Projects Archive - ACME Panel Structural Insulated Panels

Modern Solar Home: Lexington, Virginia

Finished exterior of the Modern Solar Home in Lexington, Virginia, a SIP-built house with a long cedar-trimmed roofline.

The Modern Solar Home sits in Lexington, Virginia. The owners wanted a simple thing: an all-electric home that uses very little energy. So ACME supplied the SIP roof. The roof pairs with Insulated Concrete Form (ICF) walls. Together, these two systems keep energy use low all year.

ACME’s SIP roof panels are 10 1/4 inches thick. They work with the ICF walls to simplify the roof overhangs. As a result, the roofline extends past the walls for a clean, modern look. Engineered trusses leave room for HVAC and electrical runs. The prefabricated panels speed up installation. They also get the home dried in faster. Architect Heidi Schweizer worked closely with ACME, too, through design and installation. Together, they shaped the home’s modern look around its energy goals.

The finished home runs on mini-split heating and cooling. A ground-mounted solar system backs it up. As a result, the homeowners report a highest electric bill of just $34. In many months, they actually produce more power than they use.

In short, this home shows what SIPs can do alongside other high-performance systems. The result is a comfortable house with remarkably low energy demands. That holds true now and for years to come. For the full breakdown, see our Economics of SIPs guide. Or, to learn more about SIP construction, visit the Structural Insulated Panel Association.

See the Build

Stud-framed shell of the Lexington, Virginia SIP home early in construction, with graded red clay and excavation mounds in the foreground.

SIP wall and roof panels staged on site as a telehandler lifts panels into place on the Lexington, Virginia home.

SIP Elevator Shaft: Meggett, South Carolina

Exterior view of the 30-foot SIP elevator shaft addition under construction on a three-story home in Meggett, South Carolina, with OSB-sheathed SIP wall panels rising from foundation to roofline.

For homeowners in Meggett, South Carolina, adding an elevator to their three-story home came down to one thing. They wanted to keep living comfortably in the place they love. ACME Panel supplied the solution: a 30-foot-tall exterior elevator shaft built entirely from structural insulated panels (SIPs). In fact, this project shows how SIPs go beyond new construction. Builders can also use them in creative ways for renovations and additions.

Faster Installation, Less Disruption

ACME worked with Shaft Crafters on this build. The team supplied 6 1/2-inch SIP wall panels with an R-24 insulation value for the new elevator shaft. Each panel combines structural framing, insulation and sheathing into one piece. As a result, the crew skipped several steps that conventional stick framing requires. The project also used continuous vertical engineered wood columns for extra strength. These columns include dedicated attachment points for the elevator system. In the end, installation moved faster, inspections went smoother, and construction time dropped by at least 60%. That meant less disruption for the family living in the home.

Built to Work With the Existing Home

Crews traditionally framed the roof where it meets the existing house. In fact, that shows how SIPs can work alongside conventional construction when a project calls for it. The finished addition gives homeowners a practical way to move between floors as they age. It also shows the flexibility of SIP construction for renovations, additions and other unique building needs.

This project shows what SIPs make possible beyond a typical new build. But the real win for this family is simpler. They get to stay in the house they love, with an easier way to move between floors for years ahead. Want a closer look at the long-term numbers? See the Economics of SIPs. Groups like the Structural Insulated Panel Association take notice too. Overall, they point to builds like this one as proof that SIPs fit far beyond standard new construction.

See the Build

New concrete pad and pressure-treated sill framing for the SIP elevator shaft foundation at the garage entrance of the Meggett, South Carolina home, with stacks of SIP panel stock staged against the wall.

A crew member on a lift installs framing near the roofline of the Meggett home as the SIP elevator shaft structure rises alongside the existing gable roof and house wrap.

VDOT Equipment Center: Virginia

metal frame system on a construction site prior to structural insulate panels installed

metal frame system and structural insulated panels on a construction site

DOE Zero Energy Ready Home: Vienna, VA

Completed DOE Zero Energy Ready SIP home exterior in Vienna, Virginia with a Net Zero Ready yard sign

SIP wall panels framing a two-story DOE Zero Energy Ready home under construction in Vienna, Virginia

SIP walls with roof trusses being set by crane during construction of a Vienna, Virginia home

Modern Home and Carriage House: Charlotte, NC

Front exterior of the completed SIP home in Charlotte's Elizabeth neighborhood with a covered porch and brick steps

A home in Charlotte’s Elizabeth neighborhood has to do a lot of things at once. It needs to feel private on a tight urban lot. It needs room to work from home. And it needs to run efficiently, without a tradeoff on comfort. In fact, this energy-efficient SIP home in Charlotte does all three. So Banister Homes built it on a 3,515-square-foot footprint that includes a separate carriage house.

Built for City Living, Without the Compromise

The main house runs 3,125 square feet. Meanwhile, a separate 390-square-foot carriage house sits beside it, conditioned and ready to use as a home office. Structural Insulated Panels form the exterior walls on both structures. As a result, the SIP envelope helps the home stay efficient while still supporting its modern, distinctive design. Banister Homes chose SIPs for a simple reason. In the end, the panels meant fewer construction steps than standard stick framing, and an easier path to its energy goals.

What the Numbers Look Like

ACME supplied 6 1/2-inch wall panels with a 5 5/8-inch EPS core, rated at R-24. The prefabricated panels cut down on framing time. They also cut down on jobsite waste. As a result, the home got a continuous insulated wall system with less thermal bridging. Overall, the finished home reached a HERS Index of 45 and a blower door result of 1.64 ACH50. In fact, those numbers explain a lot about why the house feels the way it does. For more on how that efficiency pencils out over time, see our Economics of SIPs page.

Living Close to the City, Without Giving Anything Up

The energy-efficient envelope is paired with LED lighting, high-performance windows and doors, and efficient appliances throughout. A 10.63 kW solar system adds power from the roof. Additionally, a Tesla Powerwall battery stores it for later. Together, those systems make this energy-efficient SIP home in Charlotte run close to net zero. Groups like the Structural Insulated Panel Association track results like this across the industry. In particular, this home is a real example of what those numbers can look like day to day.

What It’s Like to Live There

The separate carriage house gives its owners room to work from home without stepping into the main house. Meanwhile, the private patio gives them a place to unwind that still feels like their own, even this close to downtown. None of that happens by accident. Instead, it happens because the building envelope does its job quietly, every day. So the people inside don’t have to think about it.

A Closer Look at the Finished Home

SIP wall panels being framed for a two-story home in Charlotte's Elizabeth neighborhood, with window openings and a worker on site

ACME Panel SIP wall panels being set with a skid steer loader during construction of a Charlotte, NC home

Prices Fork Village Apartments: Blacksburg, VA

Three-story SIP apartment building with brick base and red panel exterior at Prices Fork Village Apartments in Blacksburg, VA

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

The Old School at Prices Fork redevelopment turned a former elementary school in Blacksburg, Virginia into a mixed-income community. Phase III added 16 new apartments, eight two-bedroom and eight three-bedroom. Crews built every unit with Structural Insulated Panel (SIP) walls and roofs. That makes this an affordable housing SIP project in the truest sense. SIPs create a tight, well-insulated building envelope. As a result, residents see lower energy bills long after the ribbon-cutting is over.

Taylor Hollow Construction built the apartments with 6 1/2-inch SIP walls and 10 1/2-inch SIP roof panels from ACME. The continuous SIP envelope helped the project earn EarthCraft certification, a respected third-party green-building standard. It also delivered real, documented energy savings: about $1,134 to $1,323 per unit each year compared with conventional construction. Across all 16 apartments, that adds up to roughly $18,100 to $21,200 in estimated savings annually. In other words, the building envelope keeps paying residents back, year after year.

Building performance matters everywhere. But it matters most for an affordable housing SIP project, where every saved dollar helps a family elsewhere. That’s the real story behind Old School at Prices Fork. The project has since won the 2025 Virginia Governor’s Housing Conference Best Multi-Family Housing Development Award. It also earned a Multifamily Honorable Mention in the SIPA Building Excellence Awards, recognized by the Structural Insulated Panel Association. See our full breakdown of the economics of SIPs for a closer look at the numbers.

For families moving into these apartments, the difference shows up on a bill, not a spec sheet. Lower energy costs mean more room in a monthly budget for groceries or child care. It can mean breathing room at the end of the month too. That is the kind of return that matters in affordable housing. It’s also why SIPs are worth a serious look on any project with long-term operating costs to consider.

Newly installed kitchen with dark wood cabinets and dark countertops in a Prices Fork Village Apartments unit, floor still protected during construction

Temple Adas Israel: Sag Harbor, New York

Finished exterior of Sag Harbor Synagogue renovated with SIPs

finished exterior of SIP synagogue renovation

Daniel Boone Wilderness Trail Interpretive Center: Duffield, VA

Aerial view of the SIPs built Daniel Boone center

The Daniel Boone Wilderness Trail Interpretive Center sits in Duffield, Virginia. It helps visitors explore the history of the Wilderness Road and its role in westward expansion. Quesenberry’s Construction built the commercial facility as a SIP roof project. The design combines a traditional wood truss system with a high-performance insulated roof envelope. That combination let the building keep its timber character while gaining the energy efficiency of a continuous SIP envelope.

ACME fabricated the SIP roof panels to span across the wood trusses and pre-cut them for two large chimney penetrations. That precision cut down on onsite adjustments. Crews moved quickly through installation because the panels arrived ready to set in place. The SIP roof went up in just a couple of days. That speed created a continuous insulated roof system, ready for roofing outside and drywall inside. For more on how projects like this come together step by step, see our construction details guide.

Today the center sits about an hour and a half south of ACME’s Radford facility, inside Natural Tunnel State Park. It houses museum and educational spaces set against the Appalachian landscape. The project shows what SIPs can do alongside conventional wood trusses. Builders get simpler roof construction, plus the energy efficiency and continuous insulation of a true SIP envelope. It’s a good example of a SIP roof project that never asks a design team to abandon its structural system.

This project also shows what a SIP roof project can do for community and educational buildings, not just homes. Because Quesenberry’s Construction wanted a fast, clean installation, SIPs were the obvious fit. As a result, the museum opened without long construction delays. In addition, the roof needs less maintenance than a standard built-up system over time. For visitors walking through Wilderness Road history, none of that shows on the surface. But it is exactly the kind of building performance ACME builds toward on every project.

external aerial view of Daniel Boone Wilderness Trail interpretive Center in Virginia

Mountain Home: Riner, VA

finished exterior of a structural insulated panel home

completed custom home in Virginia built by structural insulated panels — Achieved exceptional energy efficiency and airtightness.

Historic Rosemont Springs: Berryville, VA

finished exterior of Rosemont Manor Venue facility

Historic Rosemont Springs sits in Berryville, Virginia. It’s now a wedding and event venue on the historic Rosemont property. Quarry View Building Group built it as a timber frame SIP building. The design pairs exposed timber framing with a distinctive gambrel roof. That mix keeps the traditional character. It also gains the performance of a continuous insulated envelope. The result: a handcrafted-feeling venue that doesn’t give up energy efficiency.

Built Around the Timber Frame

ACME fabricated the SIP walls and roof for this project. The panels had to fit the custom timber frame. They also had to follow the changing angles of the gambrel roof. Precision pre-cutting at ACME’s Radford facility helped. The panels arrived ready to install. That cut down on onsite adjustments. Crews moved quickly from an open timber structure to a fully enclosed building. For more on how a build like this pencils out over time, see our Economics of SIPs page.

Timber framing has its own standards and traditions. Groups like the Timber Frame Business Council help keep that craft alive. A timber frame SIP building like Rosemont Springs shows what’s possible. The craft and modern insulated panels can work together. They don’t have to compete. The SIP envelope adds continuous insulation and airtightness. That covers the walls and the roof. The result is fewer drafts and lower energy bills. And the timber frame still looks and feels the same.

What It Feels Like Today

Because the panels arrived pre-cut, the crew avoided many delays. Fitting insulation around a complex roofline usually slows a build down. Not here. The building moved from open frame to enclosed shell fast. As a result, guests get a warm, character-filled space. It also happens to be efficient to heat and cool. That’s the kind of performance ACME aims for on every project. It doesn’t matter if the frame is timber, steel, or something else entirely.