Why Use SIPs Instead of Sticks in Homes

We understand home builders are all trying to differentiate themselves in a competitive market, where only 10% of home sales are new construction, according to the National Association of Realtors. One of the best ways for home builders to stand out is to deliver a house that not only looks amazing, but also over-performs for the homeowners long after you’ve handed over the keys.

Many contractors assume it costs much more to build a high performance home, with an advanced building envelope, but that’s not the case. Thanks to much lower labor requirements by using Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs) for the envelope, builders are seeing financial benefits to go along with the energy savings by going high performance.

As these tables demonstrate, structural insulated panels (SIPs) take less time to install, allow a home to be dried in faster, and for the homeowner to move in sooner. All of which means there is less time a builder carries loans and interest. If you can save weeks or a full month on construction schedules, the savings to you can be considerable.

In addition to saving both time and money, SIPs also offer significant labor savings. Because SIPs are built in a factory, they reduce jobsite labor needed for framing and insulation. The panels eliminate the need to cut and install dozens of studs and other framing members throughout the walls and roof. And, because the panels arrive on the job site with pre-cut window and door openings, there is no need to frame-out openings with jack studs and headers. All of these factors lead to a less labor intensive home construction process, which is especially helpful considering labor and skilled trades positions are rated among the toughest jobs to fill in the U.S.

Download the comparison here.