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5 Things Builders Should Know Before Building with SIPs
Building with SIPs? Discover 5 key things builders should know about planning, installation, electrical layout, and HVAC..
Hillside House, photo curtsey of SHELL Building Systems (Bruce Damonte Photography)
Situated in a pocket of classic oak woodlands of Portola Valley, California, the completed Hillside House is an extensive residential expansion for a home owned by an energy consultant. The design, by fieldArchitecture, embraces the site’s natural slope with rooms and stair corridors oriented toward views throughout the valley.
Hillside House, photo curtsey of SHELL Building Systems (Bruce Damonte Photography)
Premier structural insulated panels, SIPs, were chosen to not only provide the structural integrity and energy efficiency sought by the owner and architect, also the pre-engineered framing system achieves clean and elegant building forms and lines, and allows for exterior and interior finishes that are almost impossible to obtain in conventional framing. SIPs worked in concert with steel beams and structural supports, and provided embed cavities to hide certain steel beam conditions to gain certain design effects. The roof panels were tapered to provide a smooth slope to the roof, barring any ‘stepped’ roof design or interior ceiling height changes. Rain gutters were channeled into the SIPs to remove their visibility. Extensive use of can lighting required special chase fabrication into the roof panels to accommodate fixtures. The expertise of SHELL Building Systems with Premier SIP design, engineering and fabrication accomplished the intricate details sought by the owner and architect.
Hillside House, photo curtsey of SHELL Building Systems (Bruce Damonte Photography)
We thank SHELL for providing project photography and details for this write up. Visit our Hillside House photo gallery for more construction and completed photos. Want to see what other projects have used SIPs, visit our extensive online photo gallery for inspiration.
- Project Photos: Hillside House
- Project Type: Custom Residential / Addition to Existing Structure
- Project Size: 2,142 SF Addition
- Location: Portola Valley, CA
- Architect: fieldARCHITECTURE
- Structural Engineer: Peter Boyce
- SIP Provider: SHELL Building Systems
- Tech Support: SHELL Building Systems
- SIP Manufacturer: Premier SIPs by Insulfoam
- General Constractor: MCH Construction
- Premier SIP Use: Exterior & Interior Walls + Roof
- # of Premier Structural Panels: 6,128
- Photographer: Bruce Damonte Photography
Hillside House, photo curtsey of SHELL Building Systems (Bruce Damonte Photography)
Ready to Build Beyond Conventional Framing?
Premier SIPS deliver a high-performance building envelope that outperforms traditional framing in efficiency, strength, and long-term durability. If you're evaluating SIPs, planning an upcoming project, or ready for pricing, now is the time to talk with our team about the right next step.
