SIP Panels Solve Problems

So many of the homes being built in the intermountain west today are at serious risk of developing mold within the wall cavity. I see homes under construction from Telluride to the Tetons, that will most likely have wall cavities full of mold. Traditionally framed 2x6 wood walls with a non permeable WRB(Weather Resistant Barrier) create the ideal conditions for mold to grow within the walls. To me this is catastrophic and something to avoid. The solution is to move the dew point outside of the wall cavity with continuous insulation. You need at least 2” of continuous exterior insulation or an R-8 to achieve this. I’ve worked with a Building Envelope Consultant to model the exact conditions to confirm. The problem is continuous insulation makes it harder to attach a rain screen, cladding, windows etc. It’s a complicated, imperfect and weak. See below.

Wall section from our house plans. Adding foam and rain screen to the exterior complicates things.

As we prepare to build our home I’m asking why not just use SIP Panels instead?

SIP Panel Pros

• Simplify Wall Assembly

• Strengthen Wall Assembly

• Increase R Value Performance

• Framing time of house is reduced by 2/3

• No mold in wall cavity

• Eliminate Thermal Bridging

• Solid Cold Roof Assembly (especially important in high alpine environments)

SIP Panel Cons

• Finding Local Installer (I may self perform)

• Routing electrical (Requires additional planing)

I believe Sovereign Homes are built with SIP panels.