SIPs is an acronym for Structural Insulated Panels, a concept used heavily in Europe, and growing quickly across the globe.
The are made of a polystyrene core, laminated between two panels of Oriented Strand Board (OSB).
Our panels were manufactured by SIPs Industries in Western Australia.
Floor Panels
The floor panels have a thickness of 175mm (150mm foam core).
The SIPs are joint together using splines. Generally these are an LVL, however in the midst of building during Covid, sourcing MGP10 was hard enough.
Each prior to inserting the spline into the SIP, expanding foam is applied to create an airtight seal. The OSB is then nailed to the spline.
Walls
The wall panels have are 10mm thinner than the floor panels with a thickness of 165mm (140mm foam core).
The wall sections were somewhat straightforward to install. Simply nail down a base plate, and stand each wall section.
Roof
The roof panels have a thickness of 175mm (150mm foam core).
Once the two beams that spanned the gable were installed, we could get on with installing the last of the SIPs.
We made a jig for a panel lift at 37º to lift and position each panel.
The toughest section of the roof panels was the void of the loungeroom which is 6m to the point of the gable.
For this section, my brother and father suggested manufacturing a floating floor.
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