How Are SIPs Installed?
Most builders ask us the same question first: how hard will this be for my crew? The short answer is not very, and ACME’s SIP installation support is there if you want a hand.
In fact, a SIP install works a lot like conventional framing. You still start with a bottom plate and finish with a top plate. The difference is spacing. Instead of studs every 16″ or 24″, you set a panel every 4′ or 8′.
The panel seams connect with lumber or splines. Then your crew fastens each piece with conventional 8d nails. Each ACME panel has structural OSB sheathing on both sides, so the panel itself carries load and adds shear strength. As a result, panels can span up to 16′ unsupported, depending on the loads required where you build.
ACME Panel Partners With Taylor Hollow Construction
Want a crew that has built with SIPs many times over? Taylor Hollow Construction builds homes and building shells with structural insulated panels. They partner with ACME Panel and can travel up to 150 miles from their office in Radford, VA. When you fill out our contact form, just tell us you would like to work with them. You can learn more about their team at taylor-hollow.com.
Three Ways to Get SIP Installation Support
ACME’s Class A certified contractors can travel to your jobsite and help install your panels. We offer SIP installation support three ways: a site supervisor, a partial installation, or a full installation.
Keep in mind that travel adds to the cost of any install. For that reason, we usually recommend working with a local framing crew. Your crew sets the panels, and our staff or site supervisor answers their questions along the way.
- Site Supervisor
Our trained site supervisors have built many SIP homes and buildings. One of them comes to your site, works alongside your crew, and teaches them as they go. This is a cost-effective option for builders who have never set SIPs before. A site supervisor costs $500 a day, plus travel and lodging. In our experience, 1 to 2 days is plenty of time for a crew to learn the process.
- Partial Installation
With a partial installation, ACME’s crew sets the panels while your local crew handles the rest. This works well when interior support walls or floor joists need to go in between panel stages. For example, our crew sets the wall panels, then leaves until the next walls or roof are ready. It takes some coordination between your builder and ACME. However, your builder never has to learn how to set panels.
- Full Installation
With a full installation, ACME’s crew puts up the walls, floor joists, trusses or beams, and panels. Then they wrap the building. It is the most expensive option. On the other hand, you end up with a weatherized shell. That means less time on the jobsite for your builder, and more room in the schedule for finishes and electrical. Travel costs add up, though. So unless your build is close to Radford, VA, we recommend a site supervisor or partial installation.