have also spoken with Wes from this site and from my limited communication with him he seems to provide a 'whole package' including mechanical specs. My impression of Don was that he dealt mostly with structre (although I could be wrong...)

Ian.

Sam,

This is Curt Stendel of Panelworks Plus, Inc. located in St. Francis, MN. We work closely with many architects, designers, general contractors, SIP installers and energy raters with helping our clients develop and see their SIP projects become reality. Please contact me if you need assistance with your plans.

Curt Stendel

Panelworks Plus, Inc.

Office:  763-213-8064

Cell:  763-360-3694

E-mail: [email protected]

 

 

Hi Sam,

We design, fabricate, pre-cut, engineer & erect SIP structures all over the country.  We are based in Bennington, VT & Cambridge, NY & have representation in Minnesota.  The majority of the work we do is in cold climates so we're very familiar with the specific needs of a SIP structure in this environment. 

We have worked with Don Whippie on numerous occassions bidding projects for Timberline as well as Vermont Timber Frames which is Timberline's parent company.  Don is very experienced, does some very nice work & will assist in the bid process. From my own experience it's always nice to have direct contact with the bidding companies as it's never easy to assertain whether you are comparing apples to apples ... additionally, comfort level & trust cannot be determined through a 3rd party.

Timberline would be happy to bid your project via Don or we can provide our own design services very cost effectively. 

Please feel free to contact me for wny additional info you need ... don't forget to check out our website!

Jeff Brooks
Sales Manager

Timberline Panel Company, LLC
518 665-8128
866 460-4114

[email protected]

www.timberlinepanels.com

Thanks for the plug, Ian.
Sam,
I do offer complete design services for SIPS and ICF construction, as well as conventional .
I bring over 30 years of practical design and construction experience, including over a decade of SIPS and ICF work. I believe in practical, straight forward designs that are easy to build and easy to live in. If I can be of any help, my contact info is below.
Thanks,
Wes.