ckm,
it's doable, but for years we have heard these guys talking about it
I wish somebody would actually just do it and report back to the forum along with photos of the process and the erected shell,
but so far all we hear are ..........crickets

Hi new guy here.. Planning on making my own ISP as well. The size and use of my project does not warrant the cost of a manufactured panel. I would like to to see the discussion continue as I have a few question myself.. IE For the DIY does a vapor barrier become a consideration?

I know Chris and a few others have a different agenda but unless u can provide some truly useful information can u please refrain from your totally biased comments .

Posted By Tuokko on 10 Mar 2014 11:30 PM
Hi new guy here.. Planning on making my own ISP as well. The size and use of my project does not warrant the cost of a manufactured panel. I would like to to see the discussion continue as I have a few question myself.. IE For the DIY does a vapor barrier become a consideration?

I know Chris and a few others have a different agenda but unless u can provide some truly useful information can u please refrain from your totally biased comments .

Not exactly a nice way to start your first post. Chris is the steel SIP expert here and has been in the SIP industry for a long. His comments are not "biased" and his information is useful because he knows the ins and outs of what it takes to make a proper SIP.

Just going with the general feeling of the post. U must have misread my post I am making a IP .. Not a SIP do u know the difference? I have not seen any useful information. Just that unless u r a certified engineer the DYI does not have a chance.
Again Can you provide any useful information .

I've posted this before, but it could be what you are looking for:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FABz-xEnQA

This is one of my favorite Mark Twain quotes: "It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so." Confidence/arrogance and inexperience are not a very good combination for a DIYer.

For non structural panels, I'd consider making your own SCIP like panel from EPS, wire mesh and stucco.

With shotcrete and properly planned steel this becomes more like an inside-out ICF. From a durability standpoint I would say better than ICF. I would be interested in doing something like this in the future.

mikett744 can you provide any useful information? Maybe you misread your own post. IP or ISP, which is it?

You must be one of that ANTI DIY guys. As you are more concerned with my typing and not the topic on this forum..

Just going with the general feeling of your post.

Ok Ok Please disregard my previous posts. I am interested in doing a small project using this technique and would like to see the discussion continue. Any information on a successful job would be appreciated. Thanks

I started reading this thread and I was excited, thinking some good information was posted in one of the 7 pages. needless to say I was very disappointed when I skipped to the last page. Now normally I would just ignore this thread and go find the information I need elsewhere BUT this is one of the only threads I have found in the subject. I think there is still potential here so here is a video I found, maybe it gets the thread going again. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3O_NMC8wmW8

Falcon Flight , a continous line SIP manufacturing process: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCfYSOOG4uY

cmkavala

the video is interesting but I dont want to mass produce SIPs. Going by the video I posted, it seems achievable as a DIYer. does anyone know if the video omitted any critical steps?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3O_NMC8wmW8

If that was a polyurethane glue, and it probably was, they omitted an important step. A fine must of water must be sprayed on one side of the mating surfaces to activate the glue. When I get a chance, I'll post the tech sheet for one form of polyurethane adhesive that is popular among SIPS manufacturers. For the do-it-yourselfer, Isoset is a better way to go. More forgiving. Please go back through this thread to re-examine the fabrication instructions I posted involving Isoset. The glue extruder used in this video is quite expensive and it operates under high pressure. The panel press shown there probably runs north of $50K. Vacuum presses are more feasible for someone who is just starting out. You are shooting for a uniform pressure of about 7 pounds per square inch clear across the panel as the adhesive cures.

Wow, what read! It got a bit too dramatic for my blood for the last couple pages, but hopefully that nonsense can be over (it has been a few years now..). I took a 'short' break from painting and it turned into an eye strain...

Anyhow, I came to this forum researching DIY SIPS, or moreover, just how SIPS are manufactured. Seeing only a few videos posted from manufacturers (the two from the few posts previous to this), I was curious if there were specifics given in the 'literature' of the forum. I've found a lot of decent insight. Impressive that a)people have come up with so many ideas, and b) not many have posted on results. I hope to change that when I get home from my stint overseas. I have a design to create SIP kits that can be shipped to the average DIY (not the avid DIY) and installed via a short video and instruction packet. The scope of my buildings are utility structures; I have no desire to build truly habitable structures with SIPS; that's what ICFs are for, haha.

The few questions I have are these:

I plan to use CCSPF (well, technically a slow-rise pourable version, not sprayed) inside a dimensioned sandwich...
...what are ideas for running chases for electrical?
My current ideas are just a) conduit placed prior to filling, or... that's all I got. Anyone have any ideas that are simpler/ cheaper than conduit? EMT isnt much, but I was curious if anyone knew of a better way? (PEX may even work for its curvability and ease of position... just drill holes, zip tie it in and pour the foam....?) Curious to what others think.

Anyone know how MURUS brand does their tongue and groove? I plan to simplify it by not having a foam tonge and groove system, much less cams, but was curious if anyone knew how they formed that. (Near as I can figure Polyethylene mold must've been used; CCPF sticks to everything else...)

I heard mention a few pages back about differences in OSB 1 and 2. I've never heard of such differentiation and was curious to know more about it; particularly in regards to SIPS.

Lastly, has anyone heard of ready to assemble structures using SIPS? Now it sounds like I'm just talking about regular SIPS, but I mean with siding already attached, or metal roofing already applied, so the system just needs bolted together at the seams... Any familiarity or suggestions?

I don't want to give away too much, (but I've not seen great result posting anyhow, so it probably doesn't matter too much...) but my hope is to make only about 5 sizes of panels (windows, doors, walls, roof, roof), and then make utility buildings that are a kit of several kinds. My goal is to be able to sell a kit for a 12x16 shed for $3000 or so. Curious to peoples thoughts on the matter of manufacturability, as well as marketability.

Thank you for your time. Have a great day!

** A little about me: I'm studying to be a Mechanical Engineer (about 2 years left of undergraduate to go before I go on to a Master's program). I have built custom homes for about 8 years, most of the time focusing on ICF systems. I have installed a third story using SIPS once. I specialized in insulation technologies as well as radiant heat systems (I designed and installed the manifolds for the systems). I love woodworking, and construction. I invent new methods for construction as well as power tools. My favorite website is woodgears.ca. I like how he thinks.

I'm building a tiny house (aka cabin on a trailer bed) at the moment to withstand the northern coastal climates. SIPs is the way to go due to low chance of mold and high insulation value. I'm framing up 2x6" floor and ceiling, and 2x4" walls. I have ordered 4x8' sheets of EPS type 2 and the isoset CX-47 from Ashland based on the postman's advice. I get the 5.5" sheets for $57 Canadian each (I'm remote, includes shipping and takes two weeks to get here) and the 3.5" for $49 each. I'm framing up the walls with four feet studs and have jacks for the windows (they are four feet width). I'm cutting the EPS sheets with a reciprocating saw and laying them into the cavities of my wall, glueing the ends to the studs and making them flush. My plan is to then coat some birch plywood with the glue and lay it onto the wall that is level on the ground, then lay some heavy posts on it to get my 7 psi. I will then lift it up into position with the other walls, and the birch ply will be my interior finished. I plan to put on some cedar 1" siding that will further strengthen the wall. My floor has 5/8" plywood with 3/4" maple hardwood on it above the EPS, and under is some old tin for protection on top of the metal trailer frame. Roof has the birch ply on the interior and tin on the exterior, no OSB in any of this. All electrical will be run on top of the birch ply with conduits so that I can have a continuous and air-tight envelope.

I costed it out with new supplies and I'm looking at about $170-200 Canadian per 4x8' with tin. I'm willing to pay the extra for light-weight and high insulation. I have been going from building site to building site and bought their left-over supplies for 50 cents on the dollar, so I'm more at $125 per panel. Tiny houses don't follow building code because they are on a trailer. It's like a fancy shed on wheels. Excluding the trailer, I should be at about $2,500 when all is said and told (DIY labour is free), but for a kit I'd gladly pay $5,000 for the envelope. The local SIP supplier quoted $8,000-10,000, but I'd have to assemble them myself. It's 18'x8.5' with a pitched roof going from 8' to 12'.

I hope that helps.

Note that to be a SIP, the siding sheets need to be fully glued to the flat sides of the foam. Otherwise you just have a foam filled stud wall.

thanks for sharing