One SIP at a Time | R•Home by Richmond Magazine
Kristel Poole
Using an energy-efficient construction method to save money — and the planet
By Jason Tesauro, October 25, 2016
Have you driven by yet? There be concrete on that thar Church Hill! The backhoe scooped out its first bucketful of backyard in July, a solid three months later than the most conservative estimate of when we’d actually break ground. But, who cares? It’s happening. With the foundation finally laid, our walls and structure promise to fly quickly up. Word on the street is that we’ll be under roof in under a month. Here’s why.
During the 1933 World’s Fair in Chicago, the “Florida Tropical House” was built on the shores of Lake Michigan. Plans called for limestone, clay and poured concrete. This Modernist design wowed crowds in the Fair’s “Homes of Tomorrow” exhibition. Eighty-three years later, concrete dwellings are commonplace, but “non-standard construction methods,” as the city of Richmond calls them, continue to evolve. We’ve decided to build our home out of one of these methods. SIPs (structured insulated panels) is not yet a household name, but it soon will be.