SIP panels cost, advantages and more
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If you’re thinking about building a house, one of the things you need to decide is how you’re going to construct it. Are you choosing a traditional timber frame? Or would you rather use a metal frame to build your home? Or what about container homes, which seem to be all the rage? Among all of the framing options you have in the market, we’re going to take you through the costs of constructing using SIP panels, what the advantages are, and more.
What are SIP panels?
SIP panels or structurally integrated panels are high-performance construction panels that can be used to build the walls, floors, and ceilings of a home.
These boards are manufactured like a “sandwich”, with two outer layers that are, in most cases, made out of oriented strand board (OSB), or out of cement particle board (CPB).
The layer in between, or the sandwich filling, is a thick and rigid piece of insulation, such as polyurethane. All three layers are then bonded together to make a sturdy construction panel.
Since most SIPs are factory manufactured, they are already extremely airtight. These boards are also easy to fabricate to fit the size of any home and to fit in doors and windows. These panels are basically shipped to customers as ready-made walls, ceilings, and floors for their homes.
Once installed, the panels can be covered with any cladding you want, such as brick, veneer, stone, and timber.
Advantages of choosing to construct using SIP panels
- SIP panels are a very energy-efficient choice because the panels are great thermal insulators.
This is because the panels have an insulated foam core built into them at the time of manufacture. This property of SIP panels greatly reduces the load on HVAC systems in maintaining indoor temperatures, and therefore, reduces your energy bills as well.
- Another reason for energy savings is that when you use SIPs to build your home, you get an airtight construction. This means no air from inside can escape, nor can air easily leak into your home. This makes it easier to keep the indoor temperature constant.
- Because SIP homes are airtight, traditional home ventilation is often not sufficient. Often, builders incorporate what is called Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery systems. These systems allow clean air to circulate throughout the house while getting rid of pollutants and unnecessary humidity. Since these systems operate 24/7, your home becomes healthier.
- The ease with which SIP panels can be customized gives architects the benefit of being able to construct elaborate and unusual designs which other mediums like steel, timber, or concrete might not allow for.
- SIP structures are seven times stronger than timber frames.
- Also, SIP structures do not need roof trusses, which allows homeowners to opt to put in an extra living space, such as a guest bedroom, right under the roof.
- SIP panel homes get built faster than traditional homes. There are multiple reasons for this. For one, the high strength to weight ratio of the panels allows builders to fit large portions really quickly.
Further advantages of SIP panels
Also, since the panels come prefabricated and pre-cut to custom fit your home’s design from the manufacturer, the builders do not really need to waste time preparing construction materials on the site.
This also means the chances of construction errors are fewer, and the labor requirements are also reduced.
- SIP homes are built to last. There are homes built using SIPs that are more than 90 years old.
Costs of SIP panels
At between $17 and $30 per square foot in material costs alone, SIP panels construction may seem more expensive than traditional timber home construction.
However, the savings with choosing SIP panels come in a lot of ways.
For example, labor costs are reduced by almost 55% in comparison to conventional constructions.
The time taken to build the structure is also reduced by as much as 50%.
Using these panels pretty much guarantees energy savings, and you will need to invest in smaller HVAC systems for the space as well.
And finally, as icing on the cake, there is a reduction of almost 96% in on-site construction waste, which reduces what you would have had to spend on waste disposal as well.
So if you consider all these factors, the initial increased expenditure in material costs more than pays for itself.
Use this friendly infographic if you are in a hurry.
Written by Narayan Shrouthy. May 13, 2022
Narayan is a content writer for Kukun. With experience in both content writing and editing, Narayan mixes his writing and love for reading with his passion for music. As an active musician, He aims to be a key player in Kukun's content experience.
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It may be silly, but we made the house for the dog with this material and it was fast and comfortable, it was great