Use of Structural Insulated Panels

I've decided to go with ecostruct in Kenwick, Perth. Theres a company called future home living that uses this building material for all there homes. They quoted me around $180,000 from slab to lock up stage which is awesome! Good to find builders that are adapting to first home buyers wanting to do some of the work themselves

Thanks, you might want to tell them to fix their page with their structural info...
Also reference Fire Standards & Engineering data in light of
Grenfell Towers Disaster

brent06 You might want to look at this house, http://www.archier.com.au/project/five-yards-house/ , it is made from SIP designed by a local melbourne architecture practice (Archier)

PE Insulated Panels In construction set to be Banned
Cladding fire risks have been known for years. Lives depend on acting now, with no more delays

Not all SIP panels are the same e.g. Bondor Insulwall tech specs indicate it has a BAL40 rating and has a fire retardant.

Agreed, But the smoke stench of La Crosse & Neo200 will linger for a decade
Good luck in convincing the Battlers, Punters,Insurance Underwriters, Lawyers & new Engineer Regulating Authority

StructuralBIMGuy that's 2 different products you are talking about. Those fires used a 5mm PE cladding commonly known as Alucabond, Looks like this...






SIP's are 100mm to 160mm thick using EPS foam. The foam is not combustible and the MGO skinned SIPs are fire retardant. They look like this...





I have seen a couple of posts on here about SIPs where you mention these fires and I think you are spreading misinformation.

Here
Plastics Melting Points & Ignition Temperatures
get your facts right all plastics melt and ignite. hth

I think what that tells us is long before your SIPs panels ignite, any timber in the house will be well and truly alight.
Don't get me wrong. As a carpenter I'd prefer to build with timber for a whole raft of reasons but the aluminium cladding that is responsible for recent high profile fires is a different kettle of fish to SIPs.

The real issue with all the fires including Grenfell was the fact that the cladding allows any fire to bypass fire prevention methods that are typically built into high rise construction, it simply spreads up the outside.
The cladding didn't start the fire but it simply allows it to spread. If the outside of the building was clad in timber the same thing would happen. It's not so much the product but it's inappropriate use.

Outside facing Magnesium Oxide panels will have issues with corrosion of nails, screws, etc. unless Magnesium Sulfide panels are used instead.

MGO/MGS panels are one of the most fire proof materials you can get on the market.

Hi,
I am very keen to build a home with SIP and would be very interested in the journey of you and your builder.
Especially the Pros and Cons
I am in St Kilda West in Melbourne.

My contact details are rmortimer@qdmssolutions.com
M: 0411 436 494
Looking forward to hearing from you

Russell Mortimer

"MgO is a fairly heavy product and almost always demands panels to be hoisted into position."

Not true. Some of the big panels may be but most of the ones I've seen have been 1800 x 900 x 70mm thick and each probable weighed no more than 7-8 kg.

Stewie

That's a small panel Stewie! Most SIPS are 2700mm x 1200mm which when surfaced with MgO gives them a weight of around 70-80kg!

That's a lot to be managed by two people around a site! Even FC which is much lighter is still around 60kg at this size or 55kg for a 2400mm panel are difficult but manageable by two!

The bigger problem with MgO is the fact that although it is a totally resilient board, it is fairly brittle if fixing near to the edge!

Regrading OSB as a skinning material with SIPS, I'm failing to see any benefits compared to FC or Weathertex. The diagrams I prepared below clearly explains why! They need to be lined with plasterboard, provided an exterior vapor barrier, battening and then cladding / finishing. FC simply requires finishing or with Weathertex depending on the board used they can just be installed and left unfinished or paint finished as some come pre-primmed.

There is a full article here: https://www.sipform.com.au/blog/not-all-systems-are-alike

That client of mine installed the MgO panels on metal furring channels over standard timber frames. Not so much SIP's but cladding. He also used them for flooring panels over standard joists for a large part of his house.
70-80 kg! Hell, some of the panels/beams/sheeting we have installed over the years weighed at least that and more.

Stewie

Totally, and some!

But say a standard 4 bedroom home may have say 60 external panels alone, this becomes something of an issue!

I guess my point is that moving around 60 x 50-60kg panels in lieu of 60 x 70-80kg panels is quite a difference, particularly if these heavier panels are actually of little, if any, added benefit! In fact the opposite is most likely true!

This is an older post and this thread is slightly inactive.

But EPS is most definitely not non-combustible.

There's fire retardant versions, but definitely not non-combustible.


EPS in general is a bigger issue than PE Core ACP within the construction industry at the moment.

Commercial buildings are being stripped of foam in their hundreds at the moment, the costs likely to extend into the $Billions.


Too bad for the few hundred thousand residential homes without commercial fire comparments and sprinkler systems built in Australia essentially clad in petrol....

There are significant differences between multi-dwelling and single dwellings when it comes to fire. But in any dwelling it is as much about the contents of the dwelling burning as the outer envelope itself. And this is why EPS remains permitted (even in Victoria) for use generally in class 1 & 10 structures.

Our legislators gather information from industry experts to determine the appropriateness of materials and their use, particularly after these apartment block fires. I'd suggest their support for the use of EPS as an insulator and/or cladding in class 1 buildings gives a clear indicator that this risk has been assessed.

Bit of a thread bump.

Any more SIPs experience in Australia or even Perth?

I've discounted double brick construction for a future extension. Toying with double stud framing, 145*45 stud framing or SIPs panels for an extension. I'm wondering how well the SIPs integrate with older/double brick construction for an extension.

I'll be looking to get professional advice as part of the design process, but would like to hear opinions from those who have used SIPs or looked into them but turned away.

Cheers

Mate check out SipForm.com.au they are in Perth and have their own designers in house!

ML24WA, that should depend on where you are ( put it in your signature ) and what sort of R rating you are aiming for in your walls.

Stewie