These metal SIPS panel homes by Artspan come in various sizes from this tiny Ice Shack, like the one pictured, that I am going to outline in great detail, to a full-size house.
In this case, a client-friend, Shannon, used the Ice Shack kit as a safe haven for environmental sensitivities. Her house also has its own IG account here.
The Substack article is a review of materials, costs, timeline, and challenges that would be useful for anyone building this Ice Shack or a bigger-sized unit with these panels.
What is a metal SIP:
Metal SIPs are structural insulated panels made of metal-foam-metal laminated together.
For chemical and mold sensitive people:
I recommend this house highly to those with mold sensitivities and for some people with chemical sensitivities if you can tolerate the sealants needed, though the suitability does depend on the climate (there is another brand that can work in more climate/conditions outlined here).
Special attention to areas that affect people with mold and chemical sensitivities will be noted and recommendations are made in the Substack article.
Why I recommend SIP homes:
I like metal SIP homes because the materials are fairly inert and work for most chemically sensitive folks, the interior is all metal, you only need a couple of sealants to put this together, the design is very mold resistant, it has a good insulation value, you don’t need a concrete foundation for this home (it has a panel foundation), it’s easy and fast to put together compared to building a regular home, and it’s less expensive than most from scratch builds.
The article that reviews Artspan in detail can be found on Substack.
The article covers:
- Overview of Metal SIPs
- Why these panels are a strong, mold-resistant choice
- R-Value details
- Suitability for various climates and sizes—from a tiny Ice Shack to larger full-sized homes, and what climate/conditions it’s not suitable for
- Tiny Ice Shack as a Safe Haven
- Walking through installing a a 9’x12’ (108 sq ft) Artspan structure
- Owner’s experience using it for mold and chemical sensitivities
- Timeline from ordering to delivery, plus build hours
- Cost and Materials Breakdown
- Base kit price and shipping considerations
- Optional upgrades and items needed (windows, doors, spray foam, sealants)
- Installation costs, electrician fees, heating, and finishings
- Chemical & Mold Sensitivity Considerations
- A look at what it’s made of
- Recommended low- or no-VOC sealants, adhesives, and caulks for the installation
- Potential condensation issues and how to address them
- Tips for finishing interior walls with non-toxic products
- Foundation & Structural Details
- The foundation
- Importance of good drainage and preventing rust
- Corner panel gaps and how to handle exposed foam edges
- Assembly & Installation Insights
- Using Artspan’s Ice Shack kit instructions vs. the general assembly guide – installation tips that were not in Artspan’s instructions
- Field cuts needed for walls (even in a pre-cut kit)
- Best order of panel installation and sealing roof seams
- Ventilation & Interior Finishes
- How to get enough air flow and not have raised CO2 levels
- Which flooring works well over the grooves, and doesn’t lead to moisture issues
- Electrical runs (exposed vs. building out framing)
- Maintenance & Final Tips
- Preventing roof leaks
- Off-gassing timelines
- A discount code
Read the article on Substack.
Sarah
Hey Corrine. Just wanted to let you know your website got a shout out at a YT channel called Fy Nyth’s. The person who runs it She is a woman who’s been living off grid for a long time in Wyoming, who recently got married and who has been building a small home with her husband on their homestead. She has a wonderful channel that documents life off grid. In any case, her most recent video gave a shout out to your website as a resource she used a lot to consult with at various junctures in her build. (I think she really got the plywood issue wrong, but mostly she does exhaustive research and is highly organized and exacting in how she plans and executes everything.) Just wanted to let you know. (I was a little bummed she hadn’t bothered to make sure she had the domain address right, but, oh well.)
Sarah
Forgot to copy and paste the link. Here it is:
“Done Plywalling our House! What is on Our Walls and Why Did We Choose this as a Finish” at Fy Nyth YT channel. The shout out to this site is is at the 4:40 mark.
Corinne Segura, Building Biologist
thank you!
Sarah
My pleasure! (Excuse my writing. I was rushing and editing what I wrote, apparently didn’t finish the job, but you understood the word salad so I guess it’s all good!
Valerie
What do you recommend for a family that needs 3 bedrooms?
Corinne Segura, Building Biologist
A regular stick built home or see the main non toxic prefab post.
Lisa Vaneick
Can I pay you to do a phone consult? I’m very sick and my brain doesn’t work properly. I have a hard time understanding your videos bc of it. Just want you recommendations on a safe mold resistant, non toxic 800sq foot build. I was going to go with a green builder till I saw one of your videos.
Corinne
I’m not offering consultations right now. You can always check the consult page for updates.
Lara
I was seriously considering the ice shack for quite awhile, but after looking at the build instructions I noticed what I think are multiple thermal bridges where panels join. Since the wall panels butt up against each other at the corners of the walls, the interior skin of one of the panels at each corner is exposed to the exterior, and runs unbroken into the interior. I initially thought this would be fixed by paying extra for the continuous corners that they use in larger builds, but then I realized the same issue is true for the ceiling and floor panels. The underside of the roof panel skin runs unbroken and comes in contact with the exterior and interior temperatures. Same for the floor panel. Also I believe the bolts that fix the floor panel to the skids could act as a thermal bridges as well. I live in a heating climate and so I felt this was a recipe for condensation issues. When I spoke to Maurice, Artspans sales rep I think, he said there were no thermal bridges but did not elaborate. I think that’s plainly false, and the little info I can find about metal SIP construction confirms that. Good building practice with these always includes a thermal break by simply cutting the metal skin around the interior perimeter of the floor and roof in the middle of where the wall panel will sit on top. Learning that was a huge disappointment, I was really counting on the ice shack as an accessible option. It also frustrates me that Artspan is not providing a quality product and I ended up feeling mistrustful of them as a company. The other risk of metal SIPs is that in the heat and sun the metal expands and contracts and this can compromise the integrity of sealants and foams and create more air gaps and opportunities for hidden problems. Wondering if you have any thoughts on these things? I had no doubts about the conclusions I’d come to, but if Cheryl Cieko doesn’t see these things as problematic maybe they’re not? I’m not an architect! Maybe the ice shack is a good option and could hold up for a couple years, but for me an investment of close to $10,000+ (that may be hard to resell) needs to last longer and have better building science behind it.
Corinne
This is not something that will only last a couple of years!
Wesley
I am curious to see installation pics of the panel joints and the roof/wall connections to see if they are effectively broken or not. Did Shannon document that by chance?
I have assembled a few tiny houses with standard SIPs (non metal) and they definitely had thermal bridges very similar to what Lara described and would be made better in the manner she laid out.
Running some CI on the exterior could solve many of those problems as well as provide additional thermal and acoustic benefits. Facade grade cork as one idea.
Corinne
The panel joints connect foam to foam with additional spay foam down the middle and construction adhesive on either side of that.
Ita
hi Corrine!
hi have similar container cabin but Chinese made, the floor seems PVC glued to fibre cement or magnesium board. I’m going to cover it with Ipex underlay ant Pergo parquet flooring (very low VOC, grade A or A+ I think)
do i still need to seal the PVC with shellac? or the ipex and parquet will already block the off gassing?
(the walls n ceiling I’m going to seal with AFM polyureseal bp, seems have in them polyureseal white/black adhesive and maybe fire retardant)
thanks a lot!
Corinne Segura, Building Biologist
that is a very different structure than this metal sip home