Building Shell

Timber frame structures need to be enclosed, and the most common and energy-efficient way to do so is with SIPS (structural insulated panel systems) for both the walls and the roof. These panels of foam sandwiched between two sheets of OSB (oriented strand board) provide structural strength and extremely high R-values: typically R25 or more in walls and R40 or more in the roof. The panels can be supplied in 4 ft, 8 ft or 10 ft by 24 ft sections with all door and window openings pre-cut, and with T&G board or sheetrock pre-installed on the ceiling side for the roof, or sheetrock on the interior walls. This speeds the installation process enormously, and cuts down on labor.

There has also been a strong trend towards building exterior walls with natural materials such as straw bales, chopped straw and clay, and pounded earth. We are able to accommodate these alternative approaches in our designs.

Log structures do not, of course, require an enclosing wall, but we do still provide a roof package of timber or log trusses and SIPS.