I could use some help in locating manufacturers for metal skin polyurethane filled SIPS in the Southeast.  I know and have used G-SIPS from Bolivar TN but need thicker SIPS than 3" for roof and walls.  Project located near Huntsville, AL.

Posted By Alton on 18 Apr 2011 01:09 PM
I could use some help in locating manufacturers for metal skin polyurethane filled SIPS in the Southeast.  I know and have used G-SIPS from Bolivar TN but need thicker SIPS than 3" for roof and walls.  Project located near Huntsville, AL.

only one I can think of is KingSpan aka AlumaShield, all the rest are EPS

Alton,
Are the guys in Boliver TN still in business? Heard they were having financial problems a couple years ago.

Wes,

A few minutes ago I just sent a message to CEO of Green Product Technologies, Stephen V. Williams to ask that very question.  I will pass on the word if he answers.  I noticed the web site now has H. Martin Rice as the person to contact.  Although I know Steve Williams, maybe I should also send my message to Mr. Rice.  The former name for Green Product Technologies was Alternative Construction Technologies.  So this company has changed hands a few times.    

I really like how easy this company's G-SIP connects in the field.   I have a client that wants thicker panels with a higher R-value but he does not want OSB.

We can not wait for the fiberglass SIPS that are not yet in production in Union, Mississippi.

I talked to a sales rep for KingSpan.  He told me that they did not have any structural panels.  I do not know what to believe since I have been told they do produce structural panels.  Chris, I wonder why he told me this on our first and only phone call.

What do you know about PermaTherm in Monticello, GA.  Do they produce galvanized steel structural panels with polyurethane cores?

Alton;

Torben used 6" PU Kingspan for his project,  Permatherm discontinued PU production due to blistering about a year ago, the word in the industry is that many PU mfg's are experiencing similar problems, the solution is to drill a relief hole, which is OK, if it is getting covered up.

Now if we can get manufacturers to update their web sites it would save me a lot of time.

Alton,

The metal SIPs Kingspan markets are designed as cladding for framed structures like warehouses. That is why they say their panels are not structural. "Not structural" means the wall panels do not support the roof or are not "load bearing". However an engineer can take the products tested structural characteristics and carefully engineer/detail them to work for load bearing applications. That is what we do. One will probably receive little support from the manufacturer when doing this, but the end result is worth taking the chance for some people.

I have worked sales for a metal SIP manufacturer. I much preferred the large simple orders (commercial) than the small complex orders (residential). Kingspan simply does not have the time or experienced to deal with residential customers, along with their product not being designed for your intended use.

In my opinion some of these large companies need to make residential/light commercial divisions of their business to sell "load bearing" or self supporting urethane core metal SIP building systems. There is a growing demand for this.

JeffD,

Once again, I really appreciate your insights.  This helps me to understand how large SIP companies look at the residential market.  Being a promoter of alternative construction technologies I have a tendency to look only at the end use of products and not their marketing. 

In addition to Kingspan, MBCI and Metl-Span make poly-foam insulated metal panels. All three of these companies are quite large and have plants across the US. Of course for my location no one was as close as Kingspan in Deland, FL. These are not symmetrical joint panels and one must take care in planning how the joints are fitted together during assembly. Planning the installation direction of the joints properly makes the install much easier. None of these companies recognize their panels as anything more than cladding but their structural properties are as good as any panel I've seen (they do have to be officially engineered though). I had all my walls up (largely unbraced lengths from 25 to 31 feet) when we had 60mph winds hit the beginning of this month. There were a number of trees and limbs down but the panels were unaffected. I was only affected by my kids April fools day jokes but I eventually recovered (They got a lot of mileage out of telling me some of my walls were down).

Torben,

Thanks for the informative post. 

Do you travel to do turn-key SIP installations?  If so, do you work in AL, FL and GA?

Alton, I'm an engineer and LEED AP (USGBC green building) but not a contractor. I'm just doing this as an owner-builder. Chris Kavala is the one who does the most metal SIP installations that I know of and he has been a good source of advice for me as I've been building this.

Torben,

Thanks.

SIPsupply.com is based out of Eatonton, GA. I don't know anything about the company, but they sell metal skinned PUR panels.

SipSupply.com will quote metal skin PUR panels for five or more identical houses. If less than five houses, then the quote will be for EPS cores only. This is what it says on their web site quote page. I did discover that LeepCore in Somerset, KY sells metal skin polyurethane panels.

Posted By gadreamer on 28 Jul 2011 11:57 AM
SIPsupply.com is based out of Eatonton, GA. I don't know anything about the company, but they sell metal skinned PUR panels.

gadreamer; according to Georgia state records SIP Supply LLC. was disolved on 9/12/10 http://corp.sos.state.ga.us/imaging/17899620.pdf

Oh well. Eatonton is only about an hour drive from me, so I had put them on my list. Guess I can cross them off :) Thanks.

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