Structural Insulated Panel Extension or Brickwork

Dear Martin, Sips are a great way of building an extension. You can face the panels with a brick wall (with a 50mm cavity) or clad it in many different finishes (timber, render, brick slips etc etc). They are very energy efficient. We have built a couple of extensions with them. The shell goes up very quickly. It is similar in cost to a brick and block cavity wall, but more expensive if you use sips and the face it in brickwork. Advertise the job and get some quotes. Not many builders will have used them so try and find a builder with previous experience of using them. Regards, John Briner & Sons Ltd

Dear Martin, If the SIPs are just finished with rendered on the outside it could work our slightly cheaper than a traditional cavity wall. If however you use the SIPs as an inner leaf with a brick outer it will probably be more expensive than a traditional cavity wall. I rather like "brick" conservatories with a glass roof, they are nice and light but much more usable than a normal conservatory. There is a picture of one we recently built on my profile. Regards Ed Sturdy Services Ltd.