Kelley and Christina Murphy just relocated from the hustle and bustle of Boston to life in the suburbs. They are in the planning stages for an impressive new home on their two-acre property.
The Murphy BuildThe Murphy's site poses some unique challenges. Four 18-foot retaining walls (figure A) cascade down the lot and a commuter rail line runs behind the backyard. Building their home out of SIPs seems like the perfect solution. The home shell arrives as a factory-made kit and the panels could be craned down the Murphy's tough slope. SIPs also have a high sound insulation value. The couple takes a trip into Boston to meet with architect John Battle and investigate design possibilities (figure B). Kelley springs the news of his prefab idea and John's not exactly keen on SIPs. Kelley presses forward, deciding to investigate prefab panels up close before he commits. He heads to Michigan to check out a SIP factory. There are problems getting things off the ground for the Murphy family. New England's tough winter weather makes scheduling their home build very tricky.
RESOURCES :
Panel Pros, Inc.
Website: www.panelpros.com
Insulspan
Website: www.insulspan.com
GUESTS :
Al Cobb
Panelwrights, LLC
Website: www.panelwrights.com
John Battle
Battle Associates, Inc.
Website: www.battlearchitects.com
Elizabeth Church
Church & Barrett Architects
White River Junction, VT
Telephone: 1-802-296-0004
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