Building a SIP workshop.

Yeah apologies, you’re right.

As already mentioned SIPS = Structural Insulated Panels

They’re not that prevalent in the UK yet, but with the focus on U-values and air tightness becoming more and more of a focus in house building, and the explosion of people building timber structures in their gardens, they have gained a lot of popularity in recent years.

In a nutshell it’s a sandwich panel, usually OSB on the outer faces, with some kind of rigid insulation in the middle, bonded together under massive pressure and heat. They essentially replace whatever would have formed the structural element of a building whether it be stick framing or masonry, with a near continuous run of insulation within the fabric of the building. The panels have a rebate cut all round the edges that accept either jointing splines (mini sips that are the thickness of the rebate), or timber, which is what attaches the panels together.

The roof sheets are basically the same but with a profiled steel sheet bonded to the outsides instead of OSB. Used extensively in commercial building of warehouses etc.