Have you checked the search function? There have been several conversations about sip homes. We haven't built yet but we are going to have Sunlight Homes do ours. We already hired them and then our living plans changed. So we have been delayed.
Also there is sipweb.com that has a ton of information.
Sunlight homes has a very good web page with alot of info.
Good Luck.
Kelly

Kelly,

I tried the search function, as I always do before asking a question, but the information is scattered here. I am looking at Thermocore.

I am checking out Sipweb.com looks like a wealth of information. Thanks for the tip!

Another good place to look is at:

http://www.greenbuildingtalk.com/

I'm getting ready to start building an ICF house.

We live in a SIP home.

We love it. Energy efficent and draft free.

We also have a SIP Timber Frame home. As jmagill stated it is energy efficient and draft free. The outside walls are 6" thick insulation and the roof is 8". The only problem we had was routing the electrical/audio wires. They have pre-drilled channels for the wiring but, it isn't always where you need it, so you have to route out channels and then we put metal over these areas so that nails and screws wouldn't go into the wiring. It was a difficult process because we are DIY. I doubt we could have found an electrician that would have agreed to do this without added labor costs.

also check out murus homes. they provide the panels for sunlight homes. depending where you are located may be a factor for which manufacturer you would be interested in.
kelly

Electrical is MUCH more difficult but doable. However, plumbing is impossible, you can have no plumbing in an outside wall. We managed it OK. We did ALL of the electrical ourselves. It took a very long time. The energy efficiency is VERY dependent on the panel installers. Don't even think about having it done by someone with little or no experience. The joints must be expertly sealed with expanding foam and all seams must be taped with special tape on both sides of the panels. The foam and the tape alone are quite expensive just for the material. DON'T SKIMP ON THIS!

Now that I have a SIP house, would I do it again? I'm really not sure. I would look into using spray-on solid insulation between the studs. The electrical really is a big disadvantage of SIP's. Consider this carefully.

I have to disagree with iliyal.

Electrical is not that big of a problem. Our electrical did not cost alot extra. It just takes a bit more planning and use of interior walls.

We did not need any special tape and all joint and seam material comes with the package and does not cost extra. Well made panels are easy to put together. We had an inexperianced crew and they did just fine. The panel company rep was there on the first day to show them how to do everything.

Yes you should not put plumbing in exterior walls but I would not put plumbing in an exterior wall in a frames house either.

I have looked at SIP's, ICF and precast concrete and it seems to me that the precast concrete can't be beat for the combination of strength and insulation. Another benefit is that the factory that produces the walls actually delivers and installs them. Also, most single story homes go up in one day. Has anyone here tried them?

Here is a link that might be useful: Weaver precast

I was an SIP builder/installer for a while, and live in a timberframe/SIP home, so I'm biased. SIPs have been in use for over 50 years and form the basis of many industrial, commercial, and residential buildings and other structures.

Now that I'm retired, I'm currently working with an architect whom I'm about ready to murder regarding concrete SIPs for small, modular, modernistic homes.

SIPs are the way to go, IMNSHO.

I live in a SIP home I designed and built myself. I also did the electrical work. W/o question it is more work, but not that hard. However, it is definitely much more expensive materials-wise for the electrical. For starters, you are likely to use different boxes with metal brackets that cost over a $1 each rather than $0.30 nail-ons. You will use 2-3x the wire because you find yourself wanting to run the wire down (or up) into the floor system and then back up (down) to the next box. Although there are channels in some cases, it is not always feasible or desirable to use them. On the other hand it is very flexible to put in an outlet box where ever you want; just cut in a channel w/ a router and a 1/4 inch bit, insert the wire and then fill in the slot w/ expanding foam. No need to use metal plates anywhere as mentioned above if your channel is deep enough.

You can get around plumbing on outside walls by building a second stud wall (either partial or full height) walls on the interior to run your plumbing inside. I did this in our master bath on a wall that even has a window on it. It simply adds to the artistic look if planned and done right.

Be wary of how your corner systems get put together. After assembling my house, I hate the simple way my corners are put together. Other than the top plates criss-crossing, the only thing holding the corner together is the sheathing (e.g. no studs connected from one wall to the perpendicular one next to it).IOW, the only thing holding the corner together is the strength of the sheathing from any lateral load (e.g. wind or dirt if on a basement wall). I have had to re-enforce mine.

If you have a SIP ceiling, make sure to include locations for smoke detectors when laying out your lighting plan.

I have a 12 inch thick ceiling. It was only $1,100 or so more than a 10 inch one. I have wider overhangs, but figured it was cheap insulation on the space that exhausts/loses the most heat.

I don't understand the use/need of self expanding foam and tape with the joints. We used a healthy bead of Manus 'caulk' or sealant. It is great stuff, but oh so sticky/messy. It creates your airtight seal between panels and stays pliable - it never hardens/dries like regular caulk.