jmagill; 
you made a true statement.

My background was in the wood industry, it was not any easy transformation to steel.

There are some instances were wood is perfectly acceptable.

I am just of the opinion that if you are building in termite prone areas, it is inteligent to use termite proof products for the structural components of a home.

Insurance does not pay for termite damage.

I still like the warmth and beauty of wood for the interior finishes of a home, but those items don't compromise the structural integrity if infested.

That is the type of post you should be making. The facts!

This constant hard sell and put down of other products only makes you appear dishonest. It is the same as the ICF guys claiming R50 and exagerated thermal mass.

Tell the facts and your products good points and the consumer(me) is far more likely to buy your product.

You have lots of great and important information to offer, it just gets lost when you try to hard sell it.

WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You know the OSB didnt "blow out" the frame, it was an improperly installed window.


How about these facts:

Steel SIPS will rust out, lose their structural integrity and put your family in danger.  Its possible the rust from your steel SIPS are responsible for autism.  The steel comes from china and supports communism. Salt water will corrode your steel SIPS because the galvanized process is flawed. The chemicals in the steel SIPS are not compatible with most standard building products.

I don't know that, and either do you, what I do know is that steel sips are unaffected by water in accelerated aging tests (see attached) while OSB disentegrates before the test is complete.
The test was performed for a competitor, but I have no qualms about posting it

Galvalume steel sips, there is a difference. they will not rust out and in most cases are covered up anyway with a cladding such as roofing/siding.
next to copper , galvalume is the preffered roofing in a salt environment

The test you posted was not done by an independant third party and has been disproven, and its aging cycles arent adequate.

Galvalume panels will rust out beneath your cladding and you won't even know it until it's too late especially in a gulf coast environment, they are impossible to repair without spending copious amounts of money, the rust holes would allow rodents and insects to get into the foam.

If a loose wire or worn sheathing in your service entrance were to come in contact with your steel panels your house would become energized and you or your family would be electrocuted.

Steel sips are likely to fail.

Your "off the cuff" statements are with no factual basis, or history , especially regarding electrical.

Just how does that salt air get  between the bonded skin/foam?

Insects will not infest perfom guard foam.

A grounded steel building is safer than any wood structure, a loose wire touching metal would immediately cause a breaker or fuse to blow.
in a wood structure a short will arc and could catch the wood on fire.

What do you consider independent third party, it wasn't done by the MFG.
And how was it disproven?

I heard Galvalume panels will rot out when in contact with fiber cement siding.

Where did you hear that?

greentree;

what did I say that was not factual?

Still waiting to hear about the hardie?

If its not for information and sales, then why am I looking at a fischer sips and thermocore ad while I am writing this?

green tree

are you for real   ?? buying steel supports comunisim?. we still make steel in the us

do you have anything useful to say?

GeorgiaTom,

Last year US Steel mills produced about 5 million tons of steel, but the US imported about 38 million tons. On a percentage basis, that means that 88% of the steel used in the US came from a foreign country. That also means that 88% of the earnings from the mill sales of that steel went to foreign countries. So, every time you buy a product that contains steel elements, 88% of the mill price of that steel went to one of those foreign countries, the largest benefactor being China.

Dick;

it has been my understanding that much of our scrap steel goes to china. do you know if that is true?

Not sure. I haven't seen any numbers on that. Their smelting operations are much larger, and their labor costs are much lower, and their environmental regulations are virtually non-existent, so I wouldn't be surprised if that were the case. Scrap Iron (steel) and Pig Iron generally trade at about 30% to 40% of steel prices, so it is possible that as much as 10% to 30% of that does funnel back to the US.

One other thing that is very interesting is that steel prices in mill quantities has been trading in the $130 / metric ton to now $180 / mt range (or $0.06 to 0.082 per pound range) which should bode well for steel sips. From a price/competitive standpoint, steel sips could become highly competitive with OSB sips. Given that a square foot of 26 ga steel weighs 0.75 pounds, the price per square foot of a steel sip (just for the steel) then comes in at less than $0.20. OSB from Canada is trading at about $140 / thousand square feet, or $0.28 per square foot for the OSB on both sides of a panel.

That steel prices have been depressed is also the reason that the US steel industry has shut in more of their capacity for this year, and will probably produce around 4.5 million tons (or less) this year.

Thank you for your response and honesty.  I get tired of sifting out so many "company sales people" from just users at times that I am about ready to go back to timber framing.  As with everyone we are tight with money and am trying to stretch every dollaqr and build well. 

My main concern is going with this and trying to get a crew that is knowledgable to put it up. 

My second concern is once up using subs that are not familar with this system and mess up the intergrety of it by cutting into the panels for access points like for HAVC from outside to inside or electricl outlets and water.

Third since we want to be GC's for this  and we have plenty of time (retired), I am torn to either commit to a GC for inclosed shell (I may be responsible for window installing) then take over from there.

I am also leaning on geothermal which is another piece of uchatered territory.  Since it may take us another 6-9 months to finish the house onece the shell is up I have a concern again about the exposed panels. yes the roof is up but with weather rain, snow sleet hail do I shoot myself in the foot in the long term or finish the exterior with stucco before the inside is finished?   

You should let a GC do the shell, even if its just the box and you do the interior framing. It will take a tremendous load off yourselves and leave you with easier items to accomplish.

Because there is a learning curve, I doubt you would save much by doing the shell yourself

Hi Lisa. I have to agree with Chris. You would be better off hiring an experienced SIPS contractor to at least build the shell of your house. Also, that contractor may already work with subcontractors (HVAC, Plumbing, Electrical) who have experience working with the SIPS and can also work for you.

We have built 8 houses here in Florida using the galvalume steel-skinned SIPS and have had nothing but rave reviews from our customers and insurance companies about these houses. Some of the houses we built from start-to-finish, others we were hired to just build the shell, and the owner finished it.

Good luck on your project.

Karen Martin-Brown
Truly Custom, Inc.
877-227-8065
www.trulycustom.com

Karen;

 

welcome to the party!

Glad to see you here, Karen is one of the more experienced steel SIP builders in the state