Somebody at work told me about a new type of wall construction
(residential). It is made of pressed board on each side filled with
foam and is fully structural, no studs. I may have the details
confused but that was the basic idea. Has anybody heard of something
like this and could share some info?

-Jim

"jtpr" wrote in message
ups.com...
Somebody at work told me about a new type of wall construction
(residential). It is made of pressed board on each side filled with
foam and is fully structural, no studs. I may have the details
confused but that was the basic idea. Has anybody heard of something
like this and could share some info?

It has been around at least 20 years that I'm aware of. People are often
reluctant to use "new" methods because they are different that what has been
used for centuries. They are superior though.

SIPS, Structural Insulated Panels is the term to look for. An example is
http://www.thermalfoams.com/construction/sip.htm

If you want strong construction and good insulation, also consider ICFs.
Insulating Concrete Forms www.polysteel.com or www.integraspec.com They
also make for a very quiet house.

"jtpr" wrote in message
ups.com...
Somebody at work told me about a new type of wall construction
(residential). It is made of pressed board on each side filled with
foam and is fully structural, no studs. I may have the details
confused but that was the basic idea. Has anybody heard of something
like this and could share some info?

-Jim


In 1978, I worked for a firm in Southern Louisiana that made walk in coolers
and freezers. One of the engineers there came up with the idea of making
preformed panels that could be used in the housing industry.

IIRC, they were simple 2 x 4 construction skinned over with different types
of coverings, both on the interior and exterior. They were then held in a
hydraulic press, and a two element expanding foam was injected. The mixture
had to be precise, as overfilling caused some of the presses to be blown
apart, pulling the anchors from concrete floors.

All in all, about 30 houses were built with this construction, and they had
a very good R value. They are not very advanced in nature, construction, or
components. They locked together with the regular cam locks used in
commercial refrigerated boxes. They also cam locked to the top and bottom
plates.

Funny. I haven't really heard much more about these in the past 28 years
until now.

Steve

Edwin Pawlowski wrote:
"jtpr" wrote in message
ups.com...
Somebody at work told me about a new type of wall construction
(residential). It is made of pressed board on each side filled with
foam and is fully structural, no studs. I may have the details
confused but that was the basic idea. Has anybody heard of something
like this and could share some info?

It has been around at least 20 years that I'm aware of. People are often
reluctant to use "new" methods because they are different that what has been
used for centuries. They are superior though.

SIPS, Structural Insulated Panels is the term to look for. An example is
http://www.thermalfoams.com/construction/sip.htm

If you want strong construction and good insulation, also consider ICFs.
Insulating Concrete Forms www.polysteel.com or www.integraspec.com They
also make for a very quiet house.

Edwin,

I took a look at those sites. The first one had a nice video
explaining how it works, very interesting. I'm going to give them a
call for more info. I just wonder how they do plumbing and electrical,
especially after construction is done.

-Jim

"jtpr" wrote in message

Edwin,

I took a look at those sites. The first one had a nice video
explaining how it works, very interesting. I'm going to give them a
call for more info. I just wonder how they do plumbing and electrical,
especially after construction is done.

-Jim

There is a sub-industry to provide the tools for working with those types of
materials. One is
http://www.wind-lock.com/public/main/default.asp

I know they try to design the plumbing for interior walls and have a tree go
up that way. Electrical is doe with a cut out by a hot knife for the foam.

If I was building anew house today, I'g go with one of these methods.
Construction cost is very competitive with stick built and thee is savings
for years in energy.

Edwin Pawlowski wrote:
"jtpr" wrote in message

Edwin,

I took a look at those sites. The first one had a nice video
explaining how it works, very interesting. I'm going to give them a
call for more info. I just wonder how they do plumbing and electrical,
especially after construction is done.

-Jim

There is a sub-industry to provide the tools for working with those types of
materials. One is
http://www.wind-lock.com/public/main/default.asp

I know they try to design the plumbing for interior walls and have a tree go
up that way. Electrical is doe with a cut out by a hot knife for the foam.

If I was building anew house today, I'g go with one of these methods.
Construction cost is very competitive with stick built and thee is savings
for years in energy.


Thank you. I called one of the companies that does the wood/foam
sandwich type. They told me they put vertical channels every 16 inches
on center and 2 horizontal channels in every panel. They are about
1.5" in diameter. Of course, locating them years later might be tough,
but they are there.

-Jim