Great Island Boat Yard’s Energy Efficient Timber Frame

Are you wondering what those panels with the pink in the middle are? Well, they are not giant strawberry sandwiches!

Our Houses & Barns crew has successfully installed Structural Insulated Panels, better known as SIPs, to the Great Island Boat Yard timber frame. This is a very important step during the building process of all John Libby timber frame structures because they insure energy efficiency and airtight construction.

SIPs form an airtight seal, which helps stop air infiltration. Researchers have found SIPs to be 50% more energy efficient compared to traditional stick-framed construction. A house built with these panels may reap financial rewards from tax credits to heating cost reductions.  Even though they are pink or blue on the inside, they are “Green” in the long run!

SIPs are constructed by pairing 2 composite wood panels (OSB) on the outside of rigid insulation, forming a skin with a foam interior consisting of expanded polystyrene foam (EPS), extruded polystyrene foam (XPS) or polyurethane material. These panels are a strong structural alternative to conventional framing and may be used for roof, wall and ceiling sheathing. They are available in panels that are 8 to 24 feet long and 4 feet wide, with a standard insulation thickness of 4.5 to 8 inches achieving R-values (resistance to heat loss rating) of 27 to 38.

If dry wall is the preferred interior finish, SIPs can be manufactured with a dry wall layer on the interior. In the case of the Great Island Boat Yard project, we have primed and painted the drywall in our shop prior to installation.

Let the energy-saving begin!

Great Island Boat Yard Project

“I know the price of success: dedication, hard work, and an unremitting devotion to the things you want to see happen.”

-Frank Lloyd Wright

Frank couldn’t have said it better. His words hit close to home for our team here at Houses & Barns; perfectly depicting our purpose and enthusiasm for our most recent work with the Great Island Boat Yard. The Boat Yard burned down last November as the result of an electrical fire, destroying the 2,000 square foot building. Since January, our team has been working on both the design and construction of the new timber frame structure.

Now that spring has officially arrived and the warm sunshine has given us a whole new level of energy, our progress has picked up quite a bit. The project is really coming together and has been gaining more supporters and recently was even featured on Channel 6 News: To see the full story, click here

During these past few weeks our crew has been working long hours to get the frame up and the main structure built. We are happy to report that the timber frame structure is now complete, the main walls are framed and sheathed, structural insulated panels are installed on the roof, and we are currently in the process of installing the septic system.

We will keep you posted on the Boat Yard project, as well as others that come along. Don’t forget to check back in with us later this week!

Great Island Boat Yard Timber Frame Raising

Below are a few photos of our team raising the Great Island Boat Yard timber frame: