New home comfort issues
Our four-part series explores how to handle comfort issues in a new home.
Structural insulated panels (SIPs), also called foam-core panels or stress-skin panels, are sheets of foam insulation sandwiched between oriented strand board or another type of composition wood.
Unlike traditional wood construction, SIPs use no studs in the construction process. These strong, super-insulated structural building components can be used for floors, walls and roof.
In this video: An industry expert demonstrates SIPs and how they can integrate into your home.
SIPs also offer a few more advantages over standard framing:
Older types of SIPs did have concerns with fire safety and insect damage, but improved manufacturing techniques, along with proper installation, have eliminated the problems.
While SIPs cost more than traditional building materials, they require less labor to install, making the total construction cost about the same.
Our four-part series explores how to handle comfort issues in a new home.
An energy rater can help make your new home more energy-efficient through every stage of the construction process.
When building your new home, don't forget about the importance of energy-conserving products like furnaces, air conditioners and appliances.
You have energy efficient and sustainable options when it comes to framing your new home.
Using universal design principals, your home can adapt to your changing lifestyle needs.
New, energy-efficient homes need new solutions to circulate and ventilate the air inside the home.
Using the sun's stored energy to heat your home reduces your conventional energy consumption.
Check out a new neighborhood concept and see how one builder is changing the way homes are built with a goal to use zero energy.
A geodesic design uses interconnected triangles to create a strong, environmentally friendly structure.