Plasma cutting steel staircase Tung oil applied on trim woodwwork Floors milled from site grown trees Septic field restoration Reflecting afternoon sun Birth of a barn on Bragg Hill Radiant floors Solar panel installation Capping off the chimney Proud shape emerges on the hilltop Pumping concrete into the three gables Forming 12x12 Gables Delivering concrete from the sky Parallam beam positioning Flying flitch beam ICF window framing Precision concrete placement Lower level ICF fabrication Newly excavated driveway Finishing garage deck concrete Pouring concrete footers Rebar safety caps Surveying the construction site Checking out the excavation equipment Rapid soil stabilization Testing the soils for drainage Taking Solar Pathfinder measurements Milling downed trees onsite View to the Southeast over the Benzel Family Trust Future meadow to be cultivated Taking a stroll on Bragg Hill Road

Structure Capped Off With SIPs

click image to enlarge
click image to enlarge

Today marked the beginning of the end of the exterior structural fabrication at 60 Bragg Hill.  After many months of vertical development of the concrete and steel reinforced walls, the roof installation was finally started.  A 40-ton crane assisted the Thompson Builders team in hoisting the more than 20 Structural Insulated Panels that will define the roof of the Chester County Eco-home.  The prefabricated 10 inch thick foam and OSB sandwich panels were custom made for 60 Bragg Hill by SureTight near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  They were trucked across the state to 60 Bragg Hill last week for today’s installation.

The larger of the sectional panels, spanning 24 feet weighed just under 800 pounds.  While that may seem heavy, they’re not.  The weight per square foot is very low given the large surface area that they cover and the fantastic R-45 insulation value they provide. These roof panels are a critical component of the home’s thermal envelope.  Because the SIPs were made to order off-site, there is no generated construction waste which is common with traditional roofing methods.  The entire roof will be flown in and secured on the structure in two days.