So I am building a new house for myself in New Orleans. I don't have too much money to do this and the house isn't going to be large. I here so much talk about green building materials and the one that has caught my attention is Structurally Insulated Panels. I don't know that much about them, but it seems like a great way to build a house quickly and with high quality. Does anyone here have experience with SIPs either constructing or living in a SIPs home?

From what I have heard, SIPS houses are pretty inexpensive to build seeing as how the panels are pre-manufactured to the right size and shape and assembled on-site. Other than that i am in the same boat as you when it comes to hearing more about SIPs.

SIPS have a higher upfront cost than standard stick building, but the money you save with insulation and ease of installation, you can easily make back your money in a short period. As this building technique becomes more widespread, you will probably see a reduction in cost and more people opting to go with SIPs.

Structurally Insulated Panels are a solid improvement in building technology. While not a standard building technique, I feel that they have the potential to replace stick built homes in the next decade. I have been in a few homes that used SIPs, but never one that relied on SIPs for all major components (floors, walls, roof).

I would see if you can find a local contractor with some experience and see if you can't get a tour of one under construction or talk to an owner and see for yourself. There really isn't much of a difference with the finished home, other than performance, but that is where the benefit is isn't it.

So am I right that I may not save much money if any at all when going with SIPs. I was hoping that it might be a cheaper form of construction. What can I do to save money on the house then. I still want to go with SIPs but if they aren't going to bring the cost down significantly, then I have to find another set of cost saving measures.

Can the do it yourselfer work with SIPs or is this one of those things that a larger contractor has to install?

Unless you have some heavy equipment and some experience with placing large panels, I would say that SIPs are definitely not a do-it-yourself operation.

I suppose with the right help and some inginuity you could pull of SIPs without a contractor, but I don't know of anyone who has done it. I definitely say that you will want to hire out this work.

Does anyone here live in a SIPs home?