Sandwich panels were invented not so long ago, but very quickly occupied their niche in the construction field. Houses made of sip panels are gaining more and more popularity, and there are a great many reasons for this, starting with the fact that the material protects well from the cold, ending with the enormously short installation time. It is clear that everyone wants to move into their own housing as soon as possible, but developers sometimes announce unreasonably high prices for their services. The way out of this situation suggests itself - why not build a house from sip panels with your own hands?
What are sip panels: material characteristics
Sip panels, also known as sandwich panels, appeared in Europe about 50 years ago, but they entered the domestic market relatively recently. Their design is very simple: between two wooden plates there is a layer of expanded polystyrene. It performs the role of heat and sound insulation. The thickness of the "stuffing" varies depending on the purpose of the panels.
The main factors influencing the choice of panel thickness are the type of construction (summer or winter), the type of wall (external or internal) and the climatic conditions of the area. On both sides, the expanded polystyrene is protected by OSB boards made from pressed wood shavings.
The panels are attached to each other without gaps, which eliminates the occurrence of cold bridges and increases thermal insulation characteristics. Tight connections are provided by special grooves into which wooden dowels are inserted. The panels have standard widths of 125 cm, 250 cm and 280 cm.
Advantages of sip panels
Frame houses made of sip panels have gained popularity all over the world for a reason. This building material has a lot of advantages and advantages compared to traditional products: bricks, reinforced concrete slabs, blocks, etc.
Unfortunately, it has not yet been possible to invent an impeccable building material that would not have a single drawback. Sip panels are no exception, but its shortcomings can be attributed to the features of operation rather than to serious blunders.
Opponents of sip panels (yes, there are some) argue that they are flammable and generally unsuitable for building houses. However, often fires occur inside, and there the panel walls are sheathed with non-combustible drywall, so the risk that such a building will flare up like a match is minimized.
There is also a legend that mice and other rodents like to settle in sip panels, but no one has yet provided actual confirmation of this. The issue of environmental friendliness is also particularly acute, but it also disappears if we remember that many products (meat, fish, poultry, sweets) are often packed in polystyrene foam containers.
Some argue that panel walls do not protect against noise, but if we take into account the fact that living in a private house excludes the existence of neighbors behind the walls, from above and below, then there is nowhere to come from much noise. In addition, the exterior and interior finishes increase the soundproofing performance.
The only truly justified nuance of using sandwich panels is the arrangement of ventilation. Since the elements are fitted close to each other, completely blank walls are obtained that do not allow air to pass through. For this reason, at the stage of creating a project for houses from sip panels, the laying of the ventilation system is immediately taken into account.
Foundation selection
As we have said, panel houses do not need a massive, expensive foundation, but mistakes in organizing this issue are quite common. This is because it is necessary to take into account not only the low weight of the house box, but also the properties of the soil, the level of groundwater and climatic conditions in general.
The best options for foundations for houses made of sandwich panels are:
- screw pile;
- columnar;
- tape shallow;
- monolithic (reinforced concrete slab).
The main danger in the construction of such houses lies in the lateral tangential forces under the building - during the spring heaving of the soil, the foundation can simply come to the surface, and the house will tilt or crack because of this. Whatever foundation you choose, its cost will be about 20% of all construction costs, which is a lot. But saving at this stage is not worth it in any case, otherwise subsequent repairs and correction of errors will take even more money.
Screw piles
The overwhelming majority of experts agree that frame houses using Canadian technology are best built on a foundation of screw piles. This is a relatively new way of arranging the base, which is economical, simple and fast installation compared to the rest. A screw pile foundation is 30-40% cheaper than any other foundation, even taking into account the fact that you need to hire a team of professional builders.
A screw pile is a steel pipe to which a blade of a special configuration is welded. It has a high bearing capacity, because in the process of screwing into the soil, the pile does not loosen the soil, but, on the contrary, compacts it with blades. It enters deep into the level below the freezing of the soil, which by itself prevents the deformation of the building from heaving.
The service life of such a foundation can be calculated in centuries (usually the manufacturer gives 100 years). But the main advantage is the ventilated underground, which is very useful when using sip panels. In addition, if you ever want to make an extension to the house, you just need to install the right number of piles nearby, and the foundation will work as one, evenly distributing the total load.
shallow foundation
This type of foundation for houses made of sip panels is used less frequently and mainly on non-rocky and weakly rocky soils. In other cases, he will "go" in the first spring. For the arrangement, the fertile soil layer is removed (about 30-40 cm), formwork is arranged with reinforcement and everything is poured with cement mortar.
A shallow foundation can easily support the weight of sip panels. To minimize the risk of deformation from uneven heaving of the soil, experts recommend placing a gravel-sand cushion before pouring concrete.
To increase strength and durability, the foundation is reinforced with a reinforcing cage.
Concrete pouring should be done at a time, so for operational work you may need the help of 2-3 people. After pouring, the concrete must be treated with a vibrating plate or at least pierced with a stick in several places to prevent the formation of air voids.
The disadvantage of this method is the long period of concrete drying, which can last up to 4 weeks. Also, underground ventilation will not be as good as in the case of piles. For this, special holes are usually made. If you want to make an extension to the house in a few years, building up a shallow foundation will be quite problematic and troublesome. The laying of all communications (electricity, sewerage, water supply) must be organized before pouring concrete, which is also not very convenient.
Monolithic foundation
If your site is located on weak heaving soil, the arrangement of a monolithic foundation will be the only right decision. It is a solid reinforced concrete slab, which evenly distributes the load from the house to the ground and does not allow it to deform from seasonal movements.
The principle of erecting a slab foundation is quite simple: they remove the fertile soil layer, make a drainage cushion from sand and gravel, fill everything with concrete and strengthen the screed with iron fittings.
The only drawback of this type of foundation is the high cost and difficulty in building additional extensions in the future.
Column Foundation
Such a foundation can be considered a “relative” of a pile foundation, but the arrangement will take much more time and effort, although its cost is lower than that of a monolithic or tape one. The columnar foundation is suitable for non-rocky and slightly heaving soils.
It consists of pillars located at the intersection points of the walls, at the corners of the future building, at the locations of massive load-bearing beams, piers and at points with a heavy load (long walls, for example). The columnar base excludes the possibility of arranging a basement, but provides additional ventilation of the subfloor, as is the case with piles.
The shape of the pillars can be any, but most often they are made round, because such structures are easiest to place in holes made by a hand drill. They also use different materials: bricks, wood, concrete. Square pillars are made of brick, but they are inconvenient to place at a depth. Therefore, the best option is to build round concrete pillars reinforced with reinforcement.
Important: a columnar foundation cannot be laid in areas with a high level of groundwater, since in this case the foundation on which the pillars will rest will be fragile and may be washed away by water.
Panel mounting
We have repeatedly mentioned that sip panels are very light, so you do not need large construction equipment for installation. In fact, the work is very simple and fast, and if it is better to enlist the support of specialists to build a foundation, then it is quite possible to build a house from sip panels on your own.
Important: before proceeding with the installation, you should carefully calculate the house from sip panels in order to stock up on the necessary materials, including finishing, fasteners, and arrangement of the roofing pie. The drawing should show the thickness of the load-bearing and interior walls, the laying of communications, the location of windows and doors.
How is the installation of houses from sip panels:
Finishing with sip panels
The construction of houses from sip panels is pleasant not only for the quick installation time and ease of construction - it is a real pleasure to finish such structures! Since the surface of the panels is perfectly even and smooth, you don't have to spend money on plaster or screed and spend hours leveling walls, floors and ceilings to achieve the desired result for finishing cladding. Consider how you can ennoble a frame house from the outside and how to carry out interior decoration.
Finishing inside
Before proceeding with the interior decoration, it is necessary to seal the joints with a paint grid, sand and polish them. Since the panels are monolithic, immediately think about where the communications will be located and make holes for them. In the bathroom, the preparation takes place according to a different scenario - the joints are closed not with a mesh, but with a sealant based on silicone or acrylic. The panels on the floor should be completely covered and overlapped on the walls by about 20 cm, so that if water spills, the wall materials do not get wet.
Any materials for finishing a house from sip panels can be used. It is recommended to pre-sheathe the walls with drywall. This is necessary not so much for aesthetics (the panels are already smooth), but to enhance the fire safety of the building (we wrote about this above).
Since the floors in such houses do not need leveling and insulation, you can cover them with even the most whimsical coatings - laminate, tile, parquet. In the bathroom and in the kitchen, it is better to make self-leveling acrylic floors to make additional waterproofing.
Finishing outside
Some owners prefer not to resort to the exterior decoration of houses from sandwich panels at all - they already look pretty nice. But in order to protect the material from dampness, it is recommended to cover it with something.
The most popular exterior finishes for panel houses:
As detailed in the video, sip panel houses are gaining more and more popularity every year. This is due not so much to fashion as to tangible savings - housing is constantly becoming more expensive, apartments in cities are becoming more expensive, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to find your own housing.
Why spend crazy money on an apartment with a modest square footage, noisy neighbors and a smoky highway outside the window, when you can build your spacious and warm house from sip panels much cheaper?
Houses from sip panels: photo
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).
- No need for an expensive foundation (enough, for example, installed in 1 day).
- Savings 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 - this is within the power of anyone who follows the instructions and knows how to hold a screwdriver and a saw in their hands.
disadvantages
- A small thermal inertia of the enclosing structures is characteristic 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 needed - this disadvantage is also inherent in all frame houses.
- Flammability of building envelopes - but it is not higher than that of any wooden buildings.
- Emission during combustion of harmful substances - indeed, during the melting of polystyrene foam, 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 already at concentrations above 200 ppm, and this is an unambiguous signal for urgent evacuation.
- Amenable to rodents - although these animals are bred anywhere, there are cases when, in search of food, rats even gnawed through concrete.
Also on the market are cheaper products with linings 9 mm thick, but they are only suitable for walls and partitions of small one-story buildings.
Differences of the factory SIP panel
- Inaccurate geometry. The shift of the plates relative to each other, the rhomboid or trapezoidal panels are easily detected using a square and a tape measure.
- The use of low-quality OSB with low moisture resistance. Wet the surface of the panel liberally for an hour or two. If the chips begin to flake off, you have a defective product.
- Low bond strength. This is perhaps the main feature of goods produced in a semi-handicraft way. You can check the product only by tearing off one of the plates from the insulation. A high-quality panel is torn not at the seam, but along the foam sheet.
- Execution of the middle part of the panel from fragments of polystyrene foam plates. In order to reduce the amount of waste, artisanal enterprises start cutting insulation, which negatively affects both strength and heat-insulating properties. The joints of the expanded polystyrene boards are easy to see at the ends of the panels.
Step-by-step construction of a house from SIP panels
Foundation
Firms that are engaged in the construction of houses from SIP panels recommend doing that fully meets the concept of a prefabricated building. Piles under a house with an area of up to 150 m² can be installed in two or three days, and with the help of a special installation - in one day; assembling a grillage from a channel or timber strapping will also not take much time.
The force of frost heaving many times exceeds the load from light walls made of SIP panels. In such conditions, pile and insulated shallow foundations work best.
(their most common diameter is 108 mm, length - 2.5 and 3 m) are located under the outer and inner main walls, as well as crossbars (they are needed to reduce the spans of the 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 not determined randomly, but as a result of trial screwing with force measurement: the pile blades must rest on dense soil layers.
To serve for more than 50 years, you need to purchase piles of steel with a thickness of at least 4 mm with cast tips that resist corrosion much better than welded ones; after installation, they should be filled with concrete. One support, including installation, will cost 2400–2700 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 pick up cement-bonded or glass-magnesite sheets (for tiling or stone cladding) or decorative panels on the frame.
The main alternative to a pile-screw foundation is a shallow-depth tape 0.3–0.4 m wide and 0.6–0.8 m high, traditional for summer cottage construction. If you prepare concrete yourself, and not buy it at the factory, then such a foundation will cost a little less pile, but construction time will increase by at least 3 weeks. The key to the reliability of a strip foundation is a correctly made reinforcing cage, it should be designed in accordance with SP 63.13330.2012 (the main requirements are the presence of at least two reinforcing belts and a reinforcement ratio of at least 0.1%). The base of this foundation cannot be erected on heterogeneous soils with quicksand. Lightweight is optimally suited for swampy areas with strongly heaving and weakly bearing soils. The slab is poured over a sand and gravel drainage pad, a layer of extruded polystyrene foam with a thickness of at least 100 mm and a waterproofing substrate. The minimum thickness of the slab is 200 mm, and it must be reinforced with a two-level frame made of a bar with a diameter of 12 mm or more. To protect the walls from water (mainly melted water), a reinforced concrete plinth 0.3–0.5 m high should be erected 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 of steel piles with a grillage from a channel or an 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 piping with rolled waterproofing.
When constructing a floating strip foundation, it makes no sense to go deep into clay soil - it is better to build up the above-ground part, which will serve as a base. The reinforcing cage should be knitted with galvanized wire. Connections must be strong and durable, because the frame must work as a whole throughout the entire life of the foundation.
Walls
Despite the fact that the technology is considered unified, each company and even the team has its own methods of assembling building envelopes - successful and not very successful.
For construction, products of both standard and non-standard sizes are needed - lintels over openings, piers, roof elements, etc. Large companies with their own production line carry out cutting only in the factory. Small firms and "autonomous" teams often cut out the necessary fragments on the site using a circular saw and a foam grater (using this tool, grooves are selected along the perimeter of the panels). With this method, there is a high risk of violation of the geometric dimensions of rooms and openings, the appearance of gaps at the joints of parts.
The construction technology provides for the installation of a hidden frame, the details of which are inserted into the grooves of the panels. For the frame, selective chamber-drying lumber impregnated with an antiseptic composition should be used, and for floor beams it is desirable 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 pulling them together with self-tapping screws without any seam sealing. At the same time, a beam of 150 × 100 mm can be installed in the corners. It seems that this should increase the strength of the box at home, but in practice, such a solution only guarantees the freezing of the corner in a harsh winter.
SIP panels allow you to build buildings of complex configuration - with oblique corners and bay windows. True, at the same time, labor costs and the amount of waste increase, and hence the cost of 1 m2 of house area.
Roof
An attic or semi-attic floor can be built both with the help of SIP panels, and according to 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, polystyrene foam has extremely low water absorption). However, the constant presence of moisture (which may seep through the roofing or enter from below in the form of steam) leads to the destruction of the panel facings (OSB). In addition, at temperatures above 80 ° C, the process of thermal destruction of expanded polystyrene begins.
Therefore, between SIP panels and roofing material, it is necessary to provide a ventilation gap. You can not do without a layer of vapor barrier from 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, girders (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 rack lath is mounted, to which the roofing is attached (for example, profiled steel sheets) or another layer of OSB, which serves as the basis for flexible bituminous tiles.
Only a forced supply and exhaust system with heat recovery, which will provide zonal air exchange, can radically change the situation for the better. The main element of such a system is the recovery unit. For a cottage with an area of about 120 m 2, where a family of three or four people lives, an installation with a capacity of 180-250 m 3 / h is enough, 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 cost of creating hidden cavities for laying ventilation ducts.
Finishing SIP panels
From the inside, the walls of SIP panels are in the vast majority of cases sheathed with drywall, the sheets of which can be attached directly to the internal OSB. The sheathing is made two-layer, providing channels for electrical wiring in the first layer (cables must be placed in protective corrugated pipes or PVC boxes). With the traditional method of installing gypsum boards (using lathing or steel lathing), pipes and cables are laid in cavities under the skin.
Outside, a hinged facade is most often mounted. In addition, plastering is possible, but in order to avoid cracks, it is advisable to use wet facade technology, with wooden planks, composite panels.
The construction market offers modern, more convenient to use, cost-effective, environmentally friendly materials. Thanks to technological progress and high competition, they have affordable prices and good quality. Such modern building materials are sip panels.
Gaining popularity, this is an excellent type of construction of a country house.
What is a sip panel?
The sip panel consists of two OSB boards (oriented strand board, similar to chipboard, but more durable and elastic) and polystyrene foam between them. They are glued with high pressure polyurethane adhesive. Expanded polystyrene is an excellent insulation, does not support combustion and is not affected by moisture.
Plates have different sizes from 9 to 12 cm, expanded polystyrene from 10 to 20 cm. Depending on the thickness of the panel, the material is selected for the floor, for the walls or for the ceiling.
The advantage of SIP material
The advantage of sip panels is:
- ease of installation (there is no need to insulate the walls and sheathe the insulation);
- in lightness;
- at an affordable price;
- the ability to order the desired size and desired shape;
- naturalness and harmlessness, thanks to the wooden surface;
- high noise and heat insulation;
- ease of installation with your own hands;
- fire resistance due to special impregnation.
What are the advantages of structures made of sip panels?
For the construction of a country house, it is advisable to use sip panels. Their main advantage is compactness: with a small thickness they have high thermal insulation, comparable to the thickness of an insulated concrete or brick wall. 
The lightness of this design does not require a reinforced deep foundation, which greatly simplifies the work.
Ease of installation contributes to the rapid construction of a country house and the absence of errors in the design. The presence of individual panels in size and shape speeds up and simplifies the process as much as possible.
The technology of building a country house from sip panels
The construction of a country house with their own hands is available to anyone. First you need to study the technology of construction.
Preparatory stage
Having decided to build a country house from sip panels, you need to contact the organization for their production. There will provide a lot of projects, one of which you can choose and edit according to individual wishes. 
According to the approved project, the manufacturer creates a set of materials of the required sizes and shapes, with each panel marked. Such parts do not require additional processing, trimming, they are simply mounted in place.
For installation, it is necessary to prepare well-dried wooden boards the size of the grooves of sip panels.
Foundation device
For a light frame country house, a strip shallow foundation made of monolithic reinforced concrete is sufficient. To reduce its buoyancy, the base is covered with sand.
The concrete foundation involves laying pipes for communications before pouring concrete. Such a strong, stable foundation has a laborious process. 
An even more time-consuming type of foundation is on screw piles. Requires a special drilling machine. Its advantage is in creating a ventilated cellar, which is important in humid summer cottage conditions.
The foundation is coated with mastic, and a strapping beam is laid on it - the basis for attaching vulture panels. In the corners, the structure is fastened with locks made of grooves and spikes, it is screwed to the foundation with the help of anchors, and it is also treated with waterproofing.
Walling
The construction of the walls of the house occurs in the following sequence:
- A board with a width and thickness corresponding to the groove of the selected panel is laid on the strapping beam around the entire perimeter. Fastened with self-tapping screws, every 15-20 cm. Foamed grooves of the panels will be inserted into it.
- Connecting bars are installed at the corners for joining two panels. The grooves are also processed with a small amount of mounting foam, it should be borne in mind that it expands. After docking.
- Then the remaining panels are joined to the corner elements, the grooves are foamed, the connection is fixed with self-tapping screws.
- After installing all the walls, the upper grooves are foamed, and the upper strapping beam is laid in them.
Roof installation
The roof of the garden building should protect from bad weather and noise, keep warm. These functions perfectly perform sip panels.
For fastening, a roof frame is created with spikes corresponding to the grooves. Thus, the design is assembled very quickly. If the garden shed is large, the construction will require additional beams to hold the panels.
Installation of windows and doors
A garden house built in such a quick way is not subject to shrinkage, and the installation of windows and doors is possible immediately. Installation is possible with your own hands.
To do this, you will need: wedges for leveling, level, fasteners, mounting foam, adhesive tape.
Installation order:
- Windows (doors) are inserted into the finished holes, fixed on the sides with wedges.
- Then the level is checked and adjusted.
- After alignment, you can fix the fasteners to the opening, the free space is foamed.
- The waterproofing film of the window and walls is connected with adhesive tape.
Exterior and interior decoration
Finishing of the structure can begin immediately after the completion of construction. This is important to maintain a presentable appearance. 
The surface of the sip panels is even and smooth - it does not require careful leveling, which will speed up the finishing process. There are even options for varnishing sip panels, which emphasizes the proximity to nature and naturalness.
This building material is suitable for any kind of exterior and interior decoration.
Building a country house with your own hands is much faster and easier if you use modern material. Its cost is paid off not only by ease of installation - saving time, but also subsequent savings on heating costs.
Hello blog readers Traveler's diary. As I promised, we start the report about building a house from SIP / SIP panels. We will tell and show from our own experience what kind of technology it is, its pros and cons, how a house is assembled from SIP / SIP panels ... And of course we will share whether it is possible to build an inexpensive house from SIP / SIP panels in just a month. We will try to meet the construction of a two-story house with an area of 180 sq.m. with a foundation, a roof and windows in 2 million rubles... And in the next article we will leave a review about the company building our house - THERMOVILLE (TERMOVILLA).
CONSTRUCTION COMPLETED!
And here finished projects houses from SIP / SIP panels did not suit us on any site. Something always turned out to be wrong: area, layout, design, cost ... As a result, a schematic plan was drawn up independently and transferred to a construction company to develop an individual, not a finished project.
The result was a project of a house measuring 10 by 9 meters with full two floors, a total area of 180 sq.m and a living area sufficient for a large family with three children. On the ground floor there is a boiler room, an entrance hall, a bathroom, a kitchen, a living room and a bedroom. On the second floor there is a hall, a bathroom and three bedrooms. Plus an attic.
Before the start of construction of the house, electricity was supplied to the site, a building permit was obtained, a sewer septic tank was half-buried and a test screwing of the piles was carried out ... Construction is scheduled for the period from early April to early May.
Well? Are we starting to build a house from SIP / SIP panels?
1 day. pile foundation
A team arrived at the site with three-meter piles for the foundation and a small tractor to screw these piles. Piles are treated with a special anti-corrosion compound. From morning to afternoon, all 25 foundation piles were installed. The piles are cut to level at a height of 40-70 cm from the ground (depending on the unevenness of the site). Cement mortar was poured inside the piles, and head supports were welded on top, on which 200 mm foundation strapping beams will be attached. Several higher piles were additionally fastened together with metal corners welded to them.
A start.
Day 2 Sand
While waiting for the materials and the main team that will build the house from SIP / SIP panels, I started sanding. At the base of the piles under the entire area of the foundation, a geotextile was laid and a layer of sand was covered. These activities have several goals: keeping the foundation dry, preventing plant growth, and protecting against mice and insects.
It took me a lot of time and effort on my own. Finished by lunchtime.
3-4 day. check in
In the morning, a change house, rented for a month, was brought and installed by a KAMAZ-manipulator. A team of three also arrived. "Amenities" are equipped near the change house)
In two days, two trucks of building materials were unloaded and placed on the site: lumber treated with the Senezh antiseptic and a factory "house kit" made of SIP / SIP panels cut according to the construction project. From the highway to the site, the materials were reloaded onto the manipulator and fumbled on it, since the trucks could not get to the site.
After unloading building materials, preparations began for tying the foundation with a bar. I dug a small trench under the foundation for sewer pipes, so that later I would not squirm under the finished house ...
Day 5 Foundation strapping
The binding of the foundation consists in laying 200 mm beams on the pile heads and a roofing felt gasket, leveling and fastening the beams to each other and to the head beams with huge self-tapping screws - "grouse".
After the completion of the piping of the pile foundation, the "basement" SIP / SIP panels of zero overlap with a thickness of 224 mm are treated from below with a primer mastic for waterproofing.
6-7 day. Zero overlap assembly
During the sixth-seventh day, SIP / SIP panels of zero overlap (floor of the first floor) were laid. As I already said, wooden beams are used for interconnection, which are inserted into the grooves of the SIP / SIP panels on the mounting foam and fixed with self-tapping screws. The ends of all SIP / SIP panels along the perimeter were also closed with bars.
Guide bars are attached to the finished floor, which serve as the basis for the walls and partitions of the rooms on the first floor.
8-9 day. Assembly of the first floor
It took the team two days to build walls and partitions from SIP / SIP panels on the ground floor. External walls and almost all partitions (which are load-bearing walls) are made of SIP / SIP panels with a thickness of 174mm. Some non-load-bearing partitions are made of SIP / SIP panels with a thickness of 124mm.
By the evening of the ninth day, it was possible to walk through all the rooms on the first floor and peer through the finished window openings, but there was still sky overhead...
10-12 day. Interfloor assembly
If before that it rained, but occasionally, now, at the most inopportune moment, specific rather heavy rains have been charged every day ... (((We are worried about the dampness that has appeared in the house. The building materials are securely covered, but it is more difficult with the house ... The construction team is trying to cover the house with special "mats" if possible, but it is difficult to do this, especially with walls standing without overlapping.
Due to the rains, the installation of the interfloor ceiling was delayed for three whole days.
For interfloor overlap, as well as for zero overlap, SIP / SIP panels with a thickness of 224mm were used. This maximum thickness should provide floor rigidity as well as acceptable sound insulation.
By the end of the third day of work, the floor was completed. There was only a hole in the kitchen ceiling for the stairs to the second floor. A temporary technical ladder should appear here soon. This is what the house looks like from above:
And this is how our house under construction from SIP / SIP panels looked from the inside with an almost completed ceiling ... Watch the promised video:
Video on YouTube channel:
13-15 day. Assembly of the second floor
The rains continue, which slows down the construction a little... We are waiting for the attic floor to thoroughly cover the house with foil.
In three days, the brigade erected all the walls and partitions of the second floor. The son chose a bedroom for himself) And Lena, who came to the construction site of our house for the first time, chose a bedroom for us )
The construction of the house from SIP / SIP panels is half completed and the building is beginning to take on the look of the house we designed. And this can not but rejoice)
In the coming days, the house should have an attic, stairs, a roof, and windows. Very soon!
16-17 days. Attic floor assembly
The attic floor, which became the ceiling for the second floor, took two days.
Unlike the first and second floors, SIP / SIP panels were used for the attic floor, 174mm thick, not 224mm. For the attic, this is quite enough.
It remains only to close the ends of the attic floor panels with a beam around the entire perimeter ... The construction of our house from SIP / SIP panels is nearing completion!
Day 18 stairs
It has been raining almost every day for a week and a half. It was a real test for our nerves, and for the wet builders, and for the OSB Egger sheets from which the SIP / SIP panels are made.
On that day, it started to rain in the night and went on non-stop all day... In addition, there was no electricity until the evening. Hungry and wet builders had no choice but to drive water from the roof covered with foil, wipe puddles in the house and collect stairs ...
Temporary technical stairs turned out to be surprisingly high quality and strong - both interfloor and entrance on the porch.
19-21 days. Attic
In three days, an attic appeared in our house from SIP / SIP panels.
Mayerlats, beams and rafters for the roof were installed, as well as gables (triangular walls from the ends of the attic).
It remains to lay a vapor barrier, make a crate and cover the house with metal tiles. In addition, it is necessary to install ventilation outlets-pipes on the roof, which should arrive any day ... But the metal front door and all 16 plastic windows have already arrived at the construction site.
22-23 days. door and roof
Our house under construction from SIP / SIP panels now has a metal front door!
And the house now has a metal roof!
With the advent of the May holidays, the sun came, and the rains finally ended! We first came to the site with the whole family and arranged the first barbecues on our site. This turn of events made our builders very happy: kebabs for the May holidays are good! And to finish all the work with the onset of Easter is also right!
By the way, the name of the company building our house from SIP / SIP panels can already be read on the facade. This is - .
24-25 day. Completion and windows
The last two days of building the SIP/SIP house were spent completing the roofing, cleaning the house and grounds, and installing the windows.
The installation of the ventilation outlets was postponed... We were let down by the store - the ordered ventilation outlets (pipes) were brought, and the through holes were successfully forgotten in the company's warehouse. Company team THERMOVILLE completed the installation of the roof and began cleaning the house and territory.
Plastic windows were ordered by us from a third-party company, so as not to carry them 400 km from Moscow. We settled on five-chamber VEKA Softline profiles with double-glazed windows and external lamination. The installation of plastic windows was also carried out by third-party craftsmen.
What is the result? House from SIP / SIP panels from the company was built in 25 days and cost us less than 2 million rubles. This amount included: project development, delivery of building materials, pile foundation, house box (walls, partitions and all three floors are assembled from SIP / SIP panels), a metal roof, a metal front door, plastic windows and technical stairs with all construction and installation works.
The house was created on an individual project. The dimensions of the house are 9x10 meters. Two full floors and a "cold" attic. The area of two floors - 180 sq.m. The total number of VEKA Softline plastic windows is 16 pieces. During the construction of the house, SIP / SIP panels were used from OSB-3 Egger sheets and 25F expanded polystyrene.
Our house, assembled according to the construction technology from SIP / SIP panels, is ready. Ahead - exterior and interior decoration, as well as installation of communications ...
The advantages of pre-fabricated housing from SIP panels are much talked about by the companies that create and implement it. However, the relatively simple technology of building a house from SIP panels, built by oneself, reveals many nuances. They are contained, for example, in matters of creating an optimal foundation design for the construction of SIP or choosing from several existing the most suitable way to connect building elements to each other.
What should you immediately pay attention to
Even at the stage of choosing the size of the future house, the first appears. Indeed, in order to minimize the waste of building materials, it is necessary to take into account the standard width of the SIP panel - 1.25 m. If the development of a house project was ordered from a specialized organization, then expansion gaps will also be included in the construction plan. These are tolerances of 3 mm, which are specially left at the junction of two panels. However, as experience shows, OSB-3 boards, which make up the sheathing of SIP panels, can have quite significant deviations in standard sizes. So, in accordance with the standards, the permissible error is +/- 3 mm per linear meter. In addition, SPI panels from different batches can also differ significantly in linear dimensions, up to 5 mm. This leads to the fact that, for example, one of the 8 panels that make up a 10 m long wall on the plan will have to be cut at the installation site. It is possible, on the contrary, to obtain a gap of 20-30 mm, which is already eliminated by filling with polyurethane foam.
Foundation selection
Structures made of SIP panels are much lighter than walls made of brick or even porous concrete (gas or foam blocks) and, often, they do not require wide, powerful foundations. However, when choosing the type of foundation, it is necessary to focus on the characteristics of the soil. Therefore, houses using the new technology from SIP panels can use the following types of foundations:
1. Reinforced concrete monolithic shallow slab
This is the so-called "Swedish" or "floating" foundation. It is one of the most expensive but most effective bases. It is recommended to use it on weakly bearing unstable soils (swampy, quicksand, peat bogs). At the same time, if a high level of rise or standing of groundwater is noted on the site, then an extensive drainage system should be equipped under the reinforced concrete monolithic slab.
In "floating" foundations, elements of the main engineering communications of the house, layers of insulation, and in some cases heating systems are often placed. Such a design is able to play the role of a heat accumulator and significantly increases the energy efficiency of the entire structure.
The technology for building houses from SIP panels on a slab base allows the construction of two and three-story buildings.
2. Strip foundation
On non-rocky soils, its depth of occurrence may be higher than the level of freezing. If it is planned to equip the basement in the house or the rock adjacent to the base is subject to severe frost heaving, then the base of the foundation is buried below the actual freezing mark. Tape structures, especially reinforced concrete, have a fairly high bearing capacity, so they can be used to build houses of any number of storeys.
3. Pile bored foundation
It is characterized by a laying depth exceeding the level of soil freezing. Installation of SIP panels is carried out on a prefabricated reinforced concrete grillage, which performs the functions of tying piles. Bored supports withstand the weight of structures, which makes it possible to build houses with attics on them.
4. Screw piles
As a strapping, they usually use a prefabricated wooden rand beam. On soils with an average bearing capacity, screw piles can be used in the construction of one-story houses, as well as those with small attics.
Zero level
Before starting the installation of SIP panels, the lower strapping (crown) beam with a section of 100x150 mm is laid on the foundation base. The place of its placement should be reliably waterproofed. For this, bituminous mastic, roofing material (in two layers) or several layers of bituminous paper are used. In addition, the timber itself must be treated with antiseptic and water-repellent compounds. The figure below shows the layout of the strapping on the strip foundation.
IMPORTANT! The installation of the lower beam, the removal of the "zero level", must be approached with special responsibility. Not only the ease of subsequent assembly of SIP panels, but the quality and durability of the entire structure depends on the accuracy of its positioning.
crown mount
The lower beam is fixed to the base with anchor bolts with a diameter of 10-12 mm. They are deepened into concrete by at least 100 mm, installed in increments of 50 cm. The bolts are twisted flush with the surface of the beam. To do this, it is recommended to drill blind holes in the wood - holes larger than the diameter of the bolt head, and use socket wrenches to simplify installation operations. The recesses of the drip can be filled with tar or bitumen, they will help prevent corrosion of the fasteners.
basement tier
The design of the basement tier (floor) consists of wooden logs (bearing frame) and horizontal SIP panels. To assemble it, the first panel is laid on top of the strapping in the corner. A groove is selected in the polystyrene layer along the perimeter of its end part. A SIP key or an insert from a piece of timber 80x200 mm (for SIP 225 mm thick) is laid in the short inner end. Such protruding elements become ridges, to which the next SIP panels are installed with pre-selected grooves.
After assembling the first row, already in its longitudinal end part, a groove is also selected, under the laying of a log from a bar 80x200 mm or doubled from boards 2x40x200 mm. Sparka is made with self-tapping wood screws 75 mm long, screwed in increments of no more than 40 cm. The panels are attached to the logs through OSB-3 facing boards with self-tapping screws 40 mm long with a pitch of 150-200 mm. The final stage in the creation of the basement is the protection (baring) of the outer ends of the SIP panels. They are closed with a board 40x200 mm.
This is what a typical layout of the basement elements looks like:
IMPORTANT! Before laying the panel elements of the basement tier, their lower planes must be treated with bituminous waterproofing mastic.
Sometimes, for the sake of imaginary savings, the technology for building houses from SIP panels is deliberately violated and ordinary boards on logs are used to build the basement. The creation of a heat-insulating barrier is carried out on the basis of expanded clay, poured directly onto the ground along the waterproofing layer. Although this method can be used when installing a strip foundation, however, its effectiveness leaves much to be desired. Good thermal insulation of such a design will require laying additional insulation between the subfloor and the finishing floor, such as foam sheets or mineral wool. This will negate the initial savings, and will eventually prove to be more labor intensive.
Walls
Lower wall trim
After assembling the basement, a beam of the lower wall trim is installed on it in accordance with the plan of the interior. The elements of the lower trim are bars with a width corresponding to the thickness of the expanded polystyrene in the SIP panel and a height of 50-60 mm. A massive timber of this size is not always on sale, and it costs a lot. Therefore, often, instead of it, a composite element is used, recruited from several boards of suitable sizes. The lower harness is fastened with 75 mm self-tapping screws in increments of no more than 40 cm.
When placing a beam, it is necessary to take into account the location of the doors in the interior. For ease of installation, as well as to prevent errors in planning, the timber in the doorways is cut out after the walls are assembled from SIP panels. Therefore, in such places, the lower trim is not screwed to the floor.
Installation of wall panels in a frame way
Wall assembly of houses from SIP panels is carried out in ways similar to those already described for the lower floor. The most common is the frame method, in which the splicing parts are no longer logs, but double racks 40 (50) x150 mm (for SIP 175 mm thick):
- the assembly starts from the corner of the building, placing the first wall element on the strapping beam and aligning its end face flush with the floor slab;
- the panel, from the outer and inner sides, is attracted to the strapping with self-tapping screws (L = 40 mm, pitch - 150 mm);
- a single rack 50x150 mm is laid in the outer vertical end and scrolled through the OSB sheets with self-tapping screws (L = 40 mm);
- along the inner edge of the panel opposite the end of the corner perpendicular wall, a vertical double post (corner spike) is installed. It is attracted by self-tapping screws 8x240 mm with incomplete thread, screwed in from the outer plane of the first wall panel with a pitch of 400 mm;
- the assembly of the corner ends with the docking of a perpendicular panel, scrolled along the corner spike with self-tapping screws 40 mm long. For its tight fit, it is knocked out from the end with a sledgehammer through a gasket made of a board or a bar;
- further ordinary technology for mounting SIP panels involves similar actions - attaching the next section of the wall through a spike rack.
IMPORTANT! In order for the rack to go into the panel to the required depth, a groove is made in polystyrene foam. The strength of the connection of wall elements, as well as the thermal efficiency of the joint, depends on the uniformity of its selection. Therefore, when making a high-quality groove on your own, you should purchase or rent a thermal knife (in the figure below) or a special device for a grinder, consisting of an emphasis and a milling nozzle.
Installation of wall panels in a frameless way
The frameless connection method involves the use of OSB-3 dowels or special thermal inserts, the so-called "splines". They are a narrow fragment of a SIP panel, which fits into the groove of a full-sized panel with its dimensions. Such a frameless assembly technology allows to reduce heat loss through the timber material of the beam, which has a higher thermal conductivity than polystyrene. The SIP panel installation scheme in a frameless way using splines is shown in the figure below. It is optimally suited for the construction of one-story houses.
IMPORTANT! Regardless of the chosen method of installation, the joints of any elements are treated with mounting foam before they are put into place. It helps to achieve absolute tightness of the joints and increase the reliability of the structure as a whole.
After the assembly of the walls of the first floor is completed, the upper ends of the panels are also foamed, and a 40 (50) x 150 mm strapping beam is laid in the foam plastic sample. It scrolls along all OSB sheets with self-tapping screws 40 mm long, and to the frame posts - 75 mm.
Interfloor and attic floors are made similarly to the basement tier, as well as the technology for assembling walls of the second or attic level repeats the installation operations for the walls of the first floor.
Roof structure for the house from SIP panels
Installation of the roof begins with the fixing of load-bearing elements, mauerlats, purlins and ridge, resting on load-bearing walls (in the case of a frameless assembly method) or on the pillars of the structure. The purlins are fixed at the point of contact with the base with two self-tapping screws 8x280 mm.
Next, the truss system is installed. Each rafter at the point of contact with the girders is fixed with self-tapping screws 8x280 mm. Installation of rafters starts from one of the gables. If the roof has a complex multi-pitched structure, then the installation begins with the valleys. Below is a structural diagram of the placement of load-bearing elements of the roofing system.
Important! The truss system of the house is a particularly responsible structure, so it is better to involve experienced assistants for its construction.
Summing up
Assembling a house from SIP panels with your own hands is quite affordable, even for home craftsmen who do not have much experience in the construction of such structures. In extreme cases, you can purchase a ready-made kit (constructor) from a wide range offered by specialized companies. Carefully fitted elements of such a constructor, as well as detailed instructions for assembling a house from SIP panels, make its use more preferable if part or all of the work is planned to be done independently.
