...the funny thing is that even I use SIP enclosures I have really moved beyond liking to use them.
Many (most?) of us have all been there Sean...as it takes a while to really take a strong position on SIPs. I now have the luxury of such strong convictions, yet as David pointed out (rightfully so) that not all have such ability, but still would like to create and sell great frames...
I would not turn down a contract myself...but I would make them sign a "knowledge waiver" on this topic if they chose a SIP...That way, if the frame was damaged in some fashion by them I am held harmless...and...I have done my due diligence in providing the best info I can as I understand it...
I don't think that it is impossible to make them a workable system, but they have too many negatives which make them undesirable.
Agreed...
I can think of a number of "make them work" methods, but in the end...compared to other modalities...They simply lose...and lose badly...
There is a bit of a vacuum for immediate alternatives, so unfortunately I am going to have to stick with it for the next couple years.
On that view, I may not be able to agree...
Timber frames as we actually know them today have been around for over 7000 years...The number of methods to insulated them, be it mass or loft or combination are just as old...Many in the industry have either forgotten this or not really take the time to delve as deeply into it as they should (just a view..)
"Wall Trusses" (not an original concept) and/or infill systems, and the like all lend themselves well to many natural/traditional insulative modalities...Many being quite cost effective not only for the owner of the project but the facilitator as well...
I'm really not sure that wrap and strap really takes any of the fundamental problems of SIPS out of the equation.
If using foam...I couldn't agree more.
Wiring might have gotten a wee bit easier, but that is about it...All in all, it's a wash between W&S and SIP...
What I would really like to pursue in the next year or two is a "chip and slip" system of non load bearing wall with lime plaster.
"Light Cobb Infill" modalities (aka clay chip slip forming) again is not a new concept at all...Many are "rebranding it" but the concept of a "light cobb" (aka Clay- Slip Clay Straw/Chip-Cob (Cobb-Clom)-Tabya-Adobe-Bousillage-(Doheki=daub), etc etc) have been with us since the first timber frames in one for or another depending on culture and location...
I think you will love it, and as the system modalities spread and gain in popularity, they will improve even more...These "light cobb" methods are very versatile, and give us the best of mass and loft in one system...I highly recommend them to "natural insulation" inclined folks that wish to "DIY" some of their project. It is also another system the lends itself well to "wall trusses." The list of positives, from all I have seen, consulted on, and examined are bountiful...Bousillage is probably one of the oldest forms of it in this country, with even Indigenous cultural application in architecture...
Straw bale has always given me the willies, I think it's sort of like SIPs, perhaps theoretically possible to get right, but riddled with potential issues.
That's kind of funny...
In an odd way...
I call SB the SIP of the "natural insulation...
In the right environment, they work great, and if the structure is designed well (and the bales are close at hand and in GREAT!!! shape) this system works marvelously...Unfortunately, many now (most??) have all types of issues built into them...and the reason I do not recommend them...unless very succinct parameters are available...
Regards,
j
