Setting Structural Insulated Panels? Use the Right Tools!

We’ve created a new category in the SIPschool blog  to help those in the SIP Industry  find, sell or buy all things SIP related, from lifting plates to manufacturing equipment and everything in between.  The SIPschool is a recognized resource in the SIP industry and we field calls weekly connecting buyers and sellers, so we thought the time right to launch a more organized method of disseminating information.  Feel free to post your wares.

Let’s get the ball rolling!

This 2005 Bennazato Self-Erecting Tower Crane was used on one of the world’s largest SIP jobs, the Cherokee School in Cherokee NC.  Our sister company Panelwrights used this piece of equipment to set over 400k sq ft of structural insulated panels at a rate not typically seen on most SIP projects.

2012 Classes and Reduced Pricing

As we look towards the new year, the SIP industry has all the signs of recovering much faster than other sectors of the construction industry.  However, many among us are still suffering from the last few years of dismal sales and lack of disposable income.

As we developed our 2012 Class Schedule, we wanted to address the issues of time and cost as it pertains to your training dollars.  We’ve taken our two most popular classes and condensed them, giving you  the same information in longer training days.  Even better, we’ve reduced our pricing for these two classes.

Our SIPs 201 Owner/Builder has been reworked from a day and a half session to one long day.  Be prepared to start at 8:00am, and finish somewhere between 4:00-6:00pm, depending on questions from the students.

Our SIPs 202 Installation Workshop is now two days, down from the original three, but with the same amount of classroom and handson time as in the original version.  Be prepared to stay until the class project is complete on Day 2 – as usual, SIPschool will provide lunch, snacks and beverages to get you through the day with Al and Dan.

If you are interested in Deep Energy Retrofits using nailbase panels, check our our free training.  Register for one of the scheduled sessions, or call us to schedule training for your company – minimum of 5 students.

Check our our class schedule at www.sipschool.org for classes into April 2012.  We’re also in the process of putting together another Southern Tour and are looking at February and March.  If you are interested in hosting a training give us a call at 304-876-8494 or email us at info@sipschool.org

Mid-Atlantic Energy Efficiency Conference Nov 14-18, 2011 Morgantown, WV

The Mid-Atlantic Energy Efficiency Building Conference, hosted by Habitat for Humanity of West Virginia, is designed to get as many people as possible on the same page when it comes to the value proposition of sustainable, energy efficient homes.  SIPschool is pleased to be part of this conference, the first of it’s kind to be offered in this region.   SIPschool Director Al Cobb will be speaking Friday November 18 on Deep Energy Retrofits with SIPs.

From the conference website:

 According to builders in the Eastern Panhandle, it’s not enough nowadays to build a beautiful home using quality materials.  Their customers are informed, and are beginning to demand energy efficiency, durability, and low maintenance as well as beauty. Our builders say that customers are looking for contractors who understand how the house works as a whole system, and how to save them the best house for the buck. According to research, 25% of new homes nationally are built for Energy Star™ certification. In Ohio, it’s 50%. In WV, we have 3%.  Energy Star-rated homes will continue to grow in demand. They sell faster, and for more. And the word is out on the street…they DON’T cost more to build. It’s all in what the builder/designer know.

Learn more and register (3 days left!) at www.buildthebesthome.org

	Conference Tracks, Speakers, and Events

What’s for Lunch at SIPschool?

Here at SIPschool our students don’t go away hungry. It takes a lot of energy to keep up with Dan and whatever structural insulated panel project the class is working on.  When the weather turns colder we’ll often have this soup to accompany what we’re serving for lunch.  Students always ask for the recipe, and today was no exception.

So here you go!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wrapping a Timber Frame with Structural Insulated Panels

Join SIPschool November 3-4, 2011 as we take on the challenge of combining timber framing’s old world craftsmanship with building science and detailing as it relates to super energy-efficient construction.  “Wrapping a Timber Frame with Structural Insulated Panels” is  a two-day workshop being offered as a pre-conference event for the Timber Frames Guild 2011 Eastern Conference.  This event will take place at SIPschool’s home base in Shenandoah Junction, WV (approximately 33 miles from the Leesburg Conference site).

This training is more than just a SIP seminar.  Director Al Cobb embraces the philosophy that structures are a system and understanding that system is central to durability, efficiency, and comfort.   Set against the backdrop of a mid-1800’s bank barn, this training will begin with classroom lecture in the covered and heated SIPschool shop.  Hands-on training will involve fabrication and installation of SIPs on  mock ups to illustrate proper techniques utilized in a SIP/Timber Frame structure.  This SIPschool training is being sponsored by ACME Panel in Radford, Virginia.  ACME will reimburse the tuition for this training to anyone who purchases ACME Panels within the year.  This session is open to TFG members and the general public.  Register Now

Retrofit Panels Wrap Existing Housing Stock in Affordable Efficiency

In case you haven’t heard, the USA is arguably the only country on the planet without a housing shortage.  The Building America Teams with DOE support and funding have been focused not on building better new homes, but on technologies that help make the existing housing inventory more energy efficient.

A Nailbase Panel is the SIP industry’s answer to deep energy retrofits.  By removing one skin from the structural insulated panel you create an insulated panel.  This nailbase panel is much closer to a commodity building component than a traditional SIP, as design, engineering, and code issues are a fraction of its fully clad big brother.

The nailbase approach allows a remodeler to attack the structure from the outside.  The nailbase panel has been successfully used in both wall and roof applications.  When old siding and roofing is removed, the nailbase panel can be easily attached (with SIP screws, no less) to the exposed framing.  This approach leaves existing insulation intact and the foam of the nailbase becomes an added layer of thermal efficiency.  The installation of nailbase employs many techniques used with SIPs as it relates to sealing the envelope for maximum air tightness.

The exterior application also avoids dealing with any existing mechanicals and wiring.  Equally important, the interior finish remains basically untouched as the makeover is largely an exterior operation.  With a big exception – your window package.  When the added thickness of nailbase is applied to a structure’s exterior, it almost always forces a do-over with the windows.  This is not necessarily a bad idea for a deep energy retrofit.  A new window and door package will compliment a new and improved exterior shell.

Keep in mind that nailbase panels and a new window package don’t complete your deep energy retrofit.  A complete review of the mechanicals and appliances is essential.  Your new  skin can change the airtightness of your structure to the point where certain combustible appliances could become dangerous.  All deep energy retrofits should be accompanied by an analysis of the entire house and all systems by a trained individual.  This same individual should also stick around to perform the blower door test at the end of your retrofit to ensure that the new shell is properly air sealed.

SIPschool is hosting a FREE 2.5 hour seminar

Nailbase Panels in a Deep Energy Retrofit

This 2.5 hour course includes:

• Tour of manufacturing facility and review of processes involved in foam manufacturing.
• Observation of laminating process in production of nailbase panels.

Following tour, SIPschool’s Al Cobb will review the various applications of nailbase on existing buildings.  This portion of the class will include:

• Choosing the right thickness and core material
• Modification and attachment of panels to wall and roof assemblies
• Special concerns of windows and doors
• Satisfactory indoor air quality
• Safety concerns with combustion appliances

Online registration is required

Class will begin at 1:00pm Monday October 31, 2011

SIPA’s First Certified Builder is a SIPschool Graduate

The following post comes from SIPA’s website:

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania-based Bridlewood Builders is the first member of the Structural Insulated Panel Association (SIPA) to receive the SIPA Certified Builder designation. All SIPA Certified Builders have received training on structural insulated panel (SIP) installation and displayed a proven track record of constructing energy-efficient SIP homes. SIPA launched the Certified Builder Program in the summer of 2011 to help homeowners and general contractors identify trained and reputable SIP installers. SIPA Certified Builders can be located through the SIPA membership directory.

Husband and wife management team Terry and Robin Loughran of Bridlewood Builders adopted SIPs as part of their homebuilding business nearly 15 years ago. They have since attended the SIPschool’s SIPs 301 Certified Installer Workshop and now construct SIP homes in Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, and the Washington DC area. “We are always looking for the best technology that allows us to build higher quality homes for our customers,” said Terry Loughran. “We haven’t found any building materials or techniques out there that are more efficient than SIPs, so using SIPs makes it easy to build really energy-efficient homes.”

Bridlewood Builders received the 2010 Pyramid Award from Home Builders Association of Metropolitan Harrisburg for the Best Green Custom Home of the Year. The 2,400 sq. award-winning home in Carlisle, Pennsylvania uses a complete SIP building envelope to reach energy savings of 70 percent over a home built to today’s building code. With reducing the home’s environmental footprint in mind from the beginning, the Loughrans utilized a passive solar design strategy with carefully calculated window sizing and overhang placement. When mechanical heating or cooling is required, the home relies on a geothermal heating and cooling system, an energy recovery ventilator, and an efficient wood-burning masonry heater. A grid-tied photovoltaic array can provide much of the home’s electricity or sell power back to the utility company.

Bridlewood Builders received a second Pyramid Award for Best Custom Home of the Year in the $500,000 – $1 million price range for another SIP home. “We’re thrilled about becoming SIPA Certified Builders,” said Robin Loughran. “We’ve worked very hard to specialize in SIPs and educate both our customers and the general public on the value of building with SIPs.” More information on how to become a SIPA Certified Builder can be found on the Certified Builder page. You can also search for SIPA Certified Builders using the SIPA membership directory.

SIPschool’s next SIPs 301 Certified Installer class is scheduled for October 24-27, 2011 in Shenandoah Junction, WV.