Premier SIPS: Structural Insulated Panels

06/02/2026

If a SIP project goes sideways in the field, trace it back far enough and you'll almost always land on the same place: the shop drawing review.

The shop drawing is the fabrication document. It's what the factory uses to cut every panel. Once it's approved, that's what gets built. Catching a coordination problem before approval is a correction. Catching it after the panels are on site is a change order.

We break down what the shop drawing actually is, how it's different from the panel layout drawing, and why this review step deserves more attention than it usually gets. Read more here: https://hubs.ly/Q04jbK4f0

06/01/2026

Project update from the field.

GQue BBQ is coming to Timnath, CO, and the build is moving right along.

Commercial projects like this are where SIPs construction earns its keep. The building envelope goes up fast, the thermal performance is built in from day one, and operators end up with a tighter, more energy-efficient structure to run year after year. For a restaurant with commercial kitchen loads and HVAC demands, that matters.

SIPs Used: 8-1/4" EPS walls & roof
Architect: Frontline Design
Structural Engineer: Fortis Structural
Contractor: Frontline Construction Group

Learn more about Premier SIPs for commercial construction: https://hubs.ly/Q04jbDCz0

05/30/2026

May's SIPS TIPS is live. This month: what architects need to know before they specify SIPs, and why shop drawing review is the coordination checkpoint that makes or breaks a project.

The problems builders encounter in the field rarely start in the field. This month we go upstream — what architects need to know before they specify Structural Insulated Panels, and why the shop drawing review is the coordination checkpoint that determines whether a project succeeds or fails.

05/29/2026

Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs) just move differently.

Fast installs. Clean lines. High-performance results.

05/28/2026

If you are specifying SIPs for the first time, there is one mistake almost every architect makes early.

They treat SIPs like a product swap. Same design, better insulation.

The problem: that is exactly backwards. SIPs are a building system, and the projects that perform best are designed around that system from schematic design forward.

What decisions need to be made early, what they cost if they are made late, and what the structural engineer needs to know before they begin their work. Read more here about what architects and design professionals need to know before specifying SIPs: https://hubs.ly/Q04j0nnf0

05/27/2026

"How do you run electrical through a SIPs wall?"

It is the question every electrician asks on their first SIP project.

Structural Insulated Panels come with pre-installed horizontal electrical chases built into the panel assembly. Electricians pull wire through the chase and cut small openings for outlet boxes. The structural panel stays intact.

For plumbing, the standard approach is to keep supply and drain lines in interior walls rather than running them through the exterior SIP envelope. That is not unique to SIPs. It is good practice in any well-detailed building envelope.

Where builders sometimes get caught is on timing. In conventional framing, you can move an outlet, add a chase, or reframe an opening after the walls are up. That flexibility is real, but it is not free. It shows up as schedule delays, rework, and coordination gaps between trades.

With SIPs construction, electrical layouts and penetrations are coordinated during the design phase, before panels go into production. That requires more planning upfront. It also means the electrician shows up to a wall that is already ready for them.

The system handles electrical. The shift is in when you plan for it.

→ Five things builders should know before their first SIP project: https://hubs.ly/Q04hh7CK0

05/26/2026

12-1/4" EPS SIP roof panels going up on this custom residence in Port Townsend, WA. R-48. Continuous insulation, no thermal bridging, no attic to vent or air seal separately.

Architect: Guy Huby Design
Contractor: LD Reichert Contractors

05/23/2026

If you have been curious about SIPs but never taken the time to look into how they actually work, this is a good place to start.

Structural Insulated Panels are prefabricated building panels that combine structure, insulation, and air sealing into one engineered system. Two structural OSB facings bonded to a continuous rigid foam core, cut to your exact floor plan before they ship.

The result is a building envelope that goes up faster, performs more consistently, and does not rely on multiple trades to get the insulation and air barrier right after the fact.

The full guide covers how SIPs are manufactured, how they install, how they compare to stick framing, and when they are the right choice for a project.

What are Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs)? Learn how SIP panels work, how they are made, and why builders choose SIP construction for energy efficiency and strength.

05/22/2026

Up to 8’ x 24’ large.

Less pieces. More area covered. Faster dry-in.

No need to frame, insulate, and sheath separately — SIPs arrive ready to install, helping crews move the building envelope along faster and more efficiently.

Now that’s what we call BIG panel energy. 🙌🏼

05/21/2026

"SIPs will rot if moisture ever gets in."

It's one of the most common concerns we hear.

EPS insulation, the solid foam core inside Structural Insulated Panels, does not absorb water. It is not fiberglass batt. It does not wick, hold, or migrate moisture through the core the way cavity insulation does.

Moisture risk in any wall assembly comes from air movement through gaps at transitions. Joints, window openings, penetrations. SIPs construction reduces the number of those gaps and concentrates the ones that remain at predictable, sealable locations.

That does not mean detailing does not matter. It does. Proper joint sealing and transitions at windows and roof connections are critical in any high-performance assembly.

But the claim that a SIPs wall will silently rot from a single leak does not hold up against how these systems actually behave.

→ The full explanation of how SIPs manage moisture: https://hubs.ly/Q04hh4fX0