The Cabin at Riverside

[Don P]

I've not used them with log, I have once with timberframe. I've done wrap and strap roofs several times with log. For sprayfoam New River Insulation in Christiansburg is good.
A friend I worked with has recently moved to work with a green building co in Radford, they have a division that manufactures SIPS. No experience with them yet, but if something in the works comes together hopefully soon.
http://www.acmepanel.com/

[starmac]

Now that is a beautiful house in a beautiful location with a beautiful view, but I bet the wind can howl there.

[Don P]

Oh yeah, we had rain hitting the top of the glass in that gable one day, the roof extends out 12' to cover the porch there, truly raining sideways. If you look at the codebook wind map we are in the area labeled SWR, special wind region. Above 4,000' and in areas like this where you get what they call a gorge effect we have to build for high wind similar to what you do at the coast. The windows and doors have steel straps/brackets from the factory that tie them to the framing. That part of the code was still shaking out while we were building and these are a good bit on the overkill side and were quite expensive. That and the fact that I didn't notice they muffed the order on part of them until they were installed. I had to pull those windows and wait for new ones to come in. The manufacturer would not acknowledge the mistake. I ate the labor and the supplier ate the windows. Not sure where the oops actually happened but there were a bunch of unhappy campers that day! Code settled out within a year, our inspector actually helped rewrite that section and the windows I had first put in were then fine to use. Nobody told the wind, I don't mind those heavy duty windows in that one.

From a mountaintop where we'll be sawing as soon as it dries up you can see into Sam's county in one direction and down into NC in the other. The mountain we can see in NC has clocked something like 190mph, strap the porta-john down

[samandothers]

Thanks for the info Don.

We plan to use ACME for our roof Sips.  Trying to determine whether to use them on walls or frame and spray insulation.

The home you built is a beautiful setting but the owner will pay in the rugged weather!