Our SIP House Build

[rmcelwee]

House looks great -found no garage or outbuilding mentioned?
YMMV item, but an attached garage is a necessary convenience for me, especially later in life.
AFAIK there's a fair amount of rain and some snow there(?)

He mentioned a small outbuilding in one of the posts:

Yes, there will also be a 10x10 ft storage shed that will match the look and feel of the house. It will have a covered roof and porch for a grilling station, and in addition to having a small tool storage and workbench, it will contain our standup freezer.

Our friend with the little apartment says the best thing is you have no possessions. That could be a cool thing. I'm not sure if I could do it but there are a ton of people who do. Reminds me of the guy (was a show on Netflix at one point I think) that only owned what he could carry in a backpack. That is real freedom.

 

[Music Lover]

Reminds me of the guy (was a show on Netflix at one point I think) that only owned what he could carry in a backpack. That is real freedom.

Freedom for some, limiting for others.

It's tough to have a hobby if the only thing you have is a backpack.

 

[rmcelwee]

Freedom for some, limiting for others.

It's tough to have a hobby if the only thing you have is a backpack.

What would I know about that? I have two 30x60 workshops, building a third, and building a 30x30 office in the house (computer lab, etc). That is 6300sqft of space just for me. All I have is hobbies.

 

[JackJester]

I just got back from visiting the house; we're living 2 hours away now, and go over to see the progress every couple of weeks. Our builder also gives us weekly updates with pics using an App called "Buildertrend", which also tracks budget, change orders, payments, etc, so that is nice. We are still not dried in yet; had a bit of rain that prevented the metal roof install this week, but the cold roof is keeping everything dry. Hopefully we'll be dried in before Thanksgiving. They started on the siding and our deck roof is complete. We are using a product called "Lunawood" for the siding and the porch soffits. It is a thermally treated spruce that is essentially water proof and does not require staining or painting. Our goal is to limit the amount of maintenance we have to do on this, the 'last' house of our lives. Here is a link to the Lunawood site, and a video that describes the process of drying and curing the wood. It is is basically tongue and groove for easy intall. It is a nice red-brown color like cedar that will silver up over time. https://lunawood.com/us/

Here's a pic of the Lunawood siding on part of the house. It attaches to a wood lattice, which is attached to the SIPs.

Here's a pic of the Lunawood as a soffit under the deck roof.

Other progress of note is that we have an electrical panel (nicely labled for once in my life, so I don't have to flip circuits and ask DW what that did). We have the heat pump installed as well.
To clarify, we do not have an attached garage. I didn't need one for the last 25 years and didn't see a need for one now. While, it rains here in the PNW of course, we get very little snow, and it is not often that you wish your vehicles are covered to protect them; I have 2 pickup trucks, not a fancy Jaguar. My 'shop' days are behind me (no big wood working table saws or auto mechanic stuff to worry about any more), so the little 10'x10' shed will suffice. Next visit to the house will be in early Dec. Unfortunately things really slow down around Xmas, so I think were realisitically looking at early Feb for a move in day.

 

[street]

Very nice!! Please keep us posted on your progress. Thank You.

 

[skyking1]

Thanks for the update. Lunawood looks interesting and I have some spots that could work with that

 

[NameTaken2]

The Lunawood looks great -apparently you don't plan to coat it and allow it to weather to silver-gray(?)
I'm maintaining 70yr-old stained pine board/batten -ongoing staining and needing to replace some of the most exposed areas due to rot over the last 10yrs has me considering replacing it with a maint-free option.
Haven't got into much research, just considering Hardie or similar. You made me aware of another option.
Therefore, a couple Q's about your Lunawood -if you don't mind!
What's your perspective regarding expected lifespan? This reference says 30yrs untreated: website Lunawood - Delta Millworks. This reference comparing Lunawood to a couple competitors also says 30yrs lifespan, and recommended treatment: https://compositedeckshop.com/blogging/modified-wood-comparison/.
Any concern regarding appearance resulting from uneven weathering due to varying siding exposure?

I'm sure you did a deep dive and researched all options before selecting Lunawood -anything you want to share appreciated!

 

[JoeWras]

The conceptual drawings hint at it, but please tell me the roof will be a hidden fastener standing seam type.

I'm dealing with an exposed fastener metal roof right now and it is one of the biggest building nightmares I've ever experienced. These roofs should be banned in perpetually moist areas like the PNW or SE.

 

[skyking1]

The conceptual drawings hint at it, but please tell me the roof will be a hidden fastener standing seam type.

I'm dealing with an exposed fastener metal roof right now and it is one of the biggest building nightmares I've ever experienced. These roofs should be banned in perpetually moist areas like the PNW or SE.

I never see them around here. My money is on Mechanical joined panels like these CB from Custom Built metals.
They are a major player around here. My houses, neighbor's houses, my brothers house were all SL-100 snap locks because we met the 3:12 pitch requirements. When I say 100 years of experience in my group that is not an exaggeration.

It is already on, perhaps the OP will get us a better picture next time they go out.

 

[JoeWras]

I never see them around here. My money is on Mechanical joined panels like these CB from Custom Built metals.
They are a major player around here. My houses, neighbor's houses, my brothers house were all SL-100 snap locks because we met the 3:12 pitch requirements.

Good. You should not see exposed fastener roofs in PNW. What you describe is the good stuff. Standing seam, hidden fastener, mechanical lock.

We shouldn't see exposed fastener style the SE either, but for some reason certain yahoos put them on houses. They only belong on barns or lean-tos.

It is interesting to read roofer forums about this. They go to war over the subject. What I have gleaned is that the roofers who say "I"ve never had one fail" are typically from the drier, cooler northern regions.

Oh, and BTW, the exposed style is about 1/2 the price. This is why they still get installed. Tempting price.

 

[skyking1]

easy to get in standard lengths and cut on the job site.
standing seam, the process is a truck rolls out, you call down exact measurements, and they cut it perfectly to length.
We slammed on about 3/4 of the roof by the time he had rolled it off.

 

[Sunset]

The conceptual drawings hint at it, but please tell me the roof will be a hidden fastener standing seam type.

I'm dealing with an exposed fastener metal roof right now and it is one of the biggest building nightmares I've ever experienced. These roofs should be banned in perpetually moist areas like the PNW or SE.

Out of interest, are the fastener's on your roof located on the flat part of the metal or on the bump ?

 

[JoeWras]

Out of interest, are the fastener's on your roof located on the flat part of the metal or on the bump ?

Flats.

Oh boy, this is another topic that gets roofers going to war. I can see both sides, but the manufacturers recommend the flats.

You know what topic roofers don't argue much about? Installing shingles. Oh, maybe how to do a valley, but just every day installation? They don't argue. The fact there are so many arguments about exposed fastener metal roofs should have been a warning to the manager of the non-profit who had this installed a while back.

Here's a roofer who addresses the ridge vs flats issue:

When it comes to corrugated metal paneling, one question that always comes up is exactly where to put the screws on the metal roofing in the first place. Many advise that screws should be put in the flats or valleys only, while others swear that the screws should go in the ribs. ... Why do people get so passionate about this subject? Well, the screws-in-the-rib proponents say that putting screws in the flats could subject your metal roof to more potential points of leakage since water is naturally directed to the flat areas. Screws-in-the-flat fans counter by arguing that screws placed in the rib don’t create proper gasket compression due to the presence of a void under the rib. Another potential problem with screwing into the rib is that it presents a higher risk of the screw pulling out during a wind event.

Metal Roof Installation 101 - Tips & Guidelines for Proper Screw Fastening

Metal Roofing Installation 101 - Tips & Guidelines for Proper Screw Fastening

skywalkerroofingnc.com

 

[rmcelwee]

As a data point, our hidden fastner (on the flats - look at the screw holes in the bottom of the panel in the picture) standing seam ended up being about 3X the quoted cost of shingles (materials and labor). We have "tar paper" (really like a plastic sheet), then double bubble, then a roll of black sticky stuff in the drip zones (not sure what the name for the valleys is) under the metal.

 

[JoeWras]

Very nice. Black stuff is usually called "ice and water" shield.

Both roofers I consulted said the same about a good metal standing seam roof being approx 3x shingles.

 

[skyking1]

I am into mine about 10K in materials, including all those fascia and barge board treatments that eliminate painting. It was about 20 squares.
I opted for cool color PVDF paint and 24 Ga metal, both premiums.

 

[B-Guy]

We consider a steel roof every time we need our asphalt roof replaced. Our roof is 49.35 squares. I'll say 50 squares for arguments sake. We also found the cost of a metal roof 3X over asphalt. We just replaced ours at a cost of $25,000 for asphalt. If we had gone with a steel roof at 3X over an asphalt, that would have been $75,000 to replace our roof. Our insurance would only cover replacement of there is physical damage that caused leaking. Cosmetic damage (dents) is not covered, so if dents don't bother you steel in our area may an advantage. Now I'm sure many of you don't live in a hail prone area as we do, so your roof may hold up better in your neck of the woods. I can't see putting a steel roof on our house. YMMV.

 

[Fermion]

I actually quite enjoyed installing the asphalt roof on our house build. Something satisfying about how quickly it starts looking all professional like. I am shocked that a asphalt roof could cost $25,000 though. I think we used maybe $3,000 worth of shingles? $300 of ice barrier and $500 of Titanium 50? 26 different roof slopes.

 

[Music Lover]

I actually quite enjoyed installing the asphalt roof on our house build. Something satisfying about how quickly it starts looking all professional like. I am shocked that a asphalt roof could cost $25,000 though. I think we used maybe $3,000 worth of shingles? $300 of ice barrier and $500 of Titanium 50? 26 different roof slopes.

2000 sq ft between my house and the garage. It cost me $2500 for shingles roof membrane, and shingle nails.

 

[rmcelwee]

2000 sq ft between my house and the garage. It cost me $2500 for shingles roof membrane, and shingle nails.

Our roof was $88,000...

 

[Koolau]

Our roof was $88,000...

Yikes! My first house (new 1500SF ranch) cost a fourth of that!! On an acre.

Times have changed.

 

[Music Lover]

Our roof was $88,000...

That's hard to fathom. How big was the roof and what material?

 

[old medic]

That's hard to fathom. How big was the roof and what material?

We don't have that much in our whole house!
Got an estimate for $12K for shingles and spent $3k for the metal and friends put in on.....

 

[finnski1]

Very nice. Black stuff is usually called "ice and water" shield.

Both roofers I consulted said the same about a good metal standing seam roof being approx 3x shingles.

11 years ago, when I had to reroof, I got a few quotes. The premier roofing company in my area. 16 square roof. Standing seam: $25,000. Architectural shingles: $26,000. I couldn't believe that shingles were more than the metal. Both prices at the time seemed crazy high to me. I was going to do the shingle myself as I had done the original and knew what to do. DW vetoed that, didn't want me on the roof (9/12 pitch) so I had a friend of my brothers who was a commercial roofer during the week and residential roof moonlighter on the weekends do it. $4200 in high quality shingles, underlayment etc. $4200 in labor. Still looking new 11 years later.

 

[rmcelwee]

That's hard to fathom. How big was the roof and what material?

Metal standing seam with a tall pitch and hip roofs on 5500sqft.