I had been researching different construction methods for a couple years and came to the conclusion that the most economical use of my time and money was to use SIPs. After contacting a number of SIP manufacturers and speaking with a few people that had built with SIPs, I was most impressed by the quick response and overall level of service that Panelworks Plus and Extreme Panels provided.

During construction, I had help from friends with various levels of construction background. I quickly found that SIPs were easy to work with, (you almost had to try to build a wall that was not level or straight) and time saving. The friends who have many years of construction experience were initially skeptical but quickly became believers that SIPs were the best way to go. Now four of them are either planning or currently building SIP houses/additions of their own.

Since I have access to a thermal imaging camera, I was curious to find out what the thermal image of my SIP constructed house and a regular "stick-framed" house looked like. On a cold winter night, I viewed a neighbor’s "stick-framed" house, I could clearly see the studs behind the siding, and the block foundation was glowing bright, indicating a high heat loss. The only area that showed heat loss on my house, which utilizes foundation panels, wall panels and some roof panels, was the windows and vent stack.