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I have been doing a little reading on Structural Insulated Panels. I can find lots of information about how to use them, and all their benefits around energy efficiency. But there are a few concerns I have that I can not find a single reference to. I was hoping maybe someone here has some input.
1) I am thinking about down the road here. As anyone who lives in an older house knows, houses go through changes. Rooms are changed around, additions put up, kitchens redone, etc. Given the structural element of SIPS, how does this limit the ability of the owner down the road to change the building - for instance adding an addition, moving cabinets, maybe raising the roof? It seems like there will be more concerns because of the panels. Not to mention, what if you buy a house that was built with SIPs? How do you know how it was put together, and where things like chases, etc. are located?
2) Which brings me to the issue of running wires and other services. At some point things are going to change, and you will need to rerun wires, or maybe add a new wire or service. How easy is that to do with SIPs construction?
3) Thinking about fire safety - what happens when all that foam starts melting/burning? Is that going to be a toxic nightmare? And assuming it is a smallish fire, what will happen to the rest of the hose structurally - does that mean just a small fire is going to require a total rebuild of the house?
In regards to your thoughts on future plans- there's really no one answer. Can it be done? Sure. Is it easy? Well, it depends. Size, scope of work, related structure(s). Best advice, plan ahead as best as possible.
To me electrical is relatively easy- if the house is on a basement/crawl you have the ability to come up or down- as with a house on a slab only down. SIPS manufacturers usually have at least one vertical shaft/chase per panel, along with one at 18"AFF and one at 44-48"AFF- that takes care of the majority of recepticles and switches. If something needs to be added as a afterthought electricians can add vertical chase(s) with a process called "hot balling".
Plumbing would probably be the biggest pain- but considering that most plumbers know better than to put plumbing (especially supplies) in exterior walls I say, "what problem?".
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