Curved Structural Insulated Panel Build.

[tony.latham]

The word that comes to my mind, is, fascinating.

Is that the pink foam you are using?

Tony

[coquitlamglenn]

This image should explain all. In retrospect, the original inset image is kind of unclear..... In this one you can see the aluminium drip edge I added along the hatch seam.

DSC_0141.JPG (77.79 KiB) Viewed 1493 times

[coquitlamglenn]

The word that comes to my mind, is, fascinating.

Is that the pink foam you are using?

Tony

Thanks! - And yes, sometimes pink, sometimes blue. It's just the 1/2" rigid foam you can find at the local big box.

[coquitlamglenn]

A 100w solar panel and battery provides all the power I will need for my lights, fan, stereo and charging sockets. So far I have installed the solar panel, a battery compartment under the floor and a 10 circuit fuse panel. I have also installed an amplifier with bluetooth and speakers for portable devices.

I also worked out a great system for hatch stays using shock corded fibreglass tent poles. The hatch is so light that I don't need gas struts or anything.





I also remade my doors in walnut because the UV finish I used on the previous ones completely failed over the winter. The paint and canvas held up beautifully though.

[springdew]

Wow this is really cool. I plan to use curved SIPs in my build and thought the foam layer would have to be sculpted, based on remarks I saw elsewhere regarding green construction and foam going to waste. I can now see that sculpted foam comes much earlier in the process, in the form building stage, and, as you mention, the form can be reused for other things. If things work out, my build may become the basis of a kit that others can use, so reusability is a particularly attractive thought.

Thanks for sharing!

[dales133]

Love your work, very inspirational particularly the canvas and gutter parts.
I was actualy considering gutters on mine, any chance you could share a bit more info on the materials and techniques you used.

[coquitlamglenn]

Wow this is really cool. I plan to use curved SIPs in my build and thought the foam layer would have to be sculpted, based on remarks I saw elsewhere regarding green construction and foam going to waste. I can now see that sculpted foam comes much earlier in the process, in the form building stage, and, as you mention, the form can be reused for other things. If things work out, my build may become the basis of a kit that others can use, so reusability is a particularly attractive thought.

Thanks for sharing!

Are you planning to use a vacuum press for the SIPs? Depending on the curve, there are many ways to produce the curved panel. You can sometimes put the plywood/foam/plywood sandwich in the bag, then bend the whole thing over top of a curved form. This form could be made of anything because it is not goin in the bag.

[coquitlamglenn]

Love your work, very inspirational particularly the canvas and gutter parts.
I was actualy considering gutters on mine, any chance you could share a bit more info on the materials and techniques you used.

Yes, use gutters!

Even if you don't plan to use gutters as your primary water proofing like I did, you should always plan for what happens to the water that gets in if your seals fail. Because they often do, we've all seen pictures of water-stained galleys. Getting a large curved panel to close tightly against a curved surface and to evenly apply pressure onto a rubber seal is challenging. Plus, what happens when the hatch is open?

I'm assuming that you have looked at my build blog that shows the hatch details. You can see the gutter is just cobbled together with pieces of 1/8" and 1/2" plywood (and even foam sometimes) - then the whole thing is wrapped in canvas and paint to make one continuous waterproof membrane. Almost as important as the gutter is a drip edge on the hatch itself, if it is not there, water will defy gravity and migrate along the underside of the hatch. I have attached a sketch of my basic approach - it is simple, but it works.

[springdew]

I had planned to order SIPs from a provider, hadn't selected one yet. Lina got hers from Pacific Builders http://www.pacific-builders.com/sip.html but I live in a different region. I went to a link yesterday about the vacuum process and was impressed at things like the spiral staircase. This is really encouraging.

[coquitlamglenn]

I had planned to order SIPs from a provider, hadn't selected one yet. Lina got hers from Pacific Builders http://www.pacific-builders.com/sip.html but I live in a different region. I went to a link yesterday about the vacuum process and was impressed at things like the spiral staircase. This is really encouraging.

Oh - so you are planning to use manufactured SIPs for the flat pieces and then make your own for the curved pieces? Vacuum pressing is very cool, but pressing something so large is challenging. Depending on your design and materials, you might be able to make the curved panels with more traditional methods.

[springdew]

The manufacturer said they could do the curved roof as well but it would involve sculpting the foam part from a large block, if I remember correctly. http://thisisthelittlelife.com is down right now so I can't go double check. Lina did a skylight, so she didn't try SIP for the curved roof. I wonder if I could find someone to vacuum press smaller roof sections that I could join.