Advantages of vulture houses. Houses from SIP panels - advantages and disadvantages of this technology. Disadvantage: House made of sip panels - a wooden house

There are four main advantages of sip panels in comparison with other technologies.

First- high energy efficiency of sip panels. Due to the low thermal conductivity of expanded polystyrene, as well as the minimum number of joints and their good sealing, we get a house that retains heat inside for a long time - about 8 times longer than in brick or concrete structures. In winter, a cold house can be warmed up in two to three hours, and when the heating is turned off, the temperature will drop by only one degree per day.

Second- ease of construction. A standard sip panel measuring two and a half meters by a twenty-five meter with a thickness of 174 mm weighs only 50 kg. This allows loading and unloading operations, installation on the second tier without the use of special construction equipment. A team of only 3 people can lift the panel. In addition, the pressure on the foundation from the weight of the structures is minimal. This makes it possible to install houses on difficult loamy soils on screw piles and not be afraid of frosty heaving of soils in winter. A light foundation, in turn, is much cheaper, and this is a significant part of the construction budget.

Third The advantage of sip panels is quick installation. A house with an area of ​​150 m 2, or rather its thermal circuit, is assembled on average in 2-3 weeks. This speed is achieved due to the ease of assembly and the enlarged structures of the sip panels themselves. At the same time, the house is already ready for exterior and interior decoration - there is no need to wait a year for the building to completely shrink.

Fourth- low cost of the house and minimal costs in the process of its operation. The sip panel technology is the most economical of all existing ones. Savings are manifested both in the purchase of the necessary building materials, due to their low cost, and at the installation stage, since light structures are mounted with simple nodal solutions. And the high energy efficiency of the house will make it possible to recoup the cost of construction in ten years only on heating.

Also, the advantages of sip panels include the ability to produce construction and installation work in winter. There are no “wet” processes during construction, so low temperatures are not a hindrance. Work with the foundation can also be done in the cold season, since a light house made of sip panels can even be placed on screw piles.

Cons of sip panels

Do mice chew on styrofoam?

Styrofoam is inedible for rodents, that is nutritional value does not represent for them. Rodents are drawn to warmth, so they can crawl under the panels to warm themselves. Or make moves in them. Therefore, expanded polystyrene, like any insulation, must be protected. OSB-plates in sip-panels tightly close the foam. If you want to accept additional measures, can be placed under exterior finish walls metal mesh but it doesn't make much sense. In any case, you still have to protect a low-rise building from rodents. Effective preventive measures are known.

The disadvantages of sip panels are traditionally considered a fire hazard. But let's see.

Like any wooden structure, sip panel without finishing has the third degree of fire resistance. But there is much less material that supports combustion in a Canadian house than in an ordinary wooden one. In addition, self-extinguishing polystyrene foam is used in modern vultures, which ignites at a higher (almost 2 times) temperature than wood. You know that any houses are on fire. If a brick structure burns down, the foundation and walls will most likely remain, but will be subject to demolition due to a loss of strength by 60-70%. Therefore, when we talk about the fire safety of a private house, it is better to discuss sufficient time for the evacuation of people before the destruction of power structures. In a house made of sip panels, the floor joists are destroyed first of all, and not the walls. Therefore, they must be treated with fire protection and protected with non-combustible materials. It is possible to increase the fire resistance of OSB-3 boards by painting with fire-retardant paints. But it is better to additionally finish with drywall or gypsum board without the use of guide profiles. That is, so that there is no air between the surfaces. Such a wall of sip panels will withstand 45 minutes of exposure to open fire! Of course, a set of fire-fighting measures is necessary both in a wooden and in any other structure. Fortunately, today there are fire alarms and fire extinguishing systems.

When studying the history of urban planning throughout the "growing up" of mankind, one can observe interesting changes in the preference for materials for the construction of buildings. At first, these were buildings made of reeds and branches coated with clay, then wooden architecture appeared, which was replaced by stone buildings, then people approached the 21st century with a large selection of building materials that correspond to modern concepts of comfort and safety.

Houses made of SIP panels that came to us from Canada are very popular today.

History of SIP panels

People are so arranged that they are constantly looking for an opportunity to surround themselves with maximum comfort at a minimum cost. Since bulky and expensive materials no longer suited contractors, manufacturers began to look for an alternative to them. The first were Frank Wright and Elden Doe, who invented sandwich panels, which were based on plywood sheets with thermal insulation between them.

Only after Dow used expanded polystyrene as a heater, mass construction from SIP panels began, which became most popular in Canada, hence the name of the technology for building houses from this material. This was in the early 60s of the 20th century. To date, manufacturers have improved both the panels themselves and their assembly so much that by buying a ready-made house kit from SIP panels from the factory, even a beginner will be able to build his own house.

As practice shows, in our time, houses using Canadian technology are being built all over the world, and this is due to the qualities they are endowed with:

  • unique composition;
  • mode of production;
  • installation features;
  • construction speed.

On the modern market you can find SIP panels, the price of which depends only on the place of production of materials for them. Today, you won’t surprise anyone that outdoor slabs are made in one country, thermal insulation in another, and SIP panels are assembled in a third, but it’s still cheaper than transporting finished products from distant Canada.

Therefore, many companies have appeared on the European and domestic markets that manufacture SIP panels using the same technology at home. Feedback from residents (pros and cons, first of all) living in such houses means more to them than any advertisement. It was the cheapness of the material and the high quality of the finished buildings that made them so popular with the population.

Panel composition

As a rule, houses made of SIP panels serve their owners for a long time, have an attractive appearance and are reliable. This is due to the quality of the materials from which they are made:


Important to know: when testing the panels, it was found that with a thickness of 22.4 cm they provide a heat transfer resistance of 5.2 W / m ℃, while for a brick wall with a thickness of 40 cm it is only 2 W / m ℃.

Given that the construction of SIP panels is many times cheaper, and the quality and visual appeal of the building itself is not inferior to similar brick houses, it is understandable why many consumers opt for Canadian technology. This is just such an option when you can create maximum comfort at an affordable price.

Advantages of SIP panels

Since technologies do not stand still, but are constantly developing, it is possible that soon houses with walls made of SIP panels will be more common than those made of brick or foam concrete. This is due to the benefits they provide:

  • The most important plus in these panels is their thermal insulation. If we take heat transfer equal to 3 W / m ° C as the basis for the wall resistance value, then the thickness of the SIP panels will be 16.4 cm, while:
    • timber - 52 cm;
    • foam concrete - 60 cm;
    • expanded clay concrete - 101 cm;
    • brick - 230 cm;
    • concrete - 450 cm.

It is important to know: this ability to retain heat inside the house can significantly save energy costs when heating it.

If you believe the information, SIP panels (reviews from residents, the pros and cons of this technology, etc.) are still unmatched in price, quality and reliability. Since manufacturers are always looking for ways to make them even cheaper without changing specifications for the worse, that is, the hope is that Canadian homes will soon begin to lead in terms of the number of new buildings.

Disadvantages of SIP panels

For more than 50 years, houses have been built around the world using Canadian technology, so we can safely say that it has stood the test of time. To find flaws in a SIP panel, you need to try very hard, because most often complaints are due to negligent sellers or inattentive buyers. For example:

  • Everyone knows that this material is absolutely safe for human life and environmentally friendly, but not everyone knows that this applies only to panels of the "E0" category. There are so-called household SIP panels, the price of which is much lower, but they are marked with the E3 sign and are not suitable for building houses, especially for permanent residence in them. Instead of safe polystyrene foam, they are insulated with ordinary foam. It is good to assemble utility buildings from such panels, for example, a firewood shed. The problem is that this “fake”, as unknowing consumers call it, produces harmful substances under the influence of heat, but this does not mean that utility rooms cannot be built from it, where human stay is minimal.

It is important to know: if you want to build a house from SIP panels for permanent residence, you need to look at their certificates not only for quality, but also for safety, and study them visually before buying materials, since polystyrene foam is easy to distinguish from polystyrene foam. In extreme cases, you can give them for examination and, based on its result, decide whether to buy goods or not from this manufacturer.

  • If you look for the disadvantages of houses from SIP panels, then one of the most disturbing is the fact that such a structure, if desired, can be destroyed and penetrated inside.
  • In the event of violations in the technology, the installation of SIP panels will be unreliable, and their integrity can be easily violated. Slots will appear at the joints, which will have to be further strengthened and isolated. You should act strictly according to the instructions from the manufacturers or hire a team of professionals.
  • One of the advantages of the technology is the tightness, which forms the effect of a thermos. But this is also considered a disadvantage of such material as SIP panels. The disadvantages here are that if ventilation is not carried out in the house, then soon it will be possible to observe the effect of wet walls, followed by fungus and mold.
  • A prerequisite for the installation of walls from SIP panels is the protection of the joints with timber or mounting foam in order to avoid moisture ingress into the thermal insulation.

As a rule, the technology itself has no drawbacks, unless the manufacturers of SIP panels are cunning and, for the sake of economy, do not use cheap materials or the installation rules have not been violated. Other than that, it's a great building material.

Features of the foundation for houses from SIP panels

As a rule, a house starts with a foundation, and for prefabricated houses using Canadian technology any will do his appearance. Most often used:


It is important to know: when deciding on the foundation for a "Canadian" house, you need to rely on such indicators as the composition of the soil, the weight of the structure and the type of heating and ventilation.

Connection nodes

The assembly of SIP panels should be carried out with careful monitoring of the reliability of the connections of each part of the structure. The main nodes for connecting buildings from sandwich panels are:

  • Places of docking of floor panels with the base.
  • Knots for connecting wall corners.
  • Joints connecting walls, ceilings and roofs.
  • Nodes connecting the roof with SIP panels.

It is important to know: all installation work on joining panels must be fixed with self-tapping screws and fixed with mounting foam.

House decoration outside

No matter how attractive the shape and layout of a house made of SIP panels, outwardly it looks completely unattractive. To ensure not only a presentable appearance, but also to protect it from bad weather or mechanical damage, it is necessary to carry out Finishing work. For houses assembled using Canadian technology, the following types of facade work are suitable:


It is important to know: decorative plaster and natural stone can give a fairly inexpensive house made of SIP panels an incredibly attractive look, but keep in mind that these materials require professional skills when laying them and are expensive.

Interior decoration

A house assembled using Canadian technology can be given elegance on the outside and comfort on the inside. Walls made of SIP panels are excellent material for interior decoration, which consists of the following steps:

  • Wall decoration, for which it can be used perfectly various materials: from tiles in the kitchen and bathroom, to PVC panels, wallpaper and drywall in other rooms. The material must be selected based on the condition of the room, for example, when high humidity the best solution would be to use plastic, and for additional wall insulation - decorative plaster or cork wallpaper.
  • Ceiling decoration does not need additional alignment, so you can immediately start decorating it. It can be stretch ceiling or plasterboard finish. To reduce the cost of interior work, many consumers use expanded polystyrene tiles, which are both inexpensive and look spectacular.
  • Everyone chooses flooring according to their taste and wallet. It can be tile or linoleum, laminate, parquet or underfloor heating system.

It is important to know: when choosing materials for interior finishing work, you need to focus not so much on their cost as on safety. Some attractive-looking materials change their properties under conditions of temperature difference, which you should know before buying them.

Manufacturers

Today you can find both one-story houses made of SIP panels, as well as two and three-story mansions. This suggests that the technology, which has been popular all over the world for more than 50 years, has begun to take root in the domestic construction market.

This is due to the fact that the possibility of producing ready-made sandwich panels on the spot has significantly reduced the cost of the material, and now the consumer has only one task: to figure out which manufacturer can be trusted. The most popular domestic firms are:

  • The Hotwell company, which has won the hearts of customers not only with its discounts and promotions, but also with high-quality goods, which are made both according to standards and to order. This allows the consumer to independently decide what size SIP panels should be for his home.
  • The Bauen House plant is famous not only for the quality of its products, but also for the high price, which is not at all surprising, because materials from Germany are used here for the production of SIP panels.
  • The company "Building Together" also uses German components in its technologies, but its distinctive quality is work without intermediaries, which significantly reduces the cost of the panels.

This is far from full list domestic manufacturers who guarantee the quality of their goods, but even with the most positive feedback from customers, you should ask to show certificates for the quality and safety of their SIP panels.

Sometimes inexperienced customers become victims of unscrupulous manufacturers who, in order to reduce the cost of the manufacturing process of SIP panels, use deliberately poor-quality materials or glue. This leads to the fact that, at first glance, a strong house, after a winter or two, begins to literally crumble. To avoid this, you need to carefully study all the documents for the products, and not just ask about their availability.

If the choice fell on Chinese firms, then you need to be prepared that in their SIP panels, flammable polystyrene foam is used as a heater. Perhaps the house of them is not destined to be on fire, but no one knows for sure. Cheap material ignites quickly and, when burned, releases harmful human body smoke, while real polystyrene foam is difficult to ignite, and when ignited, it quickly goes out.

When choosing SIP panels for assembling a house, you need to study the company, find out how many years it has been on the market, what materials it uses and on what equipment it produces products.











Sip panels are a convenient material with excellent characteristics and a long service life, allowing you to build buildings in the shortest possible time. Sip panel houses have their strengths and weak sides that need to be studied in detail. This material gained its popularity in Canada, but after it began to be actively used around the world. Sip technology for building houses is not particularly difficult, so this material has recently been used more and more often.

Panel composition

The advantages of sip houses are provided due to the composition of this material. It consists of the following elements:

  • The basis of such a product is OSB-plate. These slabs are made on the basis of long and narrow chips, stacked in layers and compacted so that they lie perpendicular to each other on all sides of the sheet. Such a production technology increases the flexibility of the product under loads in different planes, such properties are not available in ordinary wood. Often, chips based on pine or aspen are used for sip panels. These boards are 97% wood, the rest is binder components. The structures are treated with a special water-repellent solution, which provides protection against moisture, decay and mechanical stress.
  • Expanded polystyrene is also used, which is characterized by low thermal conductivity with light weight. During manufacture, gas is added to the polystyrene mass. Depending on the properties of the product, the substance can vary greatly, for example, carbon dioxide is used for fire-resistant structures. A sheet of such a product with a thickness of only 11 cm is able to provide a level of thermal insulation comparable to a wall consisting of silicate brick 2 m thick.

Knowing what sip panels are, what are their pros and cons, it is easy to understand why this material is so often used for the construction of buildings.

Video description

Together with Sergey Petrusha (StroyKhlam) we will show the results of an air test in a SIP house in this video:

Panel characteristics

To evaluate the quality of a house made of sip panels, the pros and cons of using such material, you need to carefully study its characteristics. According to European standards, the material has the following dimensions:

  • The width can be 1.25 or 1.2 m.
  • The length can be 2.5 or 2.8 m, in some cases 3 and 6 m.

Sip panels in standard sizes

Product thickness can vary greatly. Basically it depends on the layer of thermal insulation. The insulation can be 100, 150 or 200 mm thick.

On our website you can find contacts of construction companies that offer the service of building houses from SIP panels. You can directly communicate with representatives by visiting the exhibition of houses "Low-Rise Country".

Advantages of using sip panels

For the construction of any building, you first need to make a foundation. When using brick or monolithic structures, it is necessary to create a basis with a large laying depth. Sip technology will help to significantly reduce the size of the foundation. This is because the walls after construction will not exert much pressure on the base. The average weight of one panel will be no more than 60 kg.

The main advantages of such panels include:

  1. High rates of fire resistance. During the experiments, experts found that the material is able to hold fire for a whole hour. The product also has the ability to self-extinguish. This is due to the presence of an antiperine in the composition. Stories of well-burning sip panels are a myth that usually refers to craft products from unverified manufacturers.
  2. The material is environmentally friendly and does not emit any harmful substances during combustion. All components are completely safe for humans.
  3. High levels of strength. This is one of the key advantages of the panels, which is very important in the construction of buildings. Walls made of such material are able to withstand heavy loads.
  4. stability. This characteristic can be improved by adding a stiffening frame using bars inside the structure.
  5. The rigidity of the material. It is achieved thanks to a special production technology.
  6. High service life. On average, sip panels can last more than 50 years.
  7. Small material thickness. This property is very useful when building a building.
  8. Various materials can be used for interior and exterior wall cladding. Ideally smooth surfaces of the panels do not require any preliminary preparations.
  9. There is no need for additional insulation of the structure, sip materials are already equipped with foam insulation.

Cons of sip panels

They have sip panels and disadvantages, which will also need to be taken into account when choosing such a material. Knowing the weaknesses of such structures, you can try to fix them, this will help extend the life of buildings. The main disadvantages of sip panels include:

  1. Flammability is one of the main disadvantages of sip panels. Although compared to wood, panels have a high resistance to fire, they still burn easily. When building a house, it is extremely important to do the wiring correctly, choose the best places for placing sockets and switches, in order to avoid a possible fire in the house. For additional protection, you can use a substance - antiperine. Also, to increase the fire resistance, you can sheathe the walls with non-combustible material.
  2. In rare cases, panels can be damaged by rodents. During construction, it is important to take into account all the joints so that there are no gaps through which rodents can penetrate.
  3. A structure made of such material can be destroyed by intruders, which will allow them to get inside the house.
  4. Building tightness. If ventilation is not taken care of in a timely manner, the humidity in the room will increase significantly, which will lead to the formation of fungus and mold.
  5. During operation, the plates gradually dry out, which leads to a decrease in their size. Because of this, gaps can form between the plates.
  6. Finishing the house will need to be carried out in any case. The fact is that the plates are subject to mechanical stress, and if they are scratched, they will quickly lose their attractive appearance. appearance. So it is better not to put off facing procedures indefinitely.

After evaluating the sip panels, the pros and cons of their use, you can decide whether to use such material. When choosing, you will also need to take into account the nuances of construction using such structures.

Video description

What are manufacturers of sip panels hiding? Ecology in the vulture house. What is she really like? Do manufacturers of SIP houses deceive us? See this video for answers to all your questions:

Features of construction using Canadian technology

In order for the building to turn out to be reliable and durable, you will need to take into account the features of using sip panel technology. These include:

  1. It is necessary to try to choose the highest quality materials. Panels only High Quality able to withstand all the pressure put on them. Some manufacturers may use an adhesive Bad quality, which will lead to a rapid ungluing of structures. Also, poor-quality materials can lead to easy ignition of the structure and the release of harmful substances during a fire. The choice of the manufacturer must be approached with all responsibility.
  2. When choosing a foundation, it is better to give preference to screw piles or tape monolith. This will reduce construction costs.
  3. The special manufacturing technology of the panels provides them with high rigidity. Thanks to this, the construction of the building can be carried out at any time of the year, even at low temperatures. The building after construction does not shrink and is protected from seasonal soil movements.
  4. Particular attention must be paid to the frame that will hold the walls. For exterior decoration, it is better to use thicker varieties of sip structures; ordinary panels are suitable for interior partitions.

Knowing the characteristics of sip panels, the disadvantages of their use, it is possible to erect a building without any special complications. The main thing is to carry out all the work in stages and in compliance with the technology.

Assembly of sip panels

The assembly of such material should be carried out with careful control of the reliability of the connection of each section of the structure. The main fastening points for sip panels are:

  • Areas of docking of the floor structure with the main part.
  • Elements for fastening the corners of the walls.
  • Joints connecting walls, ceilings and roofs.
  • Elements fastening the roof with panels.

All installation procedures for joining structures, they must be additionally strengthened using self-tapping screws and fixed with special foam for installation. Although the material has good thermal insulation performance, poor assembly may cause a problem of drafts. Cold air can enter the space where the panels are poorly connected to each other. If such complications arise, you can get rid of them with the help of construction mounting tape.

Video description

In this issue, we will analyze in detail the common mistakes in building a house from sip panels. Sip house is the same frame house, but inside with a wooden skeleton, inside of which are laid panels. What should the frame of the house be made of? How to know the moisture content of a material? About all this: in the next video?

The choice of foundation for sip houses

The construction of any house begins with the choice of foundation. For panel buildings using Canadian technology, the following types of base can be used:

  1. A screw foundation is the most optimal solution, as it will allow you to build a plinth with ventilation, which is extremely important for sip panel buildings with contraindications to high humidity. This basis has high term operation and allows you to expand the house at any time by adding an extension.
  2. A shallow foundation is also an excellent solution. It is durable and low cost.
  3. For unstable ground, an excellent solution would be to use a base based on reinforced concrete slabs.

When choosing a foundation for sip houses, you need to take into account the composition of the soil, the weight of the building, the type of heating and ventilation.

Conclusion

Like any other construction technology, a sip panel house has its pros and cons. But it is important to remember that a house built according to the technology of sip panels can serve as a full-fledged year-round dwelling. Subject to all rules, it will long years please their owners.

If our ancestors were content with logs and stone for the construction of housing acceptable by dilapidated standards, and in most cases they simply dug into the ground, then in our enlightened time we are given the right to an expanded choice of building materials. Do you want fast and reliable? Nice and cheap? In this article, we will talk about SIP panels, using the feedback from residents and installers, and reveal the pros and cons of using this material.

Recipe for Success

For the sake of justice, we note that such panels did not appear in Russia. While we were wasting precious forest resources, technology was born in other Nordic countries frame construction. Indeed, why use material that requires special preparation, if you can take ready-made elements and literally in a matter of days assemble a neat house of commercials for 200–300 m² of usable area. Accordingly, the Russian SIP is nothing but English abbreviation SIP (Structural Insulated Panel) - structural thermal insulation panel. And why it is so good, we will find out by disassembling the panel into its components.

  1. Bottom and top layer. Here, manufacturers managed to combine the advantage of natural wood and new technologies. The insulation is protected by OSB boards (OSB), which are made from pressed chips oriented in layers parallel / perpendicular to the main axis. As a result of such “ordered chaos”, the material acquires the properties of increased strength and elasticity. Further, the “wood chip set”, impregnated with waterproof resin, enters the press, where it fixes the obtained properties under conditions of high temperature and pressure. The composition of OSB boards is 90% wood, but without knots and defects inherent in ordinary wood.
  2. Warming material. The middle of our modernized sandwich, and according to foreign classification - a sandwich, is polystyrene foam. A material that is "friendly" with the environment, without emitting under normal operating conditions harmful substances(according to the assurances of the manufacturers), and has been used in practice for more than 50 years. Low thermal conductivity and vapor permeability form the main list of characteristics required in the construction of houses and non-residential premises.

Putting all the layers together, we get panels that are used in construction, providing sufficient structural rigidity, load resistance and high thermal insulation characteristics.

Protection or visibility?

SIP characteristics are a set of qualities of materials that are used in their creation. Like, for example, a bun with sausage. Separately, nothing remarkable, but together - a product that causes worthy admiration. Well, let's move from words to dry numbers.

1. Thermal insulation properties of building materials

Therefore, if we have a 174 mm thick panel using 12 mm OSB, we get a heat transfer resistance of 3.9 m² °C / W. According to SNiP, the heat transfer resistance of walls for residential buildings in Moscow is approximately 3.2 m² °C / W. To determine the thickness of the insulation in the conditions of other regions, you can use the calculator.

2. Physics and mechanics without lyrics

When materials are combined into one structure, a plate with new properties is obtained, providing both flexibility and strength. SIP boards are similar in structure to an I-beam: the shelves are OSB, and the wall is foam material.


A car weighing about 1.1 tons drives into the slab. Visually, the bending of the panel was about 1-2 cm. Agree that the wind loads are not comparable to the weight of the car, and the additional rigidity of the frame will ensure the stability of the residential building under the influence of snow load and even during small earthquakes.

Positive reviews

Forums are a complete reflection of reality, a clear justification for emerging problems and an expression of unbiased opinions. It was there that we were able to find opposing points of view on the use of this kind of material.

1. Very warm and stable house

Our interlocutor from the Moscow region highlights several advantages of building a house from SIP. This is his third house, which he built in a couple of decades, he used brick, foam concrete, and wood, but the new version simply delighted him:

“Even in the coldest weather on the street, I literally walk around the house in shorts and a T-shirt. There are practically no drafts, no blowing from sockets. Both in the corners and along the walls, the temperature is almost the same. I took an infrared thermometer and measured. Of course, having previously visited Europe, I examined similar houses. They are 50 years old and look like new. Interior decoration to produce - there are no questions at all. Everything is straight, perpendicular and parallel. I have never seen mice, although this indicator is stretched, I have brick house there were no rodents. They built a house in 3 weeks, but it depends on the company, I changed four of them until I found a normal contractor.

2. Fast and inexpensive solution

We turned to a person who built a house from SIP panels in the Vologda region, where thermal insulation of housing is one of the main indicators:

“This is my first building experience. I chose for a long time, compared the characteristics of materials, studied the technology. The output was warm and comfortable home. Fast and inexpensive. When using panels, it is difficult to make mistakes that would be fatal if bricks or blocks were used. The house is like a thermos. For walls I took panels 160 mm thick, for internal partitions - 110 mm.

3. Easy to use and consistently great results

“Our team was hired to build a house from SIP. Before that, we worked with frame buildings, but this time everything turned out to be much simpler. The panels are placed as if poured, no distortions or tolerances. We used standard fasteners, although there were doubts, but practice has shown that all fasteners hold up perfectly. Yes, probably the most important thing for us is that material is light. And the order was completed in record time. And therefore, we were able to take a new object earlier than the estimated time. We repent, we tried to set fire to a piece of material in a safe place - it does not burn! Or rather, while holding the burner, it smokes, and then immediately fades. And it doesn't stink like styrofoam or plastic."

You can form the main advantages of SIP:

  • low thermal conductivity;
  • correct geometry;
  • Fire safety;
  • ease;
  • simple installation.

In this video, a real owner of a SIP house shares his impressions of construction and living, highlighting simple finishing work and structural reliability as the main advantages.

The owner of this house talks in a video about the really low price for materials and installation work. The cost of a SIP house was 2.5 million rubles, which is comparable to the cost one-room apartment on the outskirts of Moscow, and the comfort is incommensurably higher.

In this video, we will see fire safety testing of a SIP house model. The panels will be subjected to an open flame, and the result will exceed all expectations.

Negative Feedback

It is difficult to believe in the impeccability of the described material, so we tried to find on the forums those consumers who are dissatisfied with the result.

1. Too much "chemistry" in the plates

“I built a house and it seems that I live in a matchbox. And in a box soaked through with formaldehyde. Somehow I do not trust thin walls, although the house is warm. Probably, there are no mice either, because chewing on these panels is simply dangerous for mouse health. And so that the air in this "thermos" does not stagnate, I had to invest in good ventilation. What about the meaning? Turn on the hood to get the heat out? I don’t know yet, I’ll probably sell the house and focus on brick construction.”

2. Such houses are not in demand

“I am engaged in the construction and sale of finished houses. There is a small team of specialists. Here we buy a promising plot with them, build a house and sell it on the real estate market. With SIP panels, it turned out to be complete nonsense: they did it quickly, beautifully and seemed to be reliable, but there were no buyers. Our people are not interested in such technology. They say that it will fall apart in ten years, and you will only throw away money. Now I am exhibiting the house already below cost, if only to return the money. ”

The issue of money is very sensitive for everyone, but maybe another home owner will express more specific claims to such a house?

3. Poor soundproofing

“We built a house for two families - they thought it would be cheaper. Of course, they paid less for the material, but the sound insulation tends to almost zero. Judge for yourself: while the TV is on or music is playing, it is still tolerable. But when the neighbors' children start fussing, a ball, jump ropes, then at least run out of the house. Soundproofing on impact is very low. I had to buy additional material and come up with a design to isolate myself from noise. ”

4. Service life of mounting foam

“In order to seal the panel joints, we use polyurethane foam, which has entered the building materials market relatively recently. Manufacturers claim a guaranteed service life of up to 20 years. And what will happen next? Not yet known".

5. We didn’t have time to enjoy the construction process

It also happens. Usually construction country house lasts from 2 seasons. A house of 150 m² from SIP can be assembled in two weeks. Close attention to the construction process certainly does not hurt.

So, the result is, of course, very subjective, but from the minuses we have identified:

  • the use of resins in the material that can cause health problems;
  • low sound insulation for impact sounds (not critical for a private single-family house);
  • the house - "thermos", requires additional ventilation, which implies rather complex solutions.

However positive sides SIP houses are much stronger and more reasoned than the negative points inherent in any building material.

Price range

Another argument in favor of the use of SIP can be the price.

SIP prices relative to the size range
Panel dimensions, mm OSB-3 dimensions, mm Expanded polystyrene dimensions, mm Panel weight, kg Unit price, rub. Heat transfer resistance, m² °C/W
2500×1250×118 2500×1250×9 2440×1190×100 39 2600 2,6
2500×1250×120 2500×1250×10 2440×1190×100 43 2800 2,7
2500×1250×124 2500×1250×12 2440×1190×100 49 3300 2,8
2500×1250×168 2500×1250×9 2440×1190×150 42 3000 3,7
2500×1250×170 2500×1250×10 2440×1190×150 46 3200 3,8
2500×1250×174 2500×1250×12 2440×1190×150 52 3300 3,9
2500×1250×224 2500×1250×12 2440×1190×200 54 3700 5,0
2800×1250×118 2800×1250×9 2740×1190×100 44 3360 2,6
2800×1250×120 2800×1250×10 2740×1190×100 48 3400 2,7
2800×1250×124 2800×1250×12 2740×1190×100 55 3450 2,8
2800×1250×168 2800×1250×9 2740×1190×150 46 3700 3,7
2800×1250×170 2800×1250×10 2740×1190×150 50 3800 3,8
2800×1250×174 2800×1250×12 2740×1190×150 57 3900 3,9
2800×1250×224 2800×1250×12 2740×1190×200 60 4100 5,0

Conclusion

Based on the experience of residents and installers, SIP can be considered controversial building material. Nevertheless, most panel parameters indicate their undeniable advantage over traditional materials.

SIP panels are a convenient material with excellent performance and high durability, allowing you to build really quickly. However, Canadian house building technology has its downsides.

Technology modern construction of sandwich panels is not as new as some used to believe. At home in North America its foundations have been unchanged for more than half a century, and the nuances of such construction have been worked out to the smallest detail. The climatic conditions of this region are quite similar to ours, especially when it comes to the European part of Russia. The technology is being actively introduced in domestic practice, many owners of such houses have already appreciated all the advantages, leaning in their favor.

SIP panels are not quite a standard material, in order to ensure its strength and select suitable structural properties, various studies were carried out by expert groups at one time. The construction technology contains many patents and unique algorithms that make working with such material convenient and fast. For people in the subject, this option is not just a tribute to fashion, but a completely rational solution.

Russian specialists are not yet so strong in SIP technology, so its features are overgrown with myths, among which some rather absurd ones appear. In fact, according to the classification, this is a panel construction, which has features that are quite typical for this variety.

  • Both in combination with a wooden frame and on their own, these elements are very durable, with incredible lightness they are resistant to wind, snow and other negative weather phenomena.
  • In the United States, such houses safely survive hurricanes and earthquakes. They are quick to assemble, economical and very warm.

Nevertheless, such buildings have significant disadvantages, which are worth mentioning.

Cons of houses using Canadian technology

Technology is never perfect, but any problems can be circumvented by possessing valuable and detailed information. In order for the house to be durable, it is necessary to work out all the real risks in advance, a comprehensive assessment of the situation and a system of thoughtful preventive measures allows you to forget about possible problems.

Many shortcomings in Canadian houses are clearly manifested when technology is violated: after all, not every team knows how to handle such material.

Each joint requires a precise fit: the building is erected like a constructor, requiring the accuracy and appropriateness of the location of each detail.

combustibility

As a rule, one of the main disadvantages of a house made of sandwich panels is that they are not quite well protected from fire. Of course, compared to wood, this appears much less, but brick or concrete houses have certain advantages here. However, practice shows that compliance with fire safety standards is an order of magnitude more significant than the material of the walls. High quality electrical wiring correct installation outlets, no network congestion, flame retardant treatment - all this plays a decisive role.

In the absence of finishing, the SIP panel is a K3 fire retardant material, just like normal wood. Accordingly, it can be used for the construction of single-family residential buildings, but is not suitable for large buildings, where the spread of flame can be really fatal for a huge number of people at once.

Styrofoam does burn, but not at all like wood. The fact is that the hazard class does not fully reflect the real picture. Firstly, the material of a sandwich panel is many times inferior in density to both a bar and a board; two times higher.

When burning, the panel does not emit serious concentrations of highly toxic substances.

  • Styrene is the main toxic substance, and it is released in very low concentrations. In addition, it has a pungent smell, it is very easy to recognize its appearance.
  • Things are a little worse with carbon monoxide, it has no smell, however, with incomplete combustion of wood, its release is also inevitable.

Stories about well-burning sandwich panels usually refer to fakes, which, by the way, are quite numerous on the domestic market. Normal certified material cannot be set on fire with either matches or a cigarette butt, even a directional burner does not cope with it too well. Therefore, there is an important task here: to find trusted suppliers who do not accept counterfeit products.

Skeptics sometimes mention this minus of Canadian houses. It does not carry any substantive basis, since rodents can damage the insulation, but they are absolutely not interested in sandwich panels.

SIP is absolutely not the kind of material that mice or rats could arrange: it is uncomfortable and inedible, the same story goes for ants and termites. Rodent nests also cannot be created on the basis of polystyrene foam: soft warm materials, including even glass wool, are much more relevant for them.

Environmental friendliness

Obviously, for many builders in Russia, SIP remains a not too trivial technology. Understanding what it uses is far from natural material, is controversial. Many try to play it safe and react to the proposed materials with apprehension to the extent of a certain xenophobia.

In the US, the SIP standard has been developed so thoroughly that security is beyond doubt, not only the private sector, but social welfare buildings and administrative buildings are built from it.

The far-fetched problem of low environmental friendliness is again a consequence of non-compliance with technology: the right material for a Canadian house has less formaldehyde emissions than chipboard.

About 80% of European houses today are insulated with polystyrene, all modern research talk about its chemical neutrality and minimal indicators of chemical effects on the respiratory system and human skin.

SIP panels good quality are not cheaper than glued beams. Each element of the future home requires manufacturing to a certain size and gluing.

It is more economical to make the panels yourself, however, this will require serious experience and a willingness to spend considerable time. A fairly powerful press is also needed, with any deviations from the technology, the structures of expanded polystyrene lose strength. The handicraft panel is uneven and unevenly glued. The cost of such production is low, but the thermal insulation qualities of the building are no longer the same.

  • Certification of compliance with GOST and TU standards - a guarantee of durability of the building
  • According to the American idea, the consumer qualities of houses made of SIP panels are significantly higher than those of similar buildings made of timber, so investments here are quite appropriate and pay off.
  • It is better to think over and agree on the use of each grade of polystyrene in each specific place of the structure already at the design stage.

This is one of the disadvantages of a frame house, and maybe a plus, because. You can choose a heater to taste and color. You can read more about the disadvantages of frame houses.

Capitalism and durability

Some today see real estate as a way to invest. This approach is quite rational, useful and increasingly relevant for Russian compatriots.

Ceteris paribus, when choosing the type of construction, it is more efficient to give preference to a brick building than a house made of sandwich panels. And here it's not even about stereotypes and the classic idea of ​​housing in the minds of the townsfolk. A brick or stone house built with decent investments is a universal solution, even with the appearance of even more interesting technologies, there will no doubt be a demand for it.

A high resale price is a significant feature of such a house for posterity. And SIP technology, unfortunately, can be superseded by more relevant ones very soon. economical options, such risk remains here.

  • In terms of service life, buildings based on sandwich panels are credited with a life of 50 to 150 years.
  • In fact, such estimates are quite approximate, much will depend on the place of construction, aggressive external factors, taking into account the nuances during construction, observing the subtleties of technology and selecting a variety of material
  • Buildings of a similar plan are known, which, with proper care, have been standing for several centuries.

The stability of these houses is influenced by their good thermal insulation and ability to withstand high humidity. All this helps to regularly reduce heating costs in winter, which often affects owners of houses of similar size made of timber or brick.

Video about the shortcomings of Canadian houses from SIP panels