Clients: Rodney Wright Architecture
Project Type: Residential Home Building
Products: Thermocore R-24 Wall Panels, Thermocore R-40 Roof Panels
SIPs Benefits: Significant energy savings in each SIP home built
Air Leakage / Blower Test Results: Best results of any Wright home for blower door tests
Time to build: Thermocore SIPs increased construction efficiency
Architect/Designer: Wright Architecture
Since architect Rodney Wright discovered Thermocore’s insulated wall and roof panels six years ago, he’s used them in every one of his designs — including his own home. Why?
Panels with expanded polystyrene (EPS) offer R-values in the teens. Thermocore panels with polyurethane feature R-24 in wall panels and R-40 in roof panels. “Polyurethane is a better R-value per inch,” Rodney said.
Thermocore also custom-fabricates panels based on each customer’s architectural drawings or CAD files. “It’s very flexible; you can make the panels fit your design,” Rodney said.
To help speed the construction process, Thermocore produces shop drawings before they ship the panels. “Give those drawings to the foundation people, and by the time the panels come, everything lines up,” Rodney said. “If it’s a couple inches off, the panels are very forgiving.”
Once the panels arrive, experienced crews handle every step of installation. “The crews they send are like ballet dancers,” Rodney said. “Everybody knows what they’re doing; no wasted minutes at all.” On one of Rodney’s homes, the crew arrived at 7 a.m. on a Tuesday, installed all the wall and roof panels, cleaned up, and left by 11 a.m. Wednesday.
The quick installation includes the crews putting foam on every single joint to seal it. In the first home Rodney designed with Thermocore panels, the utility company conducted two blower door tests — they didn’t believe the first one so they hired a consultant and the test came back with the same record-setting results the second time. “It was the tightest house the electrical co-op had ever seen,” Rodney said.