This is a great way to build an insulated barn. Using CES 4’ high Frost Walls buried in the ground 3’ and sticking above the concrete floor 1’ is a good way to insulate your floor and the building from frost transfer through the concrete. The 6 1/2 Frost walls install very fast and also keep frost and cold from getting under the slab that is poured inside the walls.
The upper walls are 6 ½” Insulspan SIP’s RTA (ready to assemble). All windows are bucked out and even the electrical box holes are cut out. The roof is a truss roof with 15” of cellulose blown in.

A note from Dennis:
Hello again to everyone at C.E.S.

All of you that assisted me so greatly with my barn project know that this is something I had been forming in my mind for more than a few years. I had a problem figuring out how to go from the ideas in my mind, to building an energy efficient, functional, and user friendly structure. I am glad to say you have successfully solved these problems for me! Since the first time I visited you (06/01/07) and started discussing the design with Bobbi, Will, and Joe, you have all been very helpful. You were able to take my thoughts, wants and most importantly my needs and transfer these to prints and create my barn.

This year at the end of May when I started the construction of the foundation, I really appreciated the skillful help, and direction from your supervisor Orlie. I am not a skilled carpenter by trade (as Orlie and Will know only too well!!) but with their direction and patience, my dream barn was underway. Once the frost walls were in, I installed the PEX tubing (over 4,000’) for the radiant floor heat in the insulated concrete floor (by your frost walls) of the main building. After the cement had been poured, Orlie and Will then assisted me in getting the wall panels, space joists, and second story walls and trusses set. My barn structure was up by the end of July.

I am glad I took the advice you gave me and went with the R.T.A. walls. This made the window installation just plain simple. Many of the windows actually needed no shims; the window openings were plumb and square, as is the rest of the structure. I just slid the windows in, checked everything one last time and got busy nailing. I installed all the windows (all second story windows) and the slider in just a few hours. I spent more time moving the scissor lift around the barn than actually installing the windows!!

In closing, I would like to thank all the individuals at this organization that assisted me so greatly. With your help, my barn became a reality. Everyone who has been to our cabin and seen this structure is amazed at what I have built. Everyone is truly impressed with the unique green friendly design, the attention to energy efficiency, and the over all quality of the construction. I thank you all once again.

Best regards,
Dennis Sprick

Jeff and Deb Stauffer decided to be their own general contractors on a new home to be built near Mecosta, MI. They contracted with Controlled Environment Structures (CES) to design and rough in the house. The first challenge was building on a surface that was only 2’ 4” above the water table. After a soil engineer approved the grade conditions, our structural engineer designed a custom concrete shallow footing. It had bearing 1’ above the water table, but was insulated with R-5 expanded polystyrene (EPS) insulation, which compensates for the lack of typical 42” depth of a conventional uninsulated footing.

The second challenge was the uneven backfill demands on the structure. The house was to be built on a 9’ wood basement with backfilling on only one side. The design was not conducive to interior shear walls to compensate for the lopsided pressures, so CES designed a system using large buried EPS foam blocks on the backfilled side of the basement to greatly reduce the horizontal pressure of the grade. When completed, the basement contained a sunken theatre room.

CES provided an innovative open web floor truss system from Space Joist. The zigzag web members are all recycled steel and result in consistent dimensional accuracy, excellent strength, environmental regard, and lots of open space for mechanical, plumbing, and electrical to be channeled through. That last feature saves labor and money because those trades don’t have to cut numerous holes in the typical solid webbing of wood I-beam type floor joists.

The main and upper floor exterior walls were constructed of 6 ½” Insulspan structural insulated panels (SIPs) in the ready-to-assemble (RTA) format, which makes an already rapid installation considerably faster. The house area was topped with standard trusses, but spray foam was applied to the underside of the roof sheeting to retain maximum thermal effectiveness of the house shell. The bonus room over the garage employed 10 ¼” Insulspan roof SIPs with the dormer prefabricated at their factory.

Thermally efficient BuiltBest windows were purchased through CES and the house was covered in Insulspan’s brand of housewrap for its superior quality. The home’s living space adds up to 8,600 square feet, plus an under garage storage area and screened porch off the lower level. The Stauffers will enjoy the place for a long time to come, not just because it’s designed for their wishes, but because it’s been built for their needs of long term durability and economy.

The Stauffer’s Finished Home and Garage

In April 2007, CES got a call from Kuntry Lumber in northern Indiana, asking for a representative to come down and address a team of educators for the Four County Area Vocational Cooperative. Renny Schoonmaker went and met with the group which was planning on building a spec house later in the year. However, the project was to be unique in two major ways. First, it was to be constructed by high school students across the four county area, and secondly, it was to make a quantum leap in energy efficiency. They were after performance that would be in a whole different category than conventional standards. Insulspan structural insulated panels (SIPs) were presented, scrutinized, and ultimately were chosen as the medium for the house walls. This was to be a Touchtone Energy Home, which loosely translated, is an EnergyStar home using no fossil fuels, only electrical energy with a “smart home” systems in operation. The REMC Power Company would regard the project as a test case, intending to monitor performance of the house for the first year of occupancy. When completed, it would be one of only three such endeavors to be built in northeast Indiana. Each of the three was free to choose design and components that would maximize “green” priorities.

Over the summer months, the Cooperative wrung out a design, finalized all the necessary dimensions and in the fall, panels were designed by CES, ordered and delivered to the site near Kendallville, IN. This was no small, four walled cabin, but a full scale custom home with contours and interest, involving around 3,000 square feet of living space between the walkout lower level and main floor. It’s located west of town in the upscale Cobblestone community near the golf course, and before building began, it lost its spec home status. It was pre-bought by a couple with a vision for exceptional building standards, and long term durability and economy.

The walkout level was a mix of insulated concrete forms below grade and Insulspan panels in areas of full wall height exposure. Blending systems and getting the right fit can be challenging, but when the students finished the installation, their instructor, Chris Weber, was very enthusiastic about the precision and ease of installation as panels dropped into place. The main level was more of the same, and garnered similar reactions from those involved.

Renny from CES was present one day to observe progress and take pictures at the early stages of the main level. In a two hour period, which lost half an hour to setup and cleanup, and in the midst of a frigid wind, the students installed, secured, and sealed six wall panels. That’s about one every 15 minutes by a team of high school students that are neither paid nor long in experience. And they didn’t need to later sheet or insulate the wall; once they placed it, it was done. They were impressed with the panel system and Renny was impressed with them!

The best impressions are yet to be realized. The Cooperative hopes to have a grand opening celebration in May 2008, after which the new owners move in. That’s when the electric meter will start running up a tab, the interior comfort levels will be tested, and REMC Power Company will start collecting data. At CES, we’re not at all concerned about the results; we already know they’ll be very impressive. That isn’t the voice of arrogance, it’s simply the echo of history. How would you like to give this technology a chance to impress you too?

John Lewis, a Greenville, MI based attorney, and his wife Dawn had a growing vision to give back to the community of people around them. They wanted to build a new home, but wanted it to be large enough and designed in such a way as to double as a refuge that others could use for spiritual retreats. They teamed up with Controlled Environment Structures (CES) to develop a suitable design that would be practical for the intended usage, attractive to the eye, and be both energy efficient and environmentally responsible.

After over a year of creative thinking and revision, the design was brought to completion. Besides providing John and Dawn with a homestead, it also included 24’ wide wings containing a generous great room, a large meeting room, nine guest bedrooms with their own individual bathrooms, five fireplaces, cathedral ceilings on upper levels, log trusses, wide plank pine floors, and a cedar plank interior throughout, giving it the feel of an Adirondack lodge. The structure has cedar log covered porches all around it that allow great views of the Flat River on which the property borders.

Underneath that beautiful log home appeal lie technological advances that are anything but rustic. The foundation is CES pressure treated stress-skin frost wall panel, buried 36” and nestled on 8” of P-stone. Exterior walls are Insulspan’s 6 ½” structural insulated panels (SIPs) in their ready-to-assemble (RTA) format. The 10 ¼” roof panel system was designed and manufactured at Insulspan’s facility with all dormers and compound bevels precut at the factory. The installation time to set the beams, panels, and dormers of this sizeable and complex roof area was less than four days.

Aluminum clad wood windows from BuiltBest were supplied through CES, and are argon filled double pane glazing with low-e glass to maximize thermal efficiency. Heat is supplied from radiant floor systems, and the indoor air quality is superb due to the twin heat recovery ventilators (HRVs) CES provided from the Lifebreath manufacturer in Canada.

In the end, advanced technologies discreetly hidden within the surface appointments of the home yield an exceptionally high performance system without intruding on any of the traditional charm and appeal of what is seen and experienced in the home. The Lewises have found the best of both worlds.

Premiere Home Show GGRHBA
The Delta Plex, 2500 Turner NW, Walker (Grand Rapids) MI
January 30 & January 31

Home Builders Expo 2009 HBA Grand Traverse Area
Traverse City East Junior High School, Traverse City MI
February 14 & February 15

2009 Midland Home and Garden Show HBA of Midland
Hangtime Sports, 1321 E. Wackerly Rd., Midland MI
March 6 – March 8

Home Expo 2009 HBA of Central Michigan
Mt. Pleasant, Indoor Athletic Complex, East Campus Dr., Mt. Pleasant MI
March 13 – March 15

Cottage & Lakefront Living Show 2009
DeVos Place, Grand Rapids MI
March 27 – March 29

All of you that assisted me so greatly with my barn project know that this is something I had been forming in my mind for more than a few years. I had a problem figuring out how to go from the ideas in my mind, to building an energy efficient, functional, and user friendly structure. I am glad to say you have successfully solved these problems for me! Since the first time I visited you (06/01/07) and started discussing the design with Bobbi, Will, and Joe, you have all been very helpful. You were able to take my thoughts, wants and most importantly my needs and transfer these to prints and create my barn.

This year at the end of May when I started the construction of the foundation, I really appreciated the skillful help, and direction from your supervisor Orlie. I am not a skilled carpenter by trade (as Orlie and Will know only too well!!) but with their direction and patience, my dream barn was underway. Once the frost walls were in, I installed the PEX tubing (over 4,000’) for the radiant floor heat in the insulated concrete floor (by your frost walls) of the main building. After the cement had been poured, Orlie and Will then assisted me in getting the wall panels, space joists, and second story walls and trusses set. My barn structure was up by the end of July.

I am glad I took the advice you gave me and went with the R.T.A. walls. This made the window installation just plain simple. Many of the windows actually needed no shims; the window openings were plumb and square, as is the rest of the structure. I just slid the windows in, checked everything one last time and got busy nailing. I installed all the windows (all second story windows) and the slider in just a few hours. I spent more time moving the scissor lift around the barn than actually installing the windows!!

In closing, I would like to thank all the individuals at this organization that assisted me so greatly. With your help, my barn became a reality. Everyone who has been to our cabin and seen this structure is amazed at what I have built. Everyone is truly impressed with the unique green friendly design, the attention to energy efficiency, and the over all quality of the construction. I thank you all once again.

Best regards,
Dennis Sprick

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Joe,

Last week we had our House Blessing / Warming and I now consider the home done. What an experience it was, as I survey the result I can hardly believe I did it. Looking back I cannot see how it could have been accomplished without the assistance you and the other staff at CES provided. From the beginning of the project to the end you were there for me, day, evening, and weekends. As you know I seriously considered other West Michigan suppliers.
Even though CES was a bit more expensive, on paper at least, you won my business because I was convinced that you were being honest with me in every regard. Particularly I believed you when you said you would support me as an owner/builder. What would it have cost me in dollars and frustration to be stalled for a day or weekend while I waited for a call back from a less support minded company? I don’t even want to think about it, just thanks for taking those calls. Our utility bills are proving to be another instance where your claims proved true. If I ever ever get the fire to do it again, there is no one I would consider other than you and CES. Feel free to share this with others or even send doubters over to kick the tires. I love to show my home and tell my story.

Best Regards,

Jeff Zack

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Dear CES,

This is just a note telling you how very satisfied we are with our home. It is very economical. We have been living in it for nine years. In that time period we have made at least four or five mortgage payments just from the propane we saved. We had some hesitation about building this type of construction but nine years later I would’t do it any other way. I recommend this type of construction to anyone who would like to save substantial money on utilities.

Bill and Lou McDonald
Gowen, MI

The McDonald home has a 6 ½” stress skin foundation, 6 ½” SIP walls and 8 ¼” SIP roof.

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Joe,

We just wanted to drop you a note letting you know what Julie and I think about our panel built basement. It is our feeling that the price difference compared to concrete has been paid off in just the first 2 years. The savings comes from the price of heating and that there was little expense in finishing the walls. Now we are enjoying the comfort of our panel built home and look forward to doing business with you in the future.

Thanks,
Scott & Julie Reed

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CES,

We have owned 10 different homes, all in states with similar weather conditions as Michigan. States like New York, northern Ohio, northern Illinois and Wisconsin. We built our retirement home here in Michigan using “Insulspan Panels” on all levels of the home.

Like most people who have not lived in an all “Insulspan Panel” home, we questioned using panels on the lower walk out level. Our experience has been just what we were advised that it would be, the most comfortable lower level that we have ever owned.

We are extremely pleased with our “Insulspan Panel” home. It is the most comfortable, efficient home that we have owned and since it is our retirement home, that is important to us.

John and Geri Johansen
Michigan

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15 Aug. 2004

Dear Joe,

Our 3600 sq .ft. stressed-skin-panel home was built in 1994. A small, natural gas hot water boiler heats the home and domestic hot water, There arc no drafts or cold spots anywhere in the house or basement The high R-value also keeps the interior cool in hot weather. Outside noise is greatly reduced. Our heating bills are always low.

For example, the natural gas bill for January 2004 was $103.40 and the July 2004 gas bill was $29.05 (all for domestic hot water). That means the monthly heating cost for January 2004 was $74.35. We strongly recommend this type of construction based on our ten years of year around comfort and money saving experience.

Frank & Rosemary Andersen
Montague, Michigan

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Dear CES,

I live in a SIP home built in 1996 by CES. It is a raised ranch with a stress skin foundation that we are using for living space. We have a large family with two bedrooms on the lower level and two bedrooms on the main level with a total square footage of about 1700 sq ft. We heat our home on natural gas for about $25 per month in the winter months.

Don Schmeltzer
Greenville, Mi

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Dear CES,

CES built my SIP home in 1991. It has a 6 ½’ stress skin foundation, 6 ½” SIP walls and a 10” SIP roof system. My home has about 3200 sq ft and is heated with natural gas. My winter heat bill runs between $250 and $300 per year. CES has also designed and built two office buildings and a cottage for me using SIP’s. It is the only way to build.

Scott Crumbaugh
Ithaca, Mi

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CES,

Joe Ellsworth and Don Hogle helped me build my house in 1999. They worked with me and I did most of the finish work my self (plumbing, heating, siding, shingles etc. They were always available and willing to help. I have propane and it now runs about 900.00 a year for heating, cooking and hot water. I am very happy with my house and with CES.

Russ Harmelink
Gowen, Mi

Jeff Zach‘s project utilizes the CES SIP foundation with foam insulation under the concrete basement floor. The upper walls are 6 ½” Insulspan SIP’s and the roof is 10 ¼” SIP’s supported with a laminated ridge beam. The entire house heating and all the DHW are supplied by a Rannai on demand water heater pumped through a LifeBreath Clean Air Furnace that also exchanges the air in the house. This system was also purchased through CES.

The combination of the SIP home and the correct HVAC system for energy efficient homes gives Jeff not only very low utility bills but also a great comfort level.

Enjoy the View

The efficiency of Insulspan Structural Insulated Panels used for the walls and roof allow the owners of this lovely Muskegon Michigan house to enjoy a warm home without high energy bills.
Rear view of house in Muskegon Michigan

In Harmony with Nature

Those of you who appreciate the great outdoors can now enjoy the comfort of your home guilt-free. With a SIP wall system and a Life Breath HVAC system, your new home will produce less pollution. Also with your decreased fossil fuel consumption, it’s easy to see that even Mother Nature would be in love with a CES home.
Front view of house in Muskegon Michigan

Let It Snow, Let It Snow

Homes made with Insulspan Structural Insulated Panels are so efficient that the hot water from your Water Heater circulated through our LifeBreath Clean Air Furnace is enough to keep your home warm in the winter - even in Michigan.

All Styles

This contempory house shows that even unique roof designs are possible with its unique curved roof made out of panels. Form and function shine in this home.

Loves his home

This home is so warm and comfortable that the owner has referred many people to look at a SIP home. This home is near Maple City, Michigan

Another Lake Home

Located on Murry Lake this unquie SIP window wall design gives a beautiful view of the lake without sacrificing energy savings and comfort.

Wide open spaces in American Anchor Marine Supplies

This is the interior of American Anchor which has a lot of space with a panel system for commerical buildings. This commerical building in Newago is highly energy efficient making it easy to heat and cool. With heat bills compared to a house instead of a large commerical building, allows lower overhead for the owner which leads to better deals to the customers.

Beautiful Comtemporary Home

This home’s interior has all vaulted ceilings with wide open spaces. It only requries heat from the water heater and a small 1 Ton AC unit for cooling. The utitly bills quickly pay for the little extra cost for the SIP panels and keeps on saving money year after year. This is located near Texas Corner near Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Country Home near Chase, Michigan

Overlooking a pond in the country with a large Stress Skin Wood Foundation walkout allows lower level comfort at the same level of the main level. A large Vaulted ceiling in the living and kitchen area has a great comfort level which makes this a dream home to live in.

Located over Looking a Pond with a Walkout Basement

This home is a beautiful ranch looking over a pond is a full CES package home. It has a full Stress Skin Wood Foundation walk out, main level is all SIP panel construction and a SIP roof. Easy to heat and maintain with a Clean Air Furance it is a healthy home with fresh air coming in all the time. This is located in Gowen, Michigan

Wood foundations provide more actual living space in basements. A Wood Foundation is easier to finish inside than a conventional foundation, and since it is more livable, your wood basement will become and integral part of your home.

Stress Skin Permanent Wood Foundation walls are engineered to absorb and distribute loads and stresses that frequently crack and split other types of foundations. They are designed to prevent the kinds of moisture problems that plague conventional basements by incorporating several integral moisture deflection and diversion techniques.

Build with More Comfort

Wood foundation basements have all the livability of an above-ground room. Real wood construction lends a feeling of warmth as opposed to the musty, damp feeling usually associated with basements.

Structural and Durability Analysis

All lumber used in Permanent Wood Foundations is treated specifically for foundation applications. It has a much higher preservative retention level than standard “deck material” or treated landscape timbers which gives it a life expectancy at least equal to that of the structure above. Wood foundations also withstand severe decay and termite conditions in tests done by Federal agencies.

The permanent wood foundation is the result of extensive design and engineering analysis by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, the National Forest Products Association, and the National Association of Home Builders Research Foundation. Additional in-ground structural testing has been conducted by the American Plywood Association. Durability of the system was demonstrated in long-term tests conducted by the Forest Service.*
*1985 Wood Products Promotion Council

Basement Panel Detail

Typical Panel Construction

The Insulspan SIP system is a key component in building construction that will reduce energy costs and provide a strong, secure building envelope.

For over 30 years, Insulspan has been leading the industry in the development and manufacture of structural insulated panels. With knowledge and experience as well as the use of industry-leading technology production equipment, Insulspan is the best choice for projects of any size

The Insulspan SIP System is an industry leading ready-to-assemble (RTA) system that gives builders a real competitive edge over traditional stick frame construction. The RTA process reduces construction time and improves efficiency. Blueprints for your home are loaded into our computerized factory equipment where Insulspan SIPs are manufactured to your exact specifications, then delivered to your location as a ready-to-assemble building system.

Insulspan is known for its high performance, state of the art, quality products.

Professional on-site expertise is provided with every “Ready-To-Assemble” system we deliver.

In addition to residential structures Insulspan has also been involved with numerous commercial projects including McDonalds, Pizza Hut, a Harley Davidson show room, resort cabins, clubhouses, and office buildings.

rust the most recognized brand name in the industry.

The Insulspan SIP System has long been a leading brand name in the United States and has been featured regularly on such television shows as “This Old House” and “Bob Vila’s Home Again”. In addition, Insulspan has won many design awards since it began operations over twenty-five years ago, including the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Building Systems Council 2004 Excellence in Home Design Award.

In a recent national building industry survey, Insulspan was rated the number one Brand Leader in the structural insulated panel industry. According to the survey, 66% of builders found Insulspan to be the most preferred and recognized brand of SIP.

Consumers benefit from the energy efficiency and affordability of structural insulated panels. The Insulspan SIP System offers healthier homes, reduced energy costs, higher appraisals, and lower mortgage rates.

The Insulspan ready-to-assemble SIP package featured in the “Not So Big Show House” designed by Sarah Susanka will be exhibited during and after the 2005 NAHB show.

Sarah Susanka, a well known architect and author of (the book?) “The Not So Big House” and associated volumes on this theme says, “Frank Baker and I have been working together on sustainable homes for many years. I love to use Insulspan SIPS in my designs”.

The Highest Performing BUILDING SYSTEM is an integration of the Insulspan SIPs and CES Stress Skin Panel Foundation. These products are combined together as roof, wall, foundation and floor components. The result is a completely insulated building envelope that is extremely energy efficient, very durable, and wonderfully quiet and comfortable to live in.

Energy Efficiency and Comfort
The Insulspan SIP system decreases cooling and heating costs even more than their high R-rating would seem to indicate, because they form a solid thermal envelope around the structure using less dimensional lumber for wood studs, sills and headers than typical stick frame construction,. This substantially reduces air infiltration compared with conventional construction techniques. The solid core of EPS insulation in an Insulspan SIP also eliminates the convection looping that can occur in typical stick frame construction as a result of gaps and spaces within batt insulation placed between studs. The resulting energy efficiency provided by the Insulspan SIP system generally allows heating and cooling equipment to be downsized, reducing initial capital costs and operating costs.

Reduced Air Leakage
Air leakage is one of the biggest sources of energy loss in most buildings. Even when the level of R-value for fibrous insulation in traditional stick frame construction is increased, energy performance expectations are rarely realized due to air leakage. Air leakage test procedures are often used to determine the energy efficiency of new building construction. The air leakage rate for building construction is quantified in terms of the number of air changes per hour (acph). An air change is defined as one air volume change. Air leakage rates vary widely for different types of house construction with values of 0.2 acph or lower achievable for energy efficient house construction. In addition to providing wall and roof assemblies with higher effective thermal resistance values the “closed cavity” design provided by the Insulspan SIP System can result in a building with significantly lower air leakage.

Effective Thermal Resistance
The Insulspan SIP System provides wall and roof assemblies with higher effective thermal resistance (R-Value) than typical stick-frame construction. The R-Value of an assembly is a measure of its ability to resist heat flow through it. The higher the R-Value of your wall assembly, the lower your energy costs for heating and cooling your home.

Structural Integrity
The Insulspan SIP System is designed to provide building owners with long-term strength, safety and security. Design charts for wind, snow and seismic load resistance capacity have been prepared using a proprietary reliability-based computer model with benchmark testing conducted to produce design values meeting reliability targets required by the International Residential Code (IRC) and International Building Code (IBC) in the United States and the National Building Code (NBC) of Canada .

To ensure consistent performance, the panel manufacturing process is monitored by a third party certification agency as part of the stringent in-plant quality control process developed to assure panels meet long-term requirements as a structural component.

Building Code Compliance
The Insulspan SIP system meets Code requirements for residential and commercial applications. Test results and assessments confirm compliance with Code requirements for structural design, heat transfer, air leakage and condensation control. See the Insulspan ICC-ES Code Report NER 520 for additional information.