Hi,

How do we build without over doing? Timber Frame + SIP. must be another way. but we must keep them conditioned. no more breathing buildings. got to be a better way. anybody know of a perfect climate?

Hi Mo,

Perfect climate for the building or the people in it ?

Regards

Ken Hume

No such thing as perfect. I think we can get close but not all the way there. I would try the clay wood chip way myself.

Tim

You're right on the money with that one - timber frame + SIP IS a bad idea. I have always thought that, since I first got interested in timber framing in the 90's. I did a recent blog posting (yesterday) at some length on that topic in fact. There are excellent alternative solutions I believe, though 'perfection', as such, is unattainable. Let's say there are better adaptations and wiser uses of material, methods employing local materials and lower embedded energy building. I'm planning to spend a fair bit of time exploring that topic in coming postings on my blog, so I'll hold off on commenting further here.

Florida in the winter was quite close to perfect. Or Spring in Maine, just before blackflies.

Foam comes very near perfect as an insulator. But I believe the walls on our homes need to multitask. Just as there is no ideal vehicle, truck, car or somewhere in between, our walls fall into the same dilemma. Indoor air quality is one factor. Thermal mass comes into the picture, foam has none. Comfort levels of the individual varies, this is a determinant for the wall system used.

Tim

OK. Is the sip more important as a shear wall or an insulator?

I want to hear from someone that says they are important and why. Where are the sip fans?

Tim

SIPS work wonders on a timber frame.

Don't hold back, give us the skinny on SIPS.

Tim

Sips are a bridge from the timber frame to the commercial market. They make sense to wealthy customers who are willing to pay for them, and they get the GC, who typically isn't the timber framer, something he understands how to work with.