 n addition to the materials we supply with our component package, we recommend the following materials and will specify them in your building plans if you so choose.
 INSULATED CONCRETE FORMS (ICFs)
Conventional homes are usually built with poured concrete stem walls. Builders insulate them by laying rigid polystyrene sheets along the exterior vertical surface. This is difficult to do well, because it is not easy to attach styrene to concrete. When the dirt is shoveled back along the  stem walls, the styrene can shift, leaving concrete surfaces exposed.
ICFs (Insulated Concrete Forms) are a great innovation. They are molded polystyrene blocks (that look like a cinder block) that are laid in the trench. They tongue + groove together to form the stem wall. Once in the trench, they are leveled and rebar is tied inside as shown in the photograph. Concrete is then poured into the hollow cavity, bonding the rebar and foam together. These ICFs become a uniformly insulated, R-22 stem wall.
 SILL SEAL
We specify a sill sealing product to fill the gap between the pressure treated wood plate (bolted to the top of the stem wall) and the bottom of the SIP wall panel because it significantly reduces the chance of infiltration common to that type of joint.
Notice in the photo on right, the white ICF form mostly covered with dirt. Green sill seal is sticking out from under the pressure treated wood plate that has been bolted to the concrete below. Orange caps cover the bolt tops for safety.
RADIANT HEAT
 We recommend under-floor radiant heat because it is wonderfully comfortable, silent and efficient. Warm water heated by a boiler runs through flexible but very durable tubing that is embedded within a layer of lightweight concrete that is poured on the surface of the floor decking as shown in the photograph.
Radiant heating systems can be used under any finish flooring—tile, brick, carpet, wood, bamboo—and rooms can be individually zoned for different temperatures.
 HOUSE WRAP
We also specify house wrap such as Tyvek that adds another membrane to the structure, reducing infiltration and moisture migration. House wrap wicks moisture from the inside of the house outward, but doesn't allow moisture in from the outside. In Sunlight homes, the polyurethane foam in the walls and roof is also a vapor barrier.
 WINDOW WRAP
Window wrap is a specially formulated, wide plastic tape applied around the window openings before the windows are installed. Here you can see the white window wrap (with blue letters printed on it) sticking out from the edges of the Pella windows. The wrap is covered with the exterior finish material, usually stucco or siding, that butts up against the window frame. Window wrap tightens and waterproofs the space between the windows and the walls which significantly reduces the chances of developing window leaks in the future.
|
