≡× MENU

• Interior
• Window
• Walls
• Projects
• The buildings

Step-by-step construction of a country house from a sip panel. Do-it-yourself houses made of sip panels. Roofing structure for a house made of SIP panels

If you are looking for an opportunity to build a warm home for little money, consider building a house from SIP panels. The cost of a two-story “box” of 10*10 meters without finishing is around 17-20 thousand dollars. In this case there is no need for additional insulation, you can move into the house immediately after construction (if communications are connected) and you can immediately begin finishing.

What is a SIP panel

The construction of houses from SIP panels began in the second half of the last century in Canada. The technology is simple, the construction of a building requires very little time (from two to three weeks, depending on the complexity of the project), it can only be cheaper, and even then not in all regions.

Houses are built from thermal insulation panels, which themselves have sufficient strength. In English, these panels are called SIP, which is an abbreviation for the following name: StructuralInsulated Panel. This translates as “Structural Thermal Insulated Panel”. It turns out, in theory, in Russian, the name of this material should sound like KTP. In reality, normal transliteration is used (replacing English letters with Cyrillic alphabet). As a result, the name “SIP panels” is in use.

This material consists of two, between which a layer of expanded polystyrene (foam) is laid. The result is a kind of sandwich (a construction “multi-layer sandwich”). Hence another name - sandwich panels.

When building a house, there are two types of assembly:

In our country, the first option is most popular. The wooden frame gives the structure additional strength. The load-bearing capacity of sandwich panels without a frame is more than enough for the construction of one or two-story private houses. But knowing that the house is built on solid timber is reassuring. This technology has one more advantage - maintainability. If there are problems, you can remove the damaged panel and replace it with a new one, which is impossible with frameless technology.

Advantages and disadvantages

Like any new technology for our country, building a house from SIP panels has its adherents and opponents. Opponents have the most important argument - the unnaturalness of the materials and the possibility of releasing harmful substances. Indeed, these boards consist of foam and OSB. Polystyrene foam is a common material and is only dangerous when it burns. OSB has also been on the market for a long time; it is made from pressed large shavings and wood chips. Resins containing formaldehyde are added as a binder. It is this binder that raises the most questions: formaldehyde is a strong poison and its presence in the atmosphere in large quantities causes poisoning.

Formaldehyde emissions must be controlled by the SES (sanitary and epidemiological station), and only safe building materials must be put on sale. So if you are planning to build a house from SIP panels, carefully choose the manufacturer - the quality of the material depends on his integrity. Panels assembled using German OSB from Egger are recognized as the highest quality and safest. Their formaldehyde emissions are E1 (safe).

Excerpt from GOST R 56309-2014 (date of introduction 2015-07-01): “Depending on the content (emission) of formaldehyde, the boards are manufactured in emission classes E0.5, E1 and E2.”

At the same time, they easily tolerate high humidity, do not absorb water and are not deformed.

SIP panel Egger E1 2800x625x174 (Romania) — best option for walls. Height - 2800 mm, thickness of polystyrene foam - 150 mm. If you prefer “standard” ceilings with a height of 2.5 meters, then you should purchase Egger E1 2500x1250x174

German Glunz Agepan panels are also good, but few people use them. If we talk about Russian manufacturers, then you should pay attention to the products of the Kalevala company. Only safe and high-quality materials are used in production:

1. OSB-3 Kalevala Russia emission class E1;
2. Glue – TOP-UR (Russia);
3. Expanded polystyrene – PSBS – 25C Knauf (Russia).

Speaking about the advantages of construction from SIP panels, it is necessary to pay attention to the fact that the technology has been thoroughly developed. Panels are produced for various elements of the house: external walls, partitions, interfloor ceilings, etc.

Why do people build houses from SIP panels? Because such a house has solid advantages:

• Light weight, which allows you to save on the foundation. Pile or construction is ideal for this type of building.
• Low heat loss, low heating costs. Expanded polystyrene is an excellent insulation material, and it is sandwiched on both sides OSB sheets. This is what makes a sandwich panel house very warm.
• Low cost per square meter.
• Short construction time. The box of a two-story house can be assembled in a month.
• No shrinkage. There may be settlement at the foundation. The structure made from SIP panels has no settlement.
• Finishing work can begin immediately after the box is assembled.

In general, it is this set of properties that makes people choose a house made from SIP panels. They build both permanent residences and seasonal summer cottages. So, with a limited budget, building a house from SIP panels can be a very good solution.

How to build it yourself

There are two ways to build a house from SIP panels with your own hands:

• Buy a house kit for a specific project from a company that deals with this, and assemble it yourself. Not all companies agree to this, but many have a supervising installation service. This is when a company specialist supervises your installation.
• Buy slabs. Cut them to the required sizes, purchase timber, do it all yourself. In this case, all responsibility for the quality of construction will fall on you. If you have carpentry skills or have someone to help you with, you can choose this option.

Briefly about what a house kit is. This is a set of ready-made SIP panels, wooden beams of the required size and fasteners for the construction of a specific house. All components are cut at the factory and numbered. When assembling, you use the resulting blocks in a certain order. The process is reminiscent of building a house from children's construction set, only you are assembling a real house.

Building a house from SIP panels when ordering a house kit is like playing construction kit

A house kit is good if everything is done accurately. This is not only about the quality of SIP panels (it must be checked separately), but also about the use dry wood (kiln drying), and about cutting accuracy. The edges of the panels must precisely “grab” the beam, the two panels must be joined with an expansion gap of about 3 mm - all this is achieved using precision equipment.

Reference. The expansion gap is the required distance that is left between building materials that are subject to expansion (dilatation). If a house is being built in a region with a humid climate (for example, the Leningrad region), then it is imperative to leave an expansion gap, otherwise the OSB will swell. In dry climates, there is no need for a gap between OSB.

Construction stages: photo report

Construction of a house from SIP panels, like any other, begins with the selection and construction of a foundation. It is considered optimal for light houses pile foundation. This is exactly what is done in most cases when starting the construction of a house using SIP technology. Sometimes it is impossible to install a pile foundation:

• on hard soils that are too expensive to drill (rocks);
• on unstable soils with low bearing capacity (peat bogs);
• in the presence of cavities in the rock mass.

In these cases, they do or (more often USHP - an insulated Swedish stove). They are much more expensive, but more reliable.

Once the foundation has been selected and calculated, its construction can begin.

Making a pile foundation

Since foundations are most often made from screw piles, we will illustrate exactly how they are made. Piles are screwed into the ground manually (if the soil and strength allow) or using special equipment. The height of the heads is 80 cm above ground level, the distance between the piles is no more than 2.5 meters.

The heads are welded to the installed piles, and the strapping beam is attached to them (in this example, 200*200 mm).

Important! The joints of the timber must be located on the heads. When laying the strapping beam, do not forget to lubricate the locks before joining protective composition(bitumen mastic).

There is no support under the joint - you can’t do that!

To protect against rotting and insects, the strapping beams are impregnated with a protective compound. Roofing material was laid in two layers under the timber (on the heads).

This stage takes from 3-4 days to a week. It depends on the complexity of the soil, whether you work with the equipment or turn it yourself. Now you can start laying the floor slabs, but before that you should familiarize yourself with the methods of connecting them.

How to connect SIP panels: basic principle

When connecting panels, a wooden dowel (beam) or a thermal key (a piece of SIP panel of smaller thickness) is inserted between them. As mentioned above, in our country the technology using a frame is more popular, i.e. Dry timber is used as a key. It is this option that we will focus on.

The beam is inserted into the groove and fixed using self-tapping screws and/or nails, which are twisted/hammered through the OSB into the body of the beam. If you have a nail gun, we initially recommend tackling the panels with “yellow” wood screws 40-50 mm long, and then punching through the joints rough nails 50-65 mm long in increments of 10-15 cm.

The following can be used to fasten SIP panels: “yellow” wood screws, galvanized screw nails, galvanized rough nails. Do not use “black” hardened screws - they break off and quickly corrode

There is always a risk that the connection will be leaky, and the entire construction technology of SIP panels is based on the thermos effect, that is, on maximum tightness. Therefore, before assembling this unit (and any other), foam is applied to the side surface of the panel. It fills all the cracks, providing the proper level of heat and moisture insulation.

Note! The picture above shows a dowel made from double timber. Often such recommendations are perceived incorrectly, and in order to save money, unplaned edged boards 50x150x6000 mm of natural humidity are purchased. Once the board dries, the joint is unlikely to remain sealed.

When making a composite wooden dowel 100*150, in our opinion, it is preferable to use three dry bars with a cross-section of 50*100 mm - in this case the connections overlap (see video below).

If we are talking about wall panels, then it makes sense to insert and secure the dowels in advance.

The foam was applied, the beam was inserted, and secured with self-tapping screws. Foam was applied to the side edge of the second slab, the groove was placed under the protruding part of the beam, an expansion gap of 3 mm was set, and secured with self-tapping screws. The foam that came out of the seams during the installation process is cut off after polymerization.

This technique, with minor modifications, is repeated in any connection of SIP panels. The diagram of this node is presented above.

After cutting the slabs, it becomes necessary to remove polystyrene foam to the required depth. For these purposes, an electric thermal knife (cutter) for foam plastic is used. They come in various designs, but the thermal knife must be equipped with a limiter. Only in this case will you be able to remove polystyrene foam exactly to the required depth. “Overdoing it” can result in cold bridges appearing at the junction of the panels.

You can make the cutter yourself, but at the same time Do not forget about safety precautions when working with electric current.

First overlap

The first floor is nothing more than a floor that does not require insulation. As melted, it is assembled from SIP panels with a thickness of 224 mm and a width of 625 mm. With such a width of the slabs, the wooden beams are spaced at intervals of about 60 cm, which is enough to withstand the load.

If you have slabs with a width of 1250 mm, then they need to be sawn lengthwise into two equal parts.

When installing the ceiling, the panels should be laid like bricks in masonry - with the seams mismatching (staggered). This is necessary to ensure that the seams do not warp when humidity increases.

These are the pieces that floor blocks should be cut into when using 1250 mm wide slabs

To protect the bottom OSB board from moisture, each of the boards is coated on one side with the same bitumen mastic. You can use other compositions with similar properties.

Assembly of SIP floor panels for the first floor

When connecting the slabs, a mounting beam is laid between them (diagram in the previous paragraph). The beam is attached at the edges to the frame (with long nails), and the edges of the slabs are attached to it using self-tapping screws.

We cover the side sections of the slabs (all floors) with an edged board of a suitable size. We apply foam to the side surface of the slab using a snake, then we place a board and fasten it through the OSB with self-tapping screws into the end of the board.

A starting (crown) board is laid on top of the sandwich along the perimeter, on which the SIP wall panels will rest. It is laid around the perimeter and in those places where partitions will be installed.

The crown boards are fastened with nails/screws, but to be sure, they were secured through and through with studs to the pile heads. Holes were drilled for the studs. A pin is driven into them and tightened with bolts.

Walling

We continue the construction of a house from SIP panels: we are installing the walls of the first floor. For this work, it is advisable to have two assistants, then the process will go faster and easier.

We place the first panel so that it “fits” onto the crown board

Wall installation begins from one of the corners. When installing, the panel is “slipped” onto the installed starting board with a recess at the bottom (first apply a layer of foam to the board or the end of the sandwich). The panel is placed, aligned vertically, attached to the starting board on both sides with self-tapping screws in increments of 10-15 cm.

Foam is applied to the side surface of the installed slab, and another slab is set at an angle of 90°. An embedded board (end block) is pre-attached to its side part, the thickness of which is equal to the depth of the groove. Like the first one, this panel is attached to the strapping starting board.

In addition, we fasten the corner using long self-tapping screws.

As a rule, self-tapping screws with a length of 220 to 280 mm are used

The length of the self-tapping screw must be such that it passes through the slab and the entire thickness of the embedded board. The installation step of this fastener is 40-50 cm.

In window and door openings, for more reliable fastening, you can install metal perforated reinforced corners. The element is optional, but adds rigidity and inspires confidence.

External walls and partitions are immediately erected

The installation of partitions from SIP panels follows the same principle: we attach a crown board to it partition blocks. They can be the same thickness as for external walls, but thinner ones can be used. The decrease in sound insulation properties is compensated by the interior finishing.

To save money, partitions can be made using frame technology. Then initially only the frame can be installed, and its cladding can be transferred to a later period. It is more convenient to do this when the roof is already installed.

In a house, frame partitions can be made from SIP panels

Interfloor overlap

To install floor slabs in the grooves of wall panels, boards are installed on foam and self-tapping screws. They create a harness for installing the ceiling.

Next we lay the floor slabs. If the partitions are assembled from SIP panels, their load-bearing capacity is quite high and no additional reinforcement measures are required. If the partitions were assembled using frame technology, we make the upper beams reinforced: they are assembled from three boards glued together. For greater strength, the beams can also be fastened on both sides with self-tapping screws.

Floor slabs made of SIP panels are laid on the finished frame. They should be no more than 625 mm wide and should be laid staggered (with the seams mismatched). Since the panels are narrow, there is a lot of wooden beams in the ceiling. Due to this, such a floor can withstand loads in places where there are no floor beams.

We fasten the laid slabs to the framing beam with self-tapping screws or nails. The edges of the OSB are at the top and bottom to each intermediate beam. After securing the installation of the ceiling, we close the open side sections along the perimeter of the building according to the same principle: foam + edged board. For greater rigidity, in those places where the floor beams pass, we fasten the floor panels long screws(220 mm) through.

This stage after assembling the first floor does not seem difficult. Everything is the same, only the work is at height, tightening the sandwich panels takes longer and is more difficult than installing them.

Second floor walls

The second floor in this project is , so the wall panels are low. We also install partitions at the same time as the external walls. Before installing the roof, an embedded beam is installed in the upper open groove; roofing SIP panels will be attached to it.

Standard panels will have to be cut to fit the gables, since the shape is non-standard. The installation and connection of the wall panels themselves on the second floor is no different.

Roof made of SIP panels

Special sandwich panels are used for the roof. Under them, the ends of the slabs are cut at a certain angle, which is determined by the angle of inclination of the roof slope. Here, just as with flooring, you can get by with a minimum of beams, because each connection has its own beam. Therefore, the rafter system is not assembled.

For a roof made of SIP panels, beams need a minimum

Skate decoration

The roof of a small to medium sized house is made of SIP panels and usually has a central ridge beam. Here two planes of the roof converge. This node can be designed in two ways (in the pictures below). The first one is symmetrical. The sandwich panels are cut at an angle, and the top of the ridge beam is cut at the same angle. Two planes are fastened with long self-tapping screws through the panel to the beam on both sides. The fastener installation step is 30-40 cm.

IN this method There is no usual timber between the two slabs; they are connected only by foam. After the foam has polymerized, the excess is cut off, the seam is treated with a waterproof sealant, after which a protective strip - made of metal, plastic, etc. - is put on the ridge. - depends on the type of roofing chosen.

There is another way to join roofing SIP panels on the ridge. The second method does not require cutting the slabs at an angle, but one part of the panels must be longer (by the thickness of the roofing slab). The beam is still cut at an angle, the slabs are joined at right angles, and fastened through and through with long self-tapping screws to the beam.

This connection uses embedded end bars. They are installed as usual - using mounting foam and self-tapping screws. To block the access of moisture to the under-roof space, the junction of the two panels is also additionally coated with a waterproof sealant.

There is an option to install a roof from SIP panels without a central beam. There are roofing options with two load-bearing beams that are located off-center. These can be either specially laid floor beams, or partitions assembled from SIP panels or using frame technology. In the second case, it is better to strengthen the beams (make them prefabricated with glue and nails).

The most difficult thing in this unit is to cut the embedded beams at the right angle. This can be done on the ground, which greatly simplifies the task. The panels are fastened through the slab with long self-tapping screws to the floor beams or mortgages in the partitions. Also, two planes are fastened together at the junction point - on opposite sides with long self-tapping screws.

Roof and wall panel connections

For laying SIP roofing slabs, wall slabs are cut at the required angle. The inner part of the OSB is higher than the outer part. The foam plastic is “cut” at the same angle, and the edges of the embedded beam are trimmed. It is this part that is the most difficult if you did not buy a house kit, but are building a house from SIP panels using standard panels, cutting them to the required dimensions with your own hands.

How to connect wall and roof SIP panels

If you have the appropriate equipment, cutting them at an angle is not a problem. The problem is cutting the foam between the OSB boards to the required depth. You can select the core using a thermal knife, and then remove the residue cleanly mechanically. Most likely, the cut will still not be smooth, so you will have to add more foam to fill the unevenness.

In the pictures, the roof overhang is also made of slabs with insulation. This is easier to implement, but it is an unreasonable expense. To save money, the length of the SIP panel is taken up to the intersection with the walls, and then only the timber goes (as in the photo). In this case, the beam is made composite: one part is longer by the amount of the overhang, the second is shorter and ends where the wall ends.

Features of joining roofing slabs

The connection of two roofing slabs occurs in the same way as others: timber, foam, self-tapping screws. But since precipitation is possible here, it is advisable to seal all seams.

To improve the tightness, all seams on the roof are additionally coated with waterproof sealant. First, the hardened foam is cut into a plane with the roof, then a sealant is applied. After filing the overhangs, we can consider that the construction of a house made of SIP panels is completed. Install windows/doors, connect communications and the home is already suitable for habitation. Finishing can be done immediately after installing the box.

Mice and other troubles

To save our readers from unnecessary headaches, we decided to talk about the mistakes made during the construction of one residential building. First of all, the material is intended for those who hire contractors for construction. However, it will also be useful for those who build a house on their own.

The facility was built under the “Rural House” program, and local would-be builders acted as the contractor. Unfortunately, the future residents did not pay due attention to the quality of the work. The result is natural - a large number of significant “jambs”.

Brief information about the house:

• Commissioning date: 2008
• Number of floors: 2
• Foundation type: strip
• Technology: frameless
• Panel sizes: 2740x1220x224 (floors), 2740x1220x174 (walls), 2740x1220x145 (dowel for connecting wall panels)

Problems appeared quite quickly and were associated with the most important part of any structure - the foundation. The strip foundation was filled with low-quality concrete, which led to the fact that when moisture entered, it began to crumble.

In extreme cold (below -30°C), another “jamb” was identified - part of the plastic floor plinth in the kitchen.

It was decided to remove the bottom panels of the vinyl siding, remove the cold bridges where the wall slabs adjoin the first floor ceiling, and sheathe the foundation with corrugated sheets to look like stone.

After dismantling bottom panels siding, signs of activity of field mice appeared.

During construction, the ends of the floor were not covered with boards. Pieces of plywood are installed, with large distances between them. Also note that the roofing felt does not start from the timber, but from the floor level

A brief explanation of roofing felt. At the time the house was built, vapor-permeable membranes had not been heard of in a particular locality. The contractor was going to lay plastic sheeting on the walls. The customer opposed this, and as a result, roofing felt was used.

It is clearly visible that the mice did not waste any time...

As a result, the owner of the house had to mitigate the consequences using his modest construction experience.

Related errors:

• The lower part of the first floor ceiling has not been treated with bitumen mastic.
• SIP panels with a width of 1220 mm were laid on the floors of the first and second floors (they had to be cut in half lengthwise).
• Raw wood was used.
• The panel for making thermal keys is thinner than the polystyrene foam layer.
• The corners of the house are not tightened with long screws.
• Self-tapping screws are exclusively black.

There were other mistakes, but we do not talk about them, as they do not directly relate to the technology of constructing SIP houses.

Alas, the case discussed above is not the most severe - the fatal option is discussed in the video below.

The conclusion is very simple: you should not blindly trust the customer. All stages of construction must be supervised personally, or seek help knowledgeable person from the outside.

If the construction is carried out by contractors, then the quality of their work can be assessed already at the stage of acceptance of the first floor slab.

Residents of Europe and North America have been using structural insulating sip panels for more than fifty years to build strong, warm, durable and environmentally friendly buildings. IN Lately houses built using Canadian technology have become popular in our country. Today a large number construction companies offers its services for the construction of such buildings. Of course, you can hire representatives of one of these many companies for construction, however, you can make a house from vulture panels with your own hands. Self-assembly will significantly reduce the cost of 1 m 2 of a building, without damaging its quality.

Homes from sip panels have many advantages, however, we will highlight the most significant of them:

• Buildings are characterized by a high degree of thermal insulation, so the cost of heating buildings made from structural insulating sip panels is significantly lower than the cost of heating wooden, concrete or stone houses.
• Good sound insulation guarantees reliable protection from external noise.
• Structures of this type have an increased safety margin and a long service life, which can exceed 100 years.
• Thanks to simple principle connections, houses are assembled very quickly, while perfectly smooth walls and corners lend themselves very well to finishing.
• The likelihood that this design will shrink is very low.
• The material from which the sip panels are made is not subject to rotting and is not affected by insects. In addition, the material contains no harmful substances that can harm the health of residents or cause damage to the environment.

Canadian technology is equally successfully used for the construction of real estate of any type. Today, the following are built from sip panels:

• Country houses, country cottages.
• Office buildings.
• Hotel complexes, tourist centers.
• Restaurants, bars, cafes.
• Warehouses, workshops and much more.

Preliminary work

The first thing you need to do before starting construction is to draw up a project for your future home. If you can’t create a project yourself, you can resort to the help of specialists. In addition, it is permissible to use standard projects, which are presented on various Internet resources, or adapt these projects to your requirements, making the necessary adjustments.

• Equally important is the acquisition the necessary tool. At the same time, it is strongly recommended to refuse to purchase a low-quality instrument, because this can lead to various unpredictable negative consequences.
• Strict adherence to safety rules will keep your health intact and help you complete your work efficiently and on time. construction works in full.

Construction stages

1. The construction of a foundation is a mandatory initial stage in the construction process of any building or structure. A house made of vulture panels has a relatively light weight, so in most cases it is advisable to build a foundation on screw piles for such a building. The advantage of this type of foundation is that its construction takes no more than two days, while installation work possible even at negative air temperatures. Another positive aspect of using a foundation on screw piles is that its cost is quite low compared to the cost of building other types of foundations.
2. After completing the work related to the construction of the foundation, you should proceed to its waterproofing. To do this, use roofing felt, which must be laid in two layers.
3. Next, you need to lay the strapping beam, which will serve as the base for the floor. Laying is carried out on the heads of screw piles in accordance with previously created drawing documentation.
4. At the next stage, panels are installed that act as flooring. Waterproofing is provided by applied to them outside layer of bitumen mastic. They must be laid out along the entire perimeter of the future structure and joined in width and length by connecting to the strapping beam using a strong and invisible tongue-and-groove connection. Before the splicing process, each groove is treated with a one-component polyurethane foam sealant. Additionally, screws that need to be screwed into each side of the connection help secure the structure. When the floors are finally assembled, a one-component polyurethane foam sealant should also be applied to their ends, after which the outer parts are sheathed with wooden boards.
5. After completing the above steps, you can begin to assemble the walls of the first floor of the house. First of all, it is necessary to install the horizontal frame of the walls along the foundation, i.e. lower wall trim. In this case, work must be performed with special care, strictly adhering to wiring diagram, from which you cannot deviate. Any inaccuracies at this stage of construction can lead to serious problems in the future. You can install sip panels that will serve as the walls of the building when you are ready bottom harness. First, the corner elements are installed, after which the remaining racks and slabs are fastened (installation is carried out from the first corner panel and is carried out in two directions, to the second corner element). During the assembly process, each newly installed slab must be monitored with a special measuring tool - building level, allowing you to determine the amount of deviation from the vertical or horizontal line and, if necessary, correct its position.
6. After this, the upper samples are treated with a one-component polyurethane foam sealant, then the upper trim is laid.
7. Next comes the installation interfloor covering. To do this, slabs with a layer of one-component polyurethane foam sealant pre-applied on them are installed along the entire perimeter of the building on the panels of the first floor, acting as an interfloor ceiling (the same as on the first floor).
8. The wall panels of the second floor are mounted and fastened together in the same way as the wall slabs of the first floor of the building. Sometimes the spans of rooms can be large. In this case, it is best to reinforce the interfloor floors with laminated veneer lumber (LVL lumber), which can later be hidden using decorative ceiling finishing, under plasterboard sheets or under a suspended ceiling.
9. Roof installation work is the final stage of building a house. It should be noted that the construction of the roof is carried out without a rafter system, because sip panels have a significant margin of safety, thanks to which they are able to withstand high external loads. The principle of connecting roof slabs remains the same as the principle of connecting floor panels. In this case, there is no need to use vapor barrier and waterproofing materials, because the material has good vapor barrier and heat insulating properties.
10. After erecting the roof, you can begin to install the roof covering, which can consist of any roofing materials; there are no restrictions in this case.
11. Window openings can also have any shape and size.
12. Showing into the house engineering communications can be carried out in parallel with interior finishing work.

Below we list the pros and cons of using the technology of building houses from SIP panels.

Advantages:

• due to the high heat-saving characteristics of enclosing structures.
• More usable area - due to the small thickness of the walls, you can get 15-20% more usable area.
• Accelerated installation of the box at home (1-2 weeks).
• There is no need to construct an expensive foundation (for example, one installed in 1 day is sufficient).
• Saving on heavy lifting equipment can significantly reduce construction costs.
• You can build houses all year round- they do not shrink, so finishing work can begin immediately after assembly.
• The assembly technology is simple, you can even build a house from a SIP panel with your own hands - anyone who follows the instructions and knows how to hold a screwdriver and a saw can do this.

Flaws

• A slight thermal inertia of the enclosing structures is typical of any frame houses.
• The high price of the material - however, this is more than offset by savings in foundation costs and a reduction in construction time.
• Enclosing structures do not breathe, and, therefore, an efficient device is necessary - this drawback is also inherent in all frame houses.
• The flammability of enclosing structures is no higher than that of any wooden buildings.
• The release of harmful substances during combustion - indeed, when polystyrene foam melts, styrene is released with a specific sweetish odor. When its concentration in the air is more than 600 ppm (1 ppm = 4.26 mg/m3), it is dangerous to humans. But the smell of styrene becomes unbearable even at concentrations above 200 ppm, and this is an unambiguous signal for urgent evacuation.
• Suitable for rodents - although these animals are bred anywhere, there are known cases when rats even gnawed through concrete in search of food.

There are also cheaper products on the market with linings 9 mm thick, but they are only suitable for walls and partitions of small one-story buildings.

Differences between a factory SIP panel

1. Inaccurate geometry. The shift of the plates relative to each other, the diamond-shaped or trapezoidal shape of the panel are easily identified using a square and a tape measure.
2. Use of low-quality OSB with low moisture resistance. Wet the surface of the panel generously for an hour or two. If the chips begin to peel off, you have a defective product.
3. Low adhesive bond strength. This is perhaps the main feature of goods produced in a semi-handicraft way. The product can only be checked by tearing off one of the coverings from the insulation. High quality panel It breaks not along the seam, but along the foam sheet.
4. Making the middle part of the panel from fragments polystyrene foam boards. To reduce the amount of waste, handicraft enterprises use cuttings of insulation, which negatively affects both the strength and the heat-insulating properties. The joints of polystyrene foam boards are easy to see at the ends of the panels.

Step-by-step construction of a house from SIP panels

Foundation

Companies that build houses from SIP panels recommend making one that fully meets the concept of a prefabricated building. Piles for a house with an area of ​​up to 150 m² can be installed in two to three days, and with the help special installation- for one day; Assembling a grillage from a channel or timber frame will also not take much time.

The force of frost heaving is many times greater than the load from light walls made of SIP panels. In such conditions, piled and insulated shallow foundations work best.

(their most common diameter is 108 mm, length - 2.5 and 3 m) are placed under external and internal main walls, as well as crossbars (they are needed to reduce the span of beams) in increments of 1.5–2 m. Such a base leads well itself on heaving soils and practically does not settle under light walls - provided that the laying depth was determined not randomly, but as a result of test screwing with force measurement: the blades of the piles should rest on dense layers of soil.

To last for more than 50 years, you need to purchase steel piles with a thickness of at least 4 mm with cast tips, which resist corrosion much better than welded ones; After installation, they should be filled with concrete. One support, including installation, will cost 2,400–2,700 rubles, that is, the cost of a foundation for a house measuring 8 × 10 m will not exceed 100 thousand rubles. True, finishing the basement will require additional costs: you will have to install cement-bonded or glass-magnesite sheets (for facing with tiles or stone) or decorative panels on the frame.

The main alternative to a pile-screw foundation is traditional for country house construction a shallow-buried strip 0.3–0.4 m wide and 0.6–0.8 m high. If you prepare concrete yourself rather than buy it at a factory, such a foundation will cost slightly less than a pile foundation, but the construction time will increase by at least 3 weeks . The key to the reliability of a strip foundation is a properly executed reinforcement cage; it should be designed in accordance with SP 63.13330.2012 (the main requirements are the presence of at least two reinforcing chords and a reinforcement coefficient of at least 0.1%). The base of this foundation cannot be erected on heterogeneous soils with quicksand. The lightweight one is optimal for swampy areas with highly heaving and weak-bearing soils. The slab is poured on top of a sand and gravel drainage pad, a layer of extruded polystyrene foam at least 100 mm thick and a waterproofing substrate. Minimum thickness slabs - 200 mm, and it must be reinforced with a two-level frame made of rods with a diameter of 12 mm. To protect the walls from water (mainly melt water), it is worth erecting a reinforced concrete plinth 0.3–0.5 m high along the contour of the slab. It is advisable to insulate the blind area and the plinth with 50 mm thick EPS sheets.

It is advisable to strengthen the foundation made of steel piles with a grillage made of a channel or I-beam. The grillage rand beams must be welded to each other and, in addition, welded to the piles. Metal parts must be protected from corrosion and isolated from the wooden frame with rolled waterproofing.

When installing a floating strip foundation, there is no point in going deep into clay soil - it is better to build up the above-ground part, which will serve as a plinth. The reinforcement frame should be knitted with galvanized wire. The connections must be strong and durable, because the frame must work as a single unit throughout the entire service life of the foundation.

Walls

Despite the fact that the technology is considered unified, each company and even team has its own methods of assembling enclosing structures - successful and not so successful.

For construction, products of both standard and non-standard sizes are required - lintels over openings, partitions, roofing elements, etc. Large companies with its own production line, cutting is carried out only in factory conditions. Small firms and “autonomous” teams often cut out the necessary fragments on site using circular saw and a foam grater (using this tool to select grooves along the perimeter of the panels). With this method, there is a high risk of violating the geometric dimensions of rooms and openings, and the appearance of gaps at the joints of parts.

The construction technology involves the installation of a hidden frame, the parts of which are inserted into the grooves of the panels. For the frame, select chamber-dried lumber should be used, impregnated with an antiseptic composition, and for floor beams it is advisable to use either a wooden I-beam. Alas, sometimes under-dried products are used, which can warp, which will lead to the appearance of cracks and deformation of walls and ceilings. The junction of panels with frame elements is always sealed with polyurethane foam. However, some teams are accustomed to assembling racks from two boards, simply tightening them with screws without any sealing of the seam. In this case, 150 × 100 mm timber can be installed in the corners. It seems that this should increase the strength of the frame of the house, but in practice such a solution only guarantees freezing of the corner in the harsh winter.

SIP panels allow the construction of buildings of complex configuration - with oblique angles and bay windows. True, this increases labor costs and the amount of waste, and hence the cost of 1 m2 of house area.

Roof

An attic or semi-attic floor can be built using SIP panels or using traditional technology with insulation with mineral wool or other materials.

Sometimes you can hear that a roofing cake based on SIP panels is more resistant to moisture (after all, expanded polystyrene has extremely low water absorption). However, the constant presence of moisture (which can seep through the roofing or enter from below in the form of steam) leads to the destruction of panel covers (OSB). In addition, at temperatures above 80 ° C, the process of thermal destruction of expanded polystyrene begins.

Therefore, it is necessary to provide a ventilation gap between the SIP panels and the roofing material. You can’t do without a layer of vapor barrier on the side of the premises, as well as a ventilated ridge.

The load-bearing part of the roof made of SIP panels includes a ridge beam, purlins (bearing beams parallel to the ridge) and layered rafters, the function of which is performed by the beams between the panels. The installed panels are covered with a continuous carpet of rolled vapor-permeable waterproofing, then a slatted sheathing is mounted, to which a roofing covering (for example, profiled steel sheets) or another layer of OSB is attached, which serves as the basis for flexible bitumen shingles.

Only coercive system supply and exhaust with heat recovery, which will provide zonal air exchange. The main element of such a system is a recovery unit. For a cottage with an area of ​​about 120 m2, where a family of three or four people lives, an installation with a capacity of 180-250 m3/h is sufficient, the price of which will be 60-250 thousand rubles. depending on the design and manufacturer. The cost of the system with installation varies between 350-700 thousand rubles. without taking into account the costs of creating hidden cavities for laying ventilation ducts.

Finishing of SIP panels

In the vast majority of cases, the inside of walls made of SIP panels is sheathed with plasterboard, sheets of which can be attached directly to the internal OSB. The sheathing is made of two layers, providing channels for electrical wiring in the first layer (the cables must be placed in protective corrugated pipes or PVC boxes). At traditional way When installing gypsum boards (using lath or steel sheathing), pipes and cables are laid in cavities under the sheathing.

A curtain façade is most often installed outside. In addition, plastering is possible, but in order to avoid cracks, it is advisable to use wet facade technology, with wooden planks, composite panels.

Building a house from SIP panels with your own hands.

Here we give a summary of tips for building houses from general plan sip panels:

Choosing a foundation

In the vast majority of cases, two types of foundations - on screw piles and shallow strip foundations - can completely solve the problem of reliable support Canadian home in outskirts of Moscow.

If done under light canadian house concrete pile (below the frost depth) foundation on heaving soil, it is better using TISE technology (with widening of the lower part of the piles) and with high grillage (with a gap between the grillage and the ground).

This is correct in theory. In practice, in the Moscow region, bored piles are often made under SIP houses without widening, and often the grillage is supported on the ground (low grillage).

Problems do happen, but in most cases, lightweight houses on such foundations stand without problems. The fact is that a powerful reinforced concrete grillage not only prevents uneven subsidence of the piles under the weight of the house, but also compensates for the uneven pushing out of the piles by the lateral forces of frost heaving. In essence, we are dealing with a “floating” foundation of an unreasonably expensive and complex design.

Why are such foundations made? The answer is simple: “Customers love it.”

Clients like a lot of things that are harmful. For example, it is beautiful when the foam protruding from the joints of SIP panels is neatly cut off.

But this cannot be done outside. Hasn't started yet exterior finishing At home, polyurethane foam is destroyed by ultraviolet radiation from the sun. Pruning only speeds up this process.

For a house made of SIP panels, the best pile foundation is screw. The blade of a screw pile performs the same function as widening the lower part of a columnar foundation made using TISE technology: it reduces the pressure of the loaded pile on the ground and prevents it from being pulled out by the forces of frost heaving of the soil.

Thus, screw pile, working as an anchor, provides a fixed point of support if the piles are screwed below the freezing depth into the load-bearing (!) soil..

Due to the increased rigidity of SIP structures, they are less sensitive to seasonal ground movements. For small ones country houses The most inexpensive option is suitable - a foundation on posts.

As a rule, these are small concrete blocks, installed on sand bedding(necessarily at the corners of the house, the joints of load-bearing walls and several intermediate ones).

Season for construction

Construction using Canadian technology is possible at any time of the year. A great time for construction is winter. Due to rain, construction may take a little longer. Measures must be taken to prevent dirt from entering the construction site.

There may be problems with access to the site. In terms of weather, summer is the most favorable season for DIY construction. But summer has its own difficulties due to the growing excitement in the construction market, with quite understandable consequences.

What to build from SIP panels

Important question: What structural elements of a house should be assembled from SIP? External walls are always assembled from SIP panels. The walls turn out surprisingly warm and smooth.

It is also advisable to assemble internal load-bearing walls from SIP panels. The issue of partitions is secondary. Partitions can be assembled from anything even at the final finishing stage. Most often, partitions are assembled from SIP panels with a thickness of 124 mm.

The use of SIP panels for the assembly of zero and attic floors or roofs is justified by their high thermal insulation ability.

SIP flooring does not require a subfloor. Finishing floor coverings(laminate, linoleum, carpet, etc.) are laid directly on the SIP floor.

Use SIP for assembly interfloor overlapping is possible, but not entirely advisable due to low impact noise indicators.

Making a complex roof from SIP panels is problematic. It is possible to assemble a roof of any complexity from SIP, but a reasonable question arises - why, if a proven classic rafter system with insulation is simpler?

Which timber is suitable for joining SIP panels

It is not recommended to use beams made from boards consolidated at a construction site for joining SIP panels due to the risk of cracks forming. And if you can find a massive wooden beam of the required cross-section in the markets, it is only raw.

This requires clarification. Concepts dry or raw lumber (timber, boards, etc.) are used only at the household level. In fact, all lumber contains moisture. Excessively damp wood has many disadvantages, one of which is shrinkage (change in linear dimensions).

Moisture in wood is present in 2 forms - free (capillary), filling cell cavities and intercellular space (up to 70%), and bound (hygroscopic), located in cell membranes (about 30%).

Removal free removal of moisture (often called plant sap) occurs quite quickly and easily during atmospheric drying. Moreover without change linear dimensions and volume of wood. Only its density decreases. Very often, a board from which a significant part has been removed is called “dry.” free moisture.

The problem is that wood shrinks later, namely through evaporation. related moisture! It is at this stage that the linear dimensions of wooden lumber are significantly reduced.

During forced chamber drying, dry-looking coniferous lumber shrinks up to 12% in the transverse direction to the fibers!

Due to the anisotropic structure of wood, removal related moisture is accompanied by cracking and warping. Therefore, truly dry lumber can be distinguished from raw lumber without a moisture meter. presence of cracks.

To remove most of the bound moisture, forced (chamber) drying is necessary. Therefore dry edged There is no lumber on the markets. All that is sold is a cheese cutter - freshly sawn wood, which must be dried in a chamber.

Kiln-dried lumber is expensive. In addition, after drying to the required moisture content, edged lumber loses its GOST dimensions.

Planing (sizing) eats up a few more millimeters of thickness and width, which ultimately makes such lumber unsuitable for joining SIP panels with polystyrene foam thicknesses of 100 mm, 150 mm and 200 mm.

Massive timber with a thickness of 100x150 mm and 100x200 mm of chamber drying is almost impossible to find. Solid timber requires particularly mild drying conditions, i.e. special equipment.

Conventional drying chambers are designed for drying boards up to 50 mm thick for further planing into moldings or for the production of laminated veneer lumber, I-beams, furniture board and so on.

An acceptable alternative to massive timber rectangular section for joining 174 or 224 mm SIPs in floors and roofs is not available today. Wooden I-beams (I-Joist, etc.) with a height of 200 mm are rather weak for this purpose.

A massive rectangular beam of 100x200mm can replace a 300mm I-beam in terms of rigidity and strength, but you can’t fit it into a 224mm SIP panel.

LVL and laminated timber are expensive. For example, the retail price of laminated timber 100x200 mm is 650 rubles. per m.p. (May 2013). This is more than 30 thousand rubles. per m3.

Ceilings made of SIP panels

Floors and roofs are places where insulated classic beam (rafter) structures compete with SIP structures in terms of price, manufacturability and other parameters. If technical details You are of little interest, go straight to the next point.

Often, especially in small buildings, the device of zero overlap and SIP roofs is the most optimal solution. But when long spans traditional floors on wooden beams may be better than SIP floors.

It's not just a question of price. We wrote about the problem of connecting beams in floors and roofs above in the previous paragraph. There are other reasons to take into account when making your decision:

The SIP panel by its design is a wall panel and is designed to bear large longitudinal loads. As a ceiling, the SIP panel does not have any special advantages, although it has good bending strength.

The ground floor and interfloor floors of a house must not only withstand certain loads, but also be sufficiently rigid (not bend too much). The floor should not “walk” under your feet. It is easier to assemble a floor of the required rigidity from beams of a suitable cross-section.

SIP floor panels are often made narrower (usually twice as large - 625 mm). Joining the panels on floor beams. This means that the main load-bearing element of the SIP panel floor is the same wooden beam. The rigidity of a beam is determined not so much by its cross-sectional area as by its height and shape. And 200 mm, which is dictated by the “slab” panel, is good for spans of up to 4 meters.

If the spans are longer than the length of the SIP panel, then the strength of the floor depends on the beams (at the transverse joints of the panels, the entire load falls on the beams)! For this reason, for spans of more than 5 meters, it is better not to make SIP floors - the pitch of 625 mm of beams with a height of 200 mm is too large (according to SNiP, the permissible span for a beam of 200x100 mm with a pitch of 625 mm is less than 5 m).

If floor beams are installed with a pitch of 625 mm, as in a SIP floor, then OSB-3 slabs sewn onto the beams at the top and bottom and without glued polystyrene foam will work like shelves on an I-beam! OSB-3 slabs for covering floor beams, unlike SIP, do not need to be cut into strips 625 mm wide. It will take half as many self-tapping screws for installation (saving effort and time).

The ceiling must have the same thickness everywhere, but the spans it covers are most often different. Beams can be laid out in different directions and at different pitches, thereby optimizing material consumption. Usually the largest spans are above the living room. There it is advisable to make the ceiling stiffer by reducing the pitch of the beams and (or) increasing their cross-sectional area.

When making a SIP floor, this option most often will not be available. The overlap will turn out to be weak in some places, and vice versa in others. Cover the spans above the bathroom, hallway, etc. beams 200x100 mm with a pitch of 625 mm - this is luxury.

Features of construction from SIP panels

1. If the structure is subject to a large lateral load, then the SIP joints should rest on the support. It is not advisable to embed a support inside the panel under the sheathing. In this situation, SIP does not work as a monolithic structure! Forces arise to separate the skin from the polystyrene foam. If you jump onto a SIP floor between the joint beams, the large local lateral load can tear the sheathing away from the EPS.
2. Moreover, OSB-3 has low bending rigidity in the transverse direction. Therefore, OSB-3 is laid as a floor covering or continuous sheathing across beams (rafters), and not along, as it turns out in SIP structures of floors and roofs. Therefore, it is undesirable to use SIP with thin sheathing of 9-10 mm for the installation of floors.
3. The interfloor ceiling must be massive in order to provide good protection from impact noise. Only massive beams can provide this.
4. There is no need to expect that it will not rain heavily when assembling the house. Until the roofing is completed, puddles form on the SIP flooring, which, if not removed, can only evaporate, since all joints are sealed. Therefore, you should prepare in advance to eliminate the consequences of precipitation. However, not everything is so scary: OSB-3 boards resist moisture well, and a short stay in water does not have a significant effect on them. Wooden floors on beams with insulation, flooring and lining underneath can also be assembled in advance in the form of ready-made elements. But this is usually not done due to possible precipitation.
5. It is not very rational to assemble a SIP roof under a roof that does not require continuous sheathing.
6. In beam floors, providing high thermal protection (noise insulation) is not a problem. The height of the section of the floor beam is determined by the calculation of the floor for rigidity and is usually at least 200 mm. It is incomparably easier to lay insulation between horizontal beams than in a wall frame. There are no problems with shrinkage of insulation in floors. Therefore, beam floors and rafter roof- a serious alternative to SIP structures.
7. A few words about the features of wooden frame (beam) structures. Not everything is perfect here either. Wood is a living material. This is his advantage and disadvantage at the same time. The wood smells pleasant and is pleasant to touch. But solid pieces of wood are prone to deformation. The tree is afraid of drought and dampness. It is prone to drying out and cracking. Due to the anisotropic structure of wood, the deformation of lumber always occurs unevenly: individual beams noticeably bend and twist. This leads to deformation of the frame structure. Forced drying of wood in chambers reduces this disadvantage of wood. Other effective solution— use of laminated lumber. An example is laminated veneer lumber, wooden I-beams with a wall made of OSB-3 (I-beam) or LVL beam (reminiscent of plywood). The disadvantage of wooden I-beams (I-beam or Joist) is their low weight. For interfloor coverings, it is preferable to use massive beams.
8. When installing beam floors and frame partitions made of ordinary lumber, you need to be prepared for the fact that some of the beams may “come out” of the plane (especially if they are tightened with flooring or partition sheathing). It will take a plane and patience. When installing SIP floors, this problem does not arise.
9. There are fewer problems with using SIP panels to create a ceiling between the top floor and the attic, if the latter will not be used as an attic. Often attic floor assembled from SIP wall panels.
10. A rafter roof for a Canadian house is always done in the case of a “cold” attic. If there is a warm room directly under the roof of a Canadian house (attic, second light), then SIP panels are often used to install the roof. With this construction we immediately obtain warm roof, and a ready-made continuous sheathing for soft tiles.
11. Conventional wall panels with a thickness of 174 mm are often suitable for roof construction. They are quite warm and durable. Not complicated Constructive decisions(purlins resting on the gables and internal walls of the attic) make it possible to ensure sufficient strength of the roof made of SIP wall panels even with large slopes. In particular, SIP wall panels can be installed on the rafter system:
12. Laying soft tiles and other roofing materials directly on a SIP panel without a ventilation duct (gap) is contrary to general principles roofing “pie” devices. Bituminous shingles block the escape of steam from the SIP structure to the outside. There is information on the Internet about the unpleasant consequences of such a design decision.

The photo shows that the main damage to the SIP sheathing occurred in the area of ​​the panel joints. The most likely reason is the penetration of steam under the waterproofing substrate of soft tiles from the attic through poor-quality joints of SIP panels. When installing soft roof directly on the SIP surface it is necessary to vapor barrier the joints SIP panels on the premises side. You can use adhesive tape:

This rule should also be followed when decorating external walls with SIP. If something that impedes the escape of steam is mounted directly on the SIP sheathing without a ventilation gap, the joints of the SIP panels on the room side should be well vapor-insulated. As they say in the birthplace of SIP technology, "That's why foam plus tape makes so much sense to us."

For the same reason, it is undesirable to vapor barrier SIP structures of the zero (lower) floor from below from the underground side. This is often done with bitumen mastics because “customers like it.” This does not increase the service life of the ceiling. It is necessary to take care of good ventilation of the underground by installing a sufficient number of vents in the basement!

If the ventilation of the underground is poor, bitumen mastic will hide from view problems with OSB-3 sheathing that may occur due to constant moisture, which will not allow taking the necessary measures to eliminate the causes in a timely manner. The same thing can happen as with OSB-3 under bitumen roofing in the photo above.

For external protection enclosing structures from moisture use special vapor-permeable membranes (wind protection), which protect the structure from precipitation and wind, but do not prevent steam from escaping from the structure to the outside.

About vapor barrier

It doesn't have to be film. Many finishing materials can serve as a vapor barrier for the building envelope.

For example, a 12 mm thick OSB-3 board prevents the diffusion of water vapor as a vapor barrier (Sd > 2 m according to DIN 52615), so SIP panels do not need a vapor barrier.

Other examples are elastic plaster, laminate on a synthetic backing, etc. Linoleum will protect the lower floor from both steam and moisture.

The basic rule for constructing multilayer enclosing structures is that the vapor permeability of the wall should increase from inner surface(warm room) to the outside (street). If you do the opposite, give steam from a warm room an easy entry and make it difficult to exit, then it will remain in the enclosing structure, wetting and destroying the building material.

• Assemble external and load-bearing walls from SIP panels
• interior partitions optional ( frame partitions can be installed at the finishing stage)
• assemble the interfloor ceiling from beams
• make the zero (bottom) overlap from SIP with a thickness of 224 mm - you won’t regret it!
• If possible, assemble a simple roof over the attic from SIP; in other cases, make a rafter roof
• The attic floor can be made of SIP, or on beams.

If subsequently, at some point in the joints of SIP panels, a space unfilled with foam is discovered, there is no need to panic. The defect can be easily eliminated at any time. It is enough to make a small hole in the SIP panel sheathing and fill the voids with polyurethane foam.

If the exterior decoration of the house is postponed, it is better to hide the external walls of the SIP house from the effects of ultraviolet radiation and slanting rains. Polyurethane foam unprotected from sunlight quickly deteriorates, wood dries out and cracks (especially on the sunny side). Because of this, during heavy slanting rain, moisture can penetrate into structures.

To prevent this from happening, you need to seal the resulting gaps with mounting material. Increased attention should be paid to protecting the joints of walls and ceilings from rain. The simplest and most inexpensive way is to sheathe the outside of the walls with a membrane (wind protection) that does not allow moisture to enter the walls, but allows steam to escape outside.

A few notes on the operation of a “freshly built” SIP house. For various reasons, the structure of a home may contain excess moisture. Most often it is bad weather. It is rarely possible to assemble a house without rain.

Excess moisture from the structure enters the air, so initial stages operation of the house is possible high humidity indoor air. During this period, increased attention to ventilation of the house is necessary.

Insufficient ventilation can lead to problems, since humidity and heat are a fertile environment for blackness and even mold to appear on the surface of wood. Ventilation and treatment of problem areas with a protective composition effectively eliminates adverse effects. But it is better not to allow them.

You need to be especially careful during the cold season. Despite the cold, at first the windows in all rooms should be kept slightly open. Turning on the heating in a clogged room can cause the air humidity to rise so that the dew point is on the surface of the walls.

Unfavorable conditions for wooden structures can arise when only part of the rooms are heated. Water vapor from warm rooms gets into cold rooms and condenses on the walls there. Dampness forms with all the ensuing consequences.

More recently, it has become very popular to build houses with a wooden frame. Nowadays there is a constant search for new and improvement of existing frame construction technologies. The article will describe the stages of building a frame house using a relatively new technology from sip panels.

What is a SIP panel - manufacturing process

Sip panel or, as it is also called, sandwich panel is a multifunctional building material. It can be used in almost any conditions. The cost of the panels is low, and the potential for their application is practically unlimited.

Wall sandwich panels are a three-layer material. Let's see how they are made.

How the manufacturing process of sip panels occurs - step-by-step diagram

Step 1: Selection of materials

For outer layers, durable materials are used: fiberboards, oriented strand boards, wooden boards, magnesite boards, galvanized steel. The thickness of the slabs is 9 or 12 mm.

For a sip panel, it is better to exclude the use of wood, since it is highly flammable, short-lived, and also the most labor-intensive to process. Most often, OSB boards are used in SIP panels for building houses. Recommended thickness 12 mm. For load-bearing structures they can be adapted for use at high humidity.

OSB is made from wood chips, the diameter of which does not exceed 0.6 mm. The length, as a rule, is no more than 140 mm. Such shavings are laid perpendicular to each other in three layers. During the manufacturing process, an adhesive waterproof resin is added. Subsequently, due to high pressure and temperature, this material is compressed. The result is a plate with increased strength and at the same time high elasticity. The outer layer of OSB boards is also waterproof. Using wood cutting tools, the slabs are very easy to saw. OSB holds fasteners due to the method of laying wood chips, therefore it is significantly different from other similar materials, where resin provides retention of fasteners.

The insulation is placed between two rigid protective layers material. For this layer, polystyrene foam, polyurethane foam, or mineral wool are used. The last two insulation materials are non-flammable. When selecting a brand of polystyrene foam, you need to pay attention to its flammability and flame decay time. The thickness of the material, depending on the thermophysical properties of the frame house, can vary from 50 to 250 mm. If mineral wool is given greater preference, then it is necessary to lay a parabarrier film between it and the inner slab.

When mineral wool is used in SIP panels, a material is used that has a density of 100–120 kg/m³. This product does not burn and cannot spread fire. When heated, binding elements may release unpleasant odors, but, nevertheless, such thermal insulation material much more environmentally friendly than polystyrene foam. But mineral wool increases the weight of the sandwich panel. If compared with expanded polystyrene, the weight will be 2 times more. Therefore, this type of insulation is rarely used in sip panels. The choice of this material is also negatively affected by the high cost. The use of mineral wool as insulation in a house made of sandwich panels can cost 1.5–2 times more.

For mass production, polystyrene foam with a density of 25 kg/m³ (PSB-S-25 or PSB-25) is used in sip panels. Due to its lightness and low cost, this insulation is very popular. It is 98% composed of carbon dioxide. Due to this, it has low thermal conductivity and, accordingly, high thermal insulation properties.

This material has fairly high strength and is resistant to fungus and moisture. But mice love to gnaw out nests in polystyrene foam, in which they then settle. The purpose of this material is, first of all, external insulation of walls. The thickness of the insulation depends on what kind of house will be built. For permanent residence, the heat insulator must be no thinner than 50 mm. To build a summer cottage, a maximum of 20 mm of such insulation is sufficient. We should not forget that polystyrene foam burns; when exposed to an open flame, it melts and emits acrid black smoke. The fire safety of the structure is partially ensured by the fact that the foam in SIP panels is covered with OSB boards.

Step 2: Choosing the Right Glue

To connect all layers of a sandwich panel, the glue must retain its properties as long as the house stands. Therefore, such material must withstand different humidity, temperature changes and other unfavorable conditions. The toxicity of the adhesive after polymerization must be completely eliminated. When assembling sip panels in Canada, the USA and the EU, the following brands have proven themselves to be the best: Macroplast UR 7229, Macroplast UR 7228 and Kleiberit 502.8.

Step 3: Production of sip panels

The OSB board must be evenly coated with glue over the entire surface. Then you need to lay a sheet of polystyrene foam on top of the slab. After which you will need to apply again polymer composition and cover with a second OSB board.

The adhesive must be applied within no more than 10 minutes. When this material is exposed to air for more than the specified time, polymerization begins. The glue foams strongly and increases in volume. In this case, it is necessary to press the glued elements within 18 tons. This is realized using a powerful press. Glued wall sandwich panels must be cured for 2–3 hours. The glue dries completely in 15–30 hours. After which the protruding edges of the insulation must be cut off.

What will the foundation be like?

Frame houses made from prefabricated sip panels are quite light in weight, so a reinforced foundation is not needed. For such buildings it is advisable to use a shallow foundation. In addition to this option, the pile, column or slab type of frame house base is also used in construction practice. For example, a pile foundation can be made in any season of the year, in any weather. Its installation can be completed in the shortest possible time, without requiring large financial costs. There is no need to carry out painstaking land work.

For a frame house where wall panels are used, we recommend using one of the most popular and classic support options - strip foundation. To do this, you will need to mark the construction site. Then dig a trench 50–60 cm deep. The width can be made 40–50 cm. In the next step, you will need to make a sand and crushed stone cushion of 20 cm, which must be compacted.

Then you can begin installing the formwork. Boards 10–15 cm wide are suitable for this. Alternatively, the use of moisture resistant plywood. It is imperative to make the formwork 50 cm above the soil level.

Next, the reinforcement frame is connected. For this, rods 10–15 mm in diameter are most often used. After this, a concrete solution is prepared. A concrete mixer will significantly speed up this process. It is necessary to regularly tamp the mortar poured into the formwork using a vibrator. This action will remove air bubbles from concrete mixture, making the created foundation stronger. When all the pouring work has been completed, the concrete solution must be allowed to sit and gain strength. Experts recommend that the foundation stand for 3-4 weeks before the walls are erected.

Installation of frame and floor - what you need to know

This process begins with attaching a frame wooden belt to the foundation. The cross-section for such timber is most often used 250x150 mm. In the corners, the wall boards are connected to each other using grooves. Anchors, as a rule, are used 10–12 mm in diameter, and their length should be 35 cm. They need to be installed at a distance of 1.5–2 m from each other. In the corners it is better to use two anchors. The bolt heads must be recessed.

Tricks of building walls

Wall elements are installed after securing the guide boards to the strapping beam. Their size depends on the thickness of the wall panel. Such boards must be laid taking into account a distance of 10–12 mm from the edge of the beam. It is imperative to maintain strict horizontality. In order to fasten them, you will need 70x5 mm self-tapping screws. It is better to make indents between them 35–40 cm.

In the corners, two wall frame panels are installed by sliding them onto the guide boards. The grooves must first be foamed. Using a level you need to perform vertical and horizontal alignment. After this, you need to screw the sandwich panels with self-tapping screws to the guide boards. The fastening step is required to be 150 mm. The panels also need to be fastened together. For this you will need boards with a cross section of 50–200 mm. They are installed between two panels. To make a reliable fixation, you will need 12x200 mm self-tapping screws.