This week, the Bentley SIP team have busy completing the installation of the intermediate floor using engineered joists or Posi-Joists. These don’t twist, splay or squeak. That was a key requirement for us. They’re also going to run services through them as well as put screed on top for underfloor heating.

In addition to the above, the Bentley SIP team have been installing the SIP roof.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Why are We Installing a SIP Roof?

We have a restriction on the ridge height relative to Rowans next door the planners would allow us to build up to. Hence, we took a pragmatic approach by choosing to install a SIP roof. Given we were using SIP for our build and the airtightness requirements, it made sense to use it. This way, we gain some space and volume on the top floor and we’re able to essentially use as much room into the eaves as possible.

They’re also high performance from an insulation and air tightness perspective given the profile vs. a traditional roof with the trusses that get in the way.

The Bentley team started the SIP Roof installation at the north facing gable end of the house facing the road. That room is our daughter, Ariadne’s room. By the end of the week, they’d finished Ariadne’s room and moved on towards the rear which is where Theo’s room and the staircase will be located and a bridge with balustrade overlooking the ground floor.

Finally, they’ll move to our bedroom and bathroom at the south facing gable rear with the walk-in wardrobe and Juliet balcony. Once they finish installing the SIP Roof, they’ll install the breather membrane. SIPs is an airtight, warm roof system, so the membrane is applied directly on top of the panels before the counter battens to create a ventilation gap (rather than above, as most tilers might expect on a traditional roof). The final piece will be the installation of the GB Sol solar tiles .

It’s so exciting to see the house taking shape and the architecture we’ve been dreaming about for so long coming together.

One other milestone from this week was the installation of the underground pipework for the ground source heat pump. I’m going to cover this in a separate post. This is a key part of us building a sustainable home dependent on renewable energy.