May 14 2013

Serene Island Retreat Snags AIA Housing Award

Courtesy of Will Austin Photography

Originally established to recognize the best in housing design, the AIA Housing Awards have grown significantly over the last decade now including an energy reduction element but always and most importantly, the importance of good housing as a necessity of life, a sanctuary for the human spirit, and a valuable national resource. Seattle Architect, Gary Gladwish, brought home the ‘One- and Two-Family Custom Residences‘ category award for his Structural Insulated Panel (SIPS) Eagle Ridge residential project…. a serene island retreat that brings the natural beauty of the outside…in.

Jury comments: This is one of the strongest projects we’ve seen. It uses common materials simply and is responsible to place and the client. This is such a Zen house – it does so much with so little, and it responds to the client’s wishes.

Located on Washington’s Orcas Island, the client requested an open, simple, highly efficient, low- maintenance design that emphasized and complemented nature and the forested landscape of its site.

Courtesy of Will Austin Photography

The house consists of a combined kitchen-dining-living area, study, master suite, art studio, and storage area, with the flexibility to add bedrooms or an apartment. The project uses some of the client’s favorite materials: old wood recycled from a 100-year-old barn demolished in eastern Washington, rusty steel for the siding, and moss and rocks salvaged from the building site. Large doors slide away to open the house to the expansive views, creating a living room in the woods.

In order to make the house highly efficient, it is constructed of Premier structural insulated panels (SIPS). This advanced building method allows for faster construction time, less waste generation, tighter construction, and more effiicient insulation. More environmentally responsible features include: energy efficient windows and doors that surpass building energy codes, LED or compact fluorescent to reduce energy consumption, and siting and design of the house that maximizes passive solar benefits to reduce the energy load.

View all 2013 AIA Housing Awards

PROJECT DETAILS

Architect: Gary Gladwish Architecture
Contractor: Schuchart/Dow
Engineer: Perbix/Bykonen
Premier SIPS Used: 1,960 Sq. Ft. of 6″ Wall Panels | 2,632 Sq. Ft of 10″ Roof Panels
Project Photos

**photos courtesy of Will Austin Photography, Seattle based commercial photographer specializing in architectural, location & travel photography: willaustin.com

May 6 2013

Be A Zero Hero: A Simple and Fast Way to Energy Efficient Buildings

Not long ago, net-zero energy buildings seemed like the dream of geodesic dome dwellers. The reality is net-zero is readily achievable in commercial, institutional and residential buildings with currently available technologies, including structural insulated panels (SIPs). This infographic shows a starting point for net-zero with a high-performance building envelope.

Be A Zero Hero: A Simple and Fast Way to Energy Efficient Buildings – An infographic by the Structural Insulated Panels team at PremierSIPs.

Apr 24 2013

Do More By Doing Less During The Building Process

Who wouldn’t want a building material that enables contractors to meet multiple building needs in one step? Seems like common sense…

Integrated components that simplify the building process….Premier structural insulated panels (SIPS) can be just that by removing the need for separate work and combining structural elements and insulation with one integrated component. Read more in Construction Business Owner as Premier SIPS General Manager, James Hodgson, explains what all SIP technology can accomplish during the building process in the article Multitasking and SIPS. From SIPS ability to dramatically reduce energy consumption as a building envelope, to drying in your building quickly, and reducing waste ….learn how you can do more by doing less.

As Sharon Bullock, project manager for Community Development Programs Center of Nevada (CDPCN), a developer of affordable housing, explains, SIPs streamline construction in several other ways: “The finished walls are also beautifully straight, which saves time on drywall installation, painting and other finishing work.” Read more on why some clients chose SIPS for their building products and the benefits behind them.

Read Full Article Here

Apr 17 2013

Green Building Projects Built with SIPS Recognized

Excited to be honored during the Structural Insulated Panel Association’s (SIPA) 11th Annual Building Excellence Awards ceremony, held at the SIPA Annual Meeting in Arizona. Building Excellence Awards highlight innovative projects using SIPs as the basis for energy-efficient, green buildings. Entries were evaluated on energy efficiency, design and structural engineering innovation, environmental sustainability, and creative use of SIP construction.

INSPIRATION HOME | SINGLE FAMILY HOMES UNDER 3,000 SQ. FT. AWARD WINNER

Scott Homes, The Inspiration Home

The Inspiration Home, a demonstration home to help people understand that a ‘green’ home does not have to come with an enormous price tag…an innovative, sustainable home with exceptionally clean indoor air and extremely low energy bills. The Inspiration Home was created to raise awareness that everyone can own a distinctive and stunning home that is energy efficient, healthy, low maintenance, and most importantly, affordable. The home also qualified for ENERGY STAR, EPA Indoor airPLUS, and the highest level of Washington State’s Built Green program. Heating costs average only $200 per year. You can see all every construction step made via photos and timelapse video. Read more on Scott Homes.

SAN FRANCISCO URBAN INFILL HOUSE | SINGLE FAMILY HOMES UNDER 3,000 SQ. FT. HONORABLE MENTION

Photo Courtesy of SHELL Building Systems

Located on a downhill, one-way street in the Mission District of San Francisco,this four-story modern-style row home is wedged into an infill lot with architecture abutting the sidewalk and its neighbor to the west. Premier Structural insulated panels (SIPs) made it easier to apply exterior finish materials before standing the wall panels on the blind side versus conventional methods that would have been more difficult, and framed sections heavier to lift and set. The narrow site and street prohibited a staging area for materials, yet SIPs allowed for immediate construction as panels were offloaded and remaining panels were easily stacked in order of construction on the building footprint versus huge quantities of lumber requiring cuts. A street encroachment permit was needed for only less than half a day. Building with SIPs significantly increased the speed of construction to two weeks versus months. Contrary to conventional building methods, using prefabricated SIPs reduced noise and decreased the duration of construction activity. Read more on the San Francisco Urban Infill House.

GRANDFAMILIES PLACE OF PHOENIX | MULTIFAMILY HONORABLE MENTION

GrandFamilies Place

Developer: Tanner Construction | General Contractor: Tofel Construction

This new kind of multi-family housing community will provide non-traditional families affordable housing and a community where they can connect with families just like them. The GrandFamilies Place 3-story complex houses 56 apartments: 44 2-bedrooms and 12 3-bedrooms. There is also an on site social services coordinator to help the senior caregivers. The site of construction recycled an aging complex that became a magnet for criminals that affected the surrounding neighborhoods in south. Read more on Grandfamilies: A New Kind of Multi-Family Housing Emerges.

GrandFamilies Place Construction & Finished Photos

COMMERCIAL/INDUSTRIAL/INSTITUTIONAL OVER 10,000 SQ. FT. HONORABLE MENTION

Zuni Christian Mission School

The new Zuni Christian Mission School is an environmental friendly facility that replaces portable buildings that have been used since a fire destroyed the school more than forty years ago. With twice the space, the 18,000 square-foot two-story pueblo-style building used Premier structural insulated panels (SIPS) in place on conventional wood framing to reduce air leakage and heat loss. Heating the entire building will cost less than what was spent to warm the portable classrooms. Other green features include solar water heating, interior lighting with natural sunlight and rainwater collection from the roof.

More on Zuni Christian Mission School: Historic Native American Architecture Successful with SIPS

Zuni Christian Mission School Construction Photos

We are honored to be recognized year after year in SIPA’s Building Excellence Awards:

2012 Overall Award Winner AND Commercial/Industrial/Institutional Award Winner: San Luis National Wildlife Refuge Complex
2012 Honorable Mention in Commercial/Industrial Institutional Category: Finn Hill Junior High School
2011 Overall Award Winner: The Sungazing House, Single Family Homes over 3,000 Sq. Ft.
2010 Overall Award Winner: Jacob E. Manch Elementary, Commercial/ Industrial/Institutional category

Visit SIPA to read more on the full list of Building Excellence Winners.

Apr 11 2013

Can SIPS Be Used In Most Climates?

Joe Pasma, PE, Premier SIPS Technical Manager

When asking if structural insulated panels (SIPs) work in wet, rainy, humid and/or cold climates, the underlying question is, “can I build with wood in this type of climate?” Almost always, the answer is “yes”.

As detailed in this week’s Facility Management feature of ASK THE EXPERT, Premier SIPS Technical Manger Joe Pasma sites numerous commercial and institutional buildings that demonstrate the effectiveness of SIP construction throughout several climate types. Joe also discusses the perception of the oriented strand board (OSB) , primary reasons that drive the use of SIPs, 2013 construction labor challenges, and protecting SIPs from water.

Have a specific SIP question you would like answered, contact Joe today.

Mar 19 2013

Structural Insulated Panel Electrical Installations

A licensed electrical contractor in the state of Washington takes on his first SIP residential project. In this video brought to you by the Structural Insulated Panel Association (SIPA), you will find answers to common on-site electrical questions while building with SIPS.

Several electrical solutions are demonstrated in video on how to run wires from:

Stick frame wall to a SIP
SIP to a SIP
SIP outlet up to a switch
SIP first floor to SIP second floor
SIP wall to SIP outside corner

More info on SIPS:

Mar 14 2013

Canadian Builders Use High Performance Building Solutions

Premier SIPS Canadian dealers Trout Creek Enterprises and SIP Building Systems Inc. (SIP-BS) are featured in the April edition of Cottage Magazine.

Originally printed in Cottage Magazine, April 2013, written by Jerry Eberts

Cottage Magazine, Recreational Living in Western Canada, April 2013

Building With Structural Insulated Panels (SIPS), Prefabrication, labour savings and high insulating values are just a few of the many advantages to this increasingly popular building method.

Imagine if there was a simpler, stronger way to build a cottage, a method that cut construction time in half – or more- and resulted in a significantly more energy-efficient building than traditional stud-frame construction. If such a method existed, wouldn’t any builder be keen to try it?

Consider this: structural insulated panels – better known as SIPs- deliver all this and more.

SIPs have been in use for more than 60 years and continue to gain momentum with builders and homeowners alike. Initial material costs are slightly higher than with stick-built structures, but a SIP home can be put up in a matter of days – even hours – and the costs are offset by startlingly lower long-term heating and cooling costs.

WHAT IS A SIP? A structural insulated panel is a sandwich made up of a core of expanded polystyrene foam between two pieces or oriented strand board (OSB). Normal thickness for the OSB is 7/16 inch, but 5/8 inch is often used for flooring. The boards are bonded to the foam core with waterproof urethane glue. The finished panel is strong, reliable and, as noted, extremely energy-efficient.

The top and bottom of wall panels have 1 1/2 inch voids to allow them to be anchored to standard 2×6 dimensional lumber sole and top plates (the latter inserted after the wall panels are raised). Roof SIPS, trusses or second-storey floor joists can then rest on the top plate. SIPs are joined together vertically by narrow SIP spline blocks that fit into recesses on the edge of each panel. The spline blocks are constructed in the same way as the SIPs themselves, with a foam core. Panels are joined together using SIP screws, designed to go through one panel and into the next panel to a depth of at least 1 1/2 inches.

Cottage Magazine, Recreational Living in Western Canada, April 2012

Structural insulated panels are available in widths of four and eight feet and from eight feet to 24 feet in height and, once assembled there are practically no seams. There is nearly total elimination of studs during assembly. SIPs can replace conventional walls in just about any structure designed for stick-frame construction. Rake walls (gables) and rounded windows are easy to cut and shape. The panels can also be used for roofs and floors.

Structural strength of a SIP wall is better than for a conventional stick-build. In fact, the vertical axial loading capacity of a SIP wall is more than 4,000 pounds per lineal foot – all without using studs, though extra reinforcing is required around widow and door openings.

A handy homeowner can install his or her own panels, but the assistance of a carpenter experienced with SIPs might be a good idea the first time out.

Continue reading more in Cottage Magazine’s April Edition, Building With Structural Insulated Panels.

Read what Premier SIPS Canadian dealers, Trout Creek Enterprises and SIP Building Systems Inc (SIP-BS) have to say on SIPS and the following:

Insulating and Moisture
SIPS and Timber Framing
Roofing
Ventilation
Cladding
Earthquake Resistance
Fire Resistance
Bug Resistance
Electrical Runs
Prefabrication
Energy Efficiency
Environmental Advantages

Trout Creek Enterprises: Visit Trout Creek Enterprises Website or contact them at info@troutcreekenterprises.com

SIP Building Systems Inc (SIP-BC): Visit SIP-BC Website or contact them at info@sipbsi.com

Find Premier SIPS Dealer in your area

Cottage Magazine Website

Mar 11 2013

TIGHT BUILDING ENVELOPE? How you going to do it?

Written By: Joe Pasma, PE, Premier SIPS Technical Manager

Okay, so you’ve decided to build “green”. Now you have to decide if you are going to follow one of the many “green standards” now available like LEED, Passive House, National Green Building Standard or some other standard. Or, do you have your own ideas of what a green standard should be? Chances are whichever way you go, one of your main goals is a tight, energy efficient structure. You may even go so far as to use blower door testing to get a handle on how “tight” your building is. After all the correlation between a tight envelope and energy efficiency is proven.

Stick framing has come a long way over the past few years with respect to tightening up the envelope of the building. Attention to detail with proper sealing of connections and penetrations is paramount to having a stick framed building hit the Passive House requirement of 0.6 or less air changes per hour at 50 pascals pressure. Plan on spending a good amount of time attending to these details and you will, most likely, have to run the blower door test twice because you will have to go back and seal up some of the details you missed the first time around.

There is another option for you when framing the envelope. Have you considered SIPs? Buildings framed with SIPs for the exterior walls and roof routinely achieve blower door test results of less than 0.6 air changes per hour at 50 pascals pressure and you may only have to run the blower door test once if you are following the manufacturers typical details for sealing the panel joints. Cool, what a deal. Check them out. It will be worth your effort.

Questions? Contact Joe

Feb 21 2013

SIPS Help Combat What Builders Fear Most – Labor Shortages

While the construction and housing markets are certainly recovering, Builders are still faced with many challenges. The two they fear most are (according to a Jan. ’13 survey from the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index) increased building material prices (71%) and cost/availability of labor (54%). Notably, this is not just a fad, both of these top concerns are up at least 30% over 2012. Less Required Skilled Labor

Affordable senior housing in Flagstaff, AZ consisting of 60 units uses Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs). The SIPs were installed in just a couple days.

As a result of these fears coming to fruition, along with rising lumber costs, many tried and true building methods are being tested – and alternatives considered (see article and findings at ProSales Magazine here).

Enter SIPS: Structural Insulated Panels. Perhaps the most advanced framing method, SIPS panels come pre-fabricated, pre-cut, and pre-insulated per floor plans, and don’t require special training for framing installation.

“I don’t understand why anyone would build a stick frame house ever again. This was affordable, looks amazing, and was easy to do.” C. Walker, Owner

With just one experienced foreman and a few less experienced laborers help working together with good labor production rates due to how panels are assembled together (much like a puzzle, slide the lightweight pieces together by a numbered installation guide specific to each project).

In addition to solving the labor shortage issues, builders who choose to frame with SIPS may also pocket more on their bottom line, both because of fewer framing hours on the job (speed of construction), reduced loan interest to pay, and for offering a better engineered product (think energy efficiency for the end owner). What’s not to like? See how this will work for your projects, contact Premier.

See the speed of construction in action in this 2 minute clip - 1900 sq ft installed without major equipment in 1 day.

You can also check out why SIPS are a better product on this entertaining clip on framing from the DIY network’s Deconstruction show.

Feb 14 2013

A Southern California Rustic Home, Big in Style & Small in Footprint

Baldwin Lake Mountain Cabin View

“In the mountains, temperatures can drop to 10 degrees at night in the winter. The typical winter day is between 30 and 40 degrees, and yet we are able to heat our entire house with one wood burning stove and a whole house air circulating fan because the SIPS make it so insulated. I don’t understand why anyone would build a stick frame house ever again. This was affordable, looks amazing, and was easy to do.” - Homeowner, Christie Walker

Bottle window feature made by homeowner Rob

Low impact on the environment while reducing your footprint….how do you go about that when designing and building a house? Homeowners Christie Walker and Robbie Bos did just that by going with big style and a smaller footprint while designing their home in Southern California. The artistic minded couple (Christie is a photographer/writer and Rob is a graphic designer) included many artistic and sustainable features in their new home. And to help determine the size of the home to hold those many features, Christie and Rob took a practical look at what they needed.. The two measured all their existing furniture and cut out little pieces representing the furniture that were to scale. They then used grid paper to layout the furniture in each room. There you go, a house sized to meet their needs to go along with the home designs they had envionsioned.

Located on the east end of Big Bear Valley, in the San Bernardino Mountains in Southern California is Christie and Rob’s 1,800 sq. ft. residence on Piñon Hill….owner named for all the Piñion trees on the 2.2 acres. The locals call the area Baldwin Lake for the dry lake bed that used to be full of water. Christie and Rob’s house is positioned for a southwest exposure situated on the side of a small hill overlooking the lake, the valley and surrounding mountains. They picked this location because it gets less snow in the winter, more rain in the summer….and of course the view. I love that Christie and Rob call this their ’Little bit of paradise on Piñion Hill’.

THE BUILDING PROCESS

SIP Wall Installation, Baldwin Lake Mountain Cabin

Christie and Rob made the decision to use Premier Structural Insulated Panels (SIPS), provided by US SIPS out of California for their building envelope. SIPS have several benefits: you can save up to 60% on energy costs, quick construction time, less job site waste and more. Since Christie and Rob designed their SIPS house themselves, they hired a local designer to turn their detailed plans into blue prints. They then hired Rob Carpenter, of Carpenter Construction to compelte the foundation and building of the house. Sub contractors were hired for things like roofing, plumbing, electrical, ect. Christie and Rob were overly pleased with builder Rob Carpenter who had never built a SIPS house before. Rob traveled to Santa Barbara to research a SIPS house being built to get tips from the contractor, Rob was confident the build was not going to be a problem. Christie had this to say about building with SIPS:

SIP Wall Installation, Baldwin Lake Mountain Cabin

“Here’s what was so amazing about the construction aspect of the SIPs. First, they took our very customized plans and turned them into a house. The house arrived like a kit on two flatbed trucks. So like a kit, there was very little waste because it was premade in a factory BUT is was totally custom! When I had looked at other kit houses, they were never quite what I wanted. Doing it this way, we could design the house exactly like we wanted and then have it arrive ready to go. Second, the house went up really fast. We broke ground in April and moved in Dec. 4th. That’s from the first scoop of dirt to the last brush of paint. The SIPs part of the construction went up even faster. One day there was only the foundation and two days later we had a floor. To celebrate we had a party on the floor complete with a band!!! Next the walls went up. Once the walls were in we had a wall party and invited people to write their good wishes and thoughts on the SIPs walls before we covered them with drywall.”

Wind/Solar Hybrid System

Further to using SIPS to frame and insulate their home, Christie and Rob included the only truly hybrid wind/solar system in California, created by Joe Moore of Wind Sun Energy Systems. What does truly hybrid mean? The wind and the solar are working together using one inverter. Other systems have two separate inverters and work independently of each other. Given the couple now had a mini-power plant….their SIP built home is an all electric house. And as for the artistic features that fill the home, just to name a few include: a lamp made out of Patron bottles, exterior windows made of wine and beer bottles and a stair railing to the second floor made from rebar. This ‘little bit of paradise on Piñion Hill’ is a one of kind sustainable home.

Click here for more project photos

Baldwin Lake Mountain Cabin

GREEN FEATURES

Premier SIPS floor, walls and roof
Hybrid Wind/Solar System: 16 solar panels and a 1K wind turbine
Energy efficient appliances
LED lighting
Property well, septic and leach field
Rain Harvesting system (coming this spring to water vegetable garden)
75% of waste is recycled, composted for garden
Recycled materials: Rock from the excavation of the house used to make rock design behind wood burning stove and hearth

PROJECT DETAILS:

Location: San Bernardino Mountains, Southern California
Size: 1,800 sq. ft. with a 750 sq. ft. attached garage
Designer: Homeowners designed the house, brought in local designer Eddie Etter of Double E Design & Construction to turn detailed plans into blueprints
Builder: Rob Carpenter, Carpenter Construction
Premier SIPS Used: SIP Floor, Walls and Roof
SIPS Provided by: US SIPS
Hybrid Wind/Solar System: Joe Moore, Wind Sun Energy Systems
Click here for more project photos

Premier SIPS: Structural Insulated Panels

Framing the energy efficiency revolution with SIPS!