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First the caveat. I’m an amateur home builder, building every few years and moving on.
I started researching ISP’s as an insulation system for a beam and deck ceiling. ‘Course, I’m reading the manufacturer’s web sites and there’s nothing negative. Probably would use urethane, rather than styro.
Then, I thought, why not build the entire house this way? Not very common in my part of the country and have never used them.
There’s something nagging at me. Bad press from several years ago, but can’t remember why. Did a search, but most of the hits were computer problems.
Is this product now viable and suitable for the aggressive do-it-yourselfer?
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There have been some recent reports on SIPs (structural insulated panels) having premature failure; seems to me this was discussed some here recently and maybe at the Journal of Light Construction site.
Now, OTOH, a lot of ISPs (internet service providers) have gone under in the past few years, taking countless email accounts and vanity websites down with them.
I'd be very careful about using ISPs in a structural application without a thorough review by a cyber systems engineer. (Not trying to razz you, just taking an idea and running with it. I'm toying with the idea of a fully SIP structure as an edition to my house.)
*No offense taken. You gave me an idea, tho. Search under the proper acronym and I'd probably find more info!
*shelley, don't ya just hate jargon ?what part of the country do you want to build in?
*There's actually part of a preliminary report on the strange failures of SIP roofs in Alaska at http://www.sipweb.com. There's also a pretty good set of forums there. Personally, I'm very biased about them; think they're great and all, but I've never used an SIP roof. Try looking also at http://www.jlconline.com under Building Science for more information. We'll help you out as much as we can, and we're certainly opinionated, so bring on your questions!
*Don't have an opinion yet. Just wanted to do a beam and deck ceiling.Reading 03/02 issue...home in the forest...that's what he seemed to use. That's the first time I've seen something that made sense with this type of ceiling.Albuquerque, NM. I see that the mfgs make some stiff claims about spans...would never do that....is that perhaps the cause of the failures? Or, Should I read up more and then come back?
*Shelley,Failures were moisture related in very cold climate. Mushrooms growing out of the roofs and disintegrating osb. Mfgs blamed installation, but was uniform failure rate accross multiple manufacturers. One, Insulspan, sends out their own people to do the installations, so you would think they would know how to do it, but even they had failures. Seems like a flaw in the building science to me, but that's just opinion. I would think it would not be a problem in arrid climate like NM.I also recall reading of problems with creeping of the osb in roof installations, but have never followed up on what that was about or if it turned out to be valid.Seems to me it would be a great way to build if these problems can be run to ground.Steve
*Steve,Don't you mean "wouldn't be a problem" in dry country?Obviously, I need to search and read more. Thanks, gentlemen, for pointing me to the web sites.Mushrooms in the roof? Holy Moly! And, I don't want to get involved with something that we can't do ourselves....eats into the profit since we all know that our time is worth nothing. I'll be baaaccckkk.
*Sorry Steve....missed the "not".
*Funny thing you guys should mention mushrooms growing out of osb. I just the other noticed something funny on the edge of my shop roof, and it was, well, not mushrooms, but more like what I think is called plate fungus. What the hey?
*That's what you get for living in a rain forest, Jim ;-)
*Bu, bu, bu....but, Steve, I'm not on Oregon coast yet; I'm still in Central Valley, California! Very dry summers. And this winter, so far, hasn't been as wet as some in the past. Speaking not as a native. I mean, not a white native. I mean, oh, gosh, what DO I mean? Other than a short history?
*Oh. Well in that case, You got yourself a messed up roof, man! I spent about an eternity in the fog in Fresno one winter. Oregon is suppposed to be beautiful. Maybe I should be moving there instead of Minneapolis.Steve