HERESY ALERT: SIPS (Structural Insulated Panels)

[a twig]

We are selling up - boo

But we are moving to a lovely home with more land and less rigorous maintenance requirements - hooray!

However, we are planning a small extension to house a properly proportioned kitchen and utility. Now, in line with the "honesty" policy of most planning these days, we are looking at using SIPS for our extension rather than a pastiche to match the rest of the house, but it is a very new fangled technology for me, and I daresay most of the residents of this parish. However you are a resourceful lot, so I thought I'd ask. It will be north facing, so in addition to ease of self build, height and light are the main drivers (yes yes its only a kitchen etc).

Any experience of it? Good, bad, indifferent?

 

[Feltwell]

I have a suspicion that you're not talking to the most progressive bunch of people when it comes to building techniques! :lol:

These kind of structures certainly go up very quickly. My suspicion is what happens if in the future water gets in, particularly to the bottom of a softwood frame.

But, other countries have been using these extensively for years. I suspect you'd get a lot more feedback from a self-build forum, there must be some out there.

Just one thought - you haven't said how the rest of the house is constructed - could there be any issues with mortgages for a future buyer if you decide to sell? I don't know - just raising the point as mortgage companies are notoriously risk averse when it comes to "non-standard construction", an extension built in an entirely different way to the main house may possibly be an issue?

 

[RBailey]

First caveat I have NOT worked with SIPS.

However, what I have seen the first fix looks very difficult, having to feed cables internally to the panel through the foam just seems like it would be nightmare.

I would suggest to checking out "pure living for life" on youtube. It is an American couple making a large self build with SIPS and they going into a LOT of detail.

Cheers,
Richard B.

 

[paulc]

Been following the construction of a SIPS build over in the Birmingham area. Putting up the shell is very quick, but the finishing details is what takes the time. If you do Instagram, you can view the progress here: https://www.instagram.com/theoldscrapyard/

Now't wrong with SIPS, it is just timber framed brought kicking and screaming in to the 21st century. And you have the option to build an outer skin of complimentary or contemporary materials.