SIPs, or Structural Insulated Panels, is another eco-friendly alternative we’re considering for this project. As you can see above, the concept is pretty simple—a layer of insulating foam is sandwiched between 2 pieces of structural board, which creates fully insulated and structual panel that is used in place of traditional “stick” framing.

According to the wiki, The primary benefit of using SIPs is their insulation properties, and their ease of installation:

When assembled, SIPs create a tighter building envelope and the walls will have a higher insulative value, which leads to fewer drafts and a decrease in operating costs for maintaining a comfortable interior environment for the occupants. Also, since SIPs work as framing, insulation, and exterior sheathing, and can come precut from the factory for the specific job, the exterior building envelope can be built quite quickly.

Apparently running electrical can be somewhat of a pain, however most SIP manufactures will pre-bore channels though the panels which make running cable easier. The panels can be quite large, so odds are you’ll need to rent a crane to aid in the installation process. However, the biggest drawback for us appears to be the lack of experience installers in Toronto. Our contractor has never worked with them, and we haven’t been able to get a clear estimate for installation.

That said, we’re talking with a few manufactures and we’ll see what the pricing is like. From what I can gather, the materials themselves will definitely be more expensive than traditional stick framing + spray foam, however I cannot get a sense of how much the labor savings will be.

Stay tuned.