Not MY website, but a website where one can find plans that are "designed for SIPs, MANY (means "NOT ALL") are FREE. Also, I think that ALL of the plans offered on this website are AFFORDABLE, and I thought that would make you happy.

By the way, I'll continue to try to explain things to you, if you want, but you can keep your corn, as I'm willing to do it for FREE.

Someone please get the salesmen/women, manufacturer representation and agendas out of this blog.

There is room for all construction types in the world.  Much like our energy needs, humans will look to a variety of methods to satisfy demands.  There is not one silver bullet here folks.  Whether your talking about energy mediums, insulation or framing techniques.

Climate zone, soil type and environmental conditions should take precedence over all of the empirical data being vomited out on this forum when making a decision on what type of home / building you want to put up.

Time tested information about the area of the globe you plan to build is the most important point to take into account here.

There might be 100 + ICF's built in Lubbock over the last 5 years but that doesn't mean D!@k to me because I live in the North East. 

The bottom line for me is time tested information.  If you can show me a house that is built with SIP's or ICF's in my immediate geography that has been standing for 50+ years I will consider your sales schpeals.  Until then - I will stick to stick framing.

jb

BTW - Try moving a window or door in a SIP framed home.  I have seen it done.  Not pretty.

Hey man, no need to get ugly. I am a stick frame man myself, and I appreciate your points on time tested design, location, and lack of a silver bullet in the construction industry, but I just don't want to see this tread end up just like all the other treads in an argument.  The point here isn't to win an argument, it is to provide people on this thread to learn with all the information they need to make an informed decision.

Good builders are by nature very skeptical of change.  A hell of a lot of people have gotten burned by  the “New way cool thing”  like the early housewraps that disintegrated.  There is something to be said for tried and true methods of building.  On the other hand, times change and energy efficiency is at a much larger premium now that the population density has increased so much. We cannot use the same old methods to build houses that we once did.  Sips have been around since the 1930’s and are proven technology, ICF’s are basically concrete houses wrapped in foam so seem to be fairly well proven to me.  Plenty of concrete homes out there.

Last time I was in Europe I saw a house being built in northern Germany for a friend’s son.

The walls outside to inside were brick- airspace- drainage wrap-3” eps-  ~12” thick Autoclaved aerated concrete block - 3” EPS- drywall type covering.  Windows were triple pane turn and tilt type with external insulated metal roll up shutters.   The house was slab on grade with ~4” insulation under the slab.  This is typical new construction in this area.  House was ~1300 ft basically a cape style that cost around 500,000 euros to build.  (Built for a family of 4)  The house was to be heated with natural gas.  (electricity was ~ 0.51 Euros/ kwh!)  Natural gas was around twice what we pay here.  Houses there tend to stay in families for generations over there so they are built accordingly.

What we mostly build is shit by comparison.  OF course we build houses 3 times larger for the same money, so that is the tradeoff.

What is the least expensive alternative to foam?

"What is the least expensive alternative to foam?" depends what you are using it for and what qualities you are looking to replicate. Probably the hardest to replicate inexpensively would be it's use as a thermal break on the outside (or inside) of a wall/roof assembly. There are materials used in Europe that we may see in the next few years that would work but its hard to think of any material we have now that works as well.

On the other hand, they hope to have this to be on the market this year. the lower R value of R-3 per inch is the only downside I can see, but the ultimate in recyling - throw it in the garden!
http://www.ecovativedesign.com/greensulate/specs/