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I have just recently began to look into insulated framing panels. They are two peices of OSB separated by polyurethane foam. They are designed to replace standard 2X framing for exterior walls. I am looking for comment from anyone who has firsthand experience with these about costs and time. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks. Rich
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Rich, A good place to start is to go to a search engine and type in Structural Insulated Panels or Structural Insulation Panels. This will land you at the door of the different manufacturers of this type of system.
The options you will find will be varied but keep an eye out for actual structural content which I find to be very important in my dealings with SIP's. The system I use still has the 2x framing members encapsulated within the system and conventional headers over all openings. It's the one I trust--- yet has the benefits of higher R-value and the strength afforded by a stress skin type panel plus less job site labor.
Good Luck!
*Rich, SIPs is my second favorite framing method. I also prefer polystyrene cores even though it takes a little more thickness to get the same R value, but it costs less per R. I also keep the 2x to an absolute minimum, corners, door frames and large window openings. It makes for less thermal bridging and less valuable resources wasted. It still makes for a much stronger house than conventional stick building from my 25 yr. experience with SIPs. I prefer the plywood or OSB splines. Much less labour than sticks too. Shipping and finding a crew that won't overcharge for the labour are the biggest problems.
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I am contemplating the best way to insulate a room that I am going to build over my deck. I live in Northen N.J. where it can get quite cold a times in the Winter. I want it to be very warm. Not a 3 season room but a four season room. Are the insulated stress skin panels the best way to go over 2"x6" framed walls and on the underside or the 2"x10" floor joists. Any suggestions are welcome.
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William,
The stress skin panels are structural, you don't need the 2X framing at all.
*Ron,Bullshit. Would you care for some slightly wet land in Florida?Bob
*Bob,Sure they are structural, that is what the "S" in "SIP" stands for. Many of the manufacturers have been tested to BOCA CABO and HUD requirements. Ohio State University also did testing showing SIPs to be STRONGER than conventional 2X construction. Speaking of Florida, In the pictures of the aftermath of hurricanes with a few homes still standing, most of what was standing was the SIP houses. By the way Rich, the polystyrene foam versions are less expensive for the R value even though they have to be thicker.With SIPs you only need a few 2Xs, 2 in each corner and a few more around each opening. I have built with them several times and would again. The siding and dry wall trades couldn't believe how solid the walls were and the homeowners were very impressed.
*To see some real figures on the loads SIP's will take, go to http://pbspanel.com/panel.html, click on Design Corner in the menue frame, and scroll down to Load Design Charts.You can even print out the charts by doing a right click/print.There is some great information in this site!Lew
*The "S" on Supermans chest stands for "Superman" I suppose but I still don't believe in him. There are obviously two different camps regarding what constitutes a SIP out here in the big world Ron. If I cry BS then that only means that I truly believe that you still need actual structural content within the system especially as a longevity buffer. You say that SIP's without studs are twice as strong as conventional construction. Well, I would like to call a truce, you do it your way and I and the 95% of the other Engineers, Architects and Contractors that I deal with will do it ours.Peace, Panelmal
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I have just recently began to look into insulated framing panels. They are two peices of OSB separated by polyurethane foam. They are designed to replace standard 2X framing for exterior walls. I am looking for comment from anyone who has firsthand experience with these about costs and time. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks. Rich