Meet John Barrows, a trusted partner of FischerSIPS for upwards of 10 years!
John first began working with SIPS in the early 1990s before they were well known. Since then, SIPS
have become more widely accepted and a larger part of the new construction market.
Before SIPS, he achieved energy efficient shells through built to code and insulating cavities with
fiberglass insulation. He relayed that meeting codes was a much more relaxed process in earlier decades
than it is now.
After 10 years of working with FischerSIPS, John prefers the quality of their products and appreciates the
detail of the shop drawings which is an important aspect of every project. He also likes that FischerSIPS
provides engineering. Additionally, he included that the contacts that he has received through
FischerSIPS have been very helpful as they extend beyond SIPS use.
As a High Performance builder, John prefers to use SIPS to achieve his energy goals. . He also noted
that, “SIPS are cost effective and it is a systems approach. This is a building system that satisfies multiple
tasks in one step meaning framing and insulation and air sealing may be completed at the same time.”
The biggest challenge John faces using SIPS is getting his contractors, such as plumbers and
electricians, trained so that they understand how to work with them since it is a solid material. The
process becomes easier once his contractors get familiar with the panels and he noted that this struggle
was more relevant in his earlier years using SIPS when they weren’t as common. Today, there are many
more contractors in the construction industry that have experience with SIPS which helps with this
challenge.
Another common misconception about working with SIPS is the fact that patience is a virtue. The
preparation time for a project is vital for its success. To save time on site once the SIPS are delivered,
design aspects such as shop drawings are critical and everything must be worked through ahead of time
before a shovel can be put into the ground. “It is best to start early,” John states, “as the construction
process moves quickly once you have allotted the appropriate time for preparation to be completed.”
Besides energy efficiency, John says another big advantage that SIPS has over other methods is that
they enable a faster build time. Time is money. The faster you can get under roof, the sooner you can be
working on the interior of the home, regardless of the elements.
After 10 years of building with SIPS and getting past the learning curve, John’s contractors enjoy working
with SIPS. “Framers love to see things go up quickly, houses with roofs can often go up in a week.
Drywall guys love it because you can put it right up rather than other methods where it can be more
difficult,” said John, such as having to cut the drywall to match up with studs.
Additionally, he included that, with energy codes being what they are, building with SIPS presents an
opportunity for builders to become more efficient and be able to move their projects forward faster.
John Barrows closed with the statement, “I like working with FischerSIPS because of the quality of their
product and the quality of their shop drawings. SIPS represent an opportunity for builders to become
more efficient in their construction practices.” Thank you for your loyalty John, we appreciate you so
much!