The sound properties, the heating properties—everything about it is solid. I’ve lived in it. My family has lived in it. I can speak from experience.
I built my dad’s house 19 years ago using SIPs (Structural Insulated Panels)—that was the first one. Back then, it was new to us. I had a full-time job at the time, but after that house, I built another one, then my own, and people started noticing. They’d say, “I want to build like that,” and it took off from there. I used my own story as a testimonial—showing my utility bills, the energy efficiency, and the fact that my walls didn’t crack or warp, even years later. That really resonated with people.
For me, it was a passion. It just made sense. I’ve always been a forward-thinking kind of person, and I saw SIPs as the future. It’s really a no-brainer. People think it costs more—and maybe upfront, a little—but you get that back in efficiency. I built a 4,000 square foot house in six months by myself. Then a 5,500 square foot one in eight months, again mostly on my own. If you’ve got a crew, you could build a 5,500 square foot house in six months, easily. With pre-planning, development, panelization, and off-site manufacturing handled, you just don’t have to worry as much.
Take this house downtown, for example—they got the walls up, windows in, it’s heated. The crew’s working in comfortable conditions, even in winter. That one was in Billings. We had everything coordinated—Joe provided the lumber package, Steve handled the trusses, and everything arrived on time. But when a big crew shows up and it’s already halfway done, they’re left standing around, not sure what to do. Usually, you'd be dealing with overcuts, piles of trash, theft, vandalism, even safety risks. But with this method, there’s far less waste. They don’t even fill the dumpsters.
It comes down to mindset and pre-planning. A typical general contractor gets a set of plans and does takeoffs from there. But this cuts out many of those stages. It just takes some upfront tabletop discussions. I helped a guy in Judith’s Gap who was nervous about it. We talked through everything at 8 a.m., and by the time they got going, his crew built the house quickly and cleanly. Once they got to the corners, they had it figured out—and there was nothing left to do afterward. It was all done.
Brian Henderson in Billings is another example. It was his first SIPs home. He’s younger, loves new tech, and has a small crew. He also owns a window company, so I worked with him to make sure the rough openings (ROs) matched exactly. It made his life so much easier. Everything was square and level—no shimming needed. He installed all the windows in a day.
I walked through the build with his electricians, too. They had questions, but I’ve been doing this for 15 years. I know the tricks. I told them, “Your cheapest tool is your cell phone. Call me.” I’ll walk you through it for free.
But yes, you have to break it down for people because there’s confusion. A framer will bid a job per square foot, based on traditional labor: framing, sheathing, decking, trusses. They look at SIPs and get overwhelmed, even though interior framing is still required. But exterior framing and sheathing? That’s eliminated.
You’ve got to coordinate your materials—OSB, lumber, hardware—and all of that usually takes weeks of planning. With SIPs, everything is delivered and ready. Framers worry about how to charge because they’re used to quoting $55,000 for a job, with half of that being materials. With SIPs, they can subtract that material cost and still come out ahead—or keep their price and gain some margin.
That’s just from the framer’s perspective. Then there’s the insulator’s. SIPs combine both functions. Even things like backing for stairs and railings—normally a tedious process—are handled ahead of time.
Over the years, I’ve learned to listen first. I keep my electrician’s license in my pocket. When people question me, I show them that and they know I’m legit. For sheetrockers, it’s the same thing. They’ll ask where to screw, and I tell them: just follow conventional screw patterns. One guy ignored that and just screwed randomly—the inspector was not impressed. It still has to meet code.
That house in Judith’s Gap? The shell was done, and they were working inside in a foot of snow—but warm and dry. As an electrician, I can say: working indoors in a warm space beats freezing outside any day.
Thanks for taking the time to let me share what I’ve learned. I’m passionate about this—especially the house behind me. My best friend built it with one hand after an ATV accident. He’ll tell you: he couldn’t have done it without SIPs.
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