What are SIPs? A garden room guide

A garden room guide to Structurally Insulated Panels (SIPs)

With the move to flexible ‘working from home’, many people have been looking for extra space for a home office, instead of the spare room, or kitchen table.

But even before the idea of a (whispered) global pandemic, many of us were keen on better utilising our garden space, getting closer to the natural environment and turning our moderately tamed gardens into a luxury outdoor space.

So the appeal of a modern garden office is understandable.

What are Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs)?

At short notice, many of us rushed to our garden sheds to work, only to find out they were either excruciatingly hot, or bitterly cold.

Effective insulation not only keeps the warmth in, but the summer heat out!

Structural insulated panels (SIPs) are a high-performance building system used for residential and light commercial construction, consisting of a rigid insulating foam core sandwiched between two structural timber sheets, usually OSB (Oriented Strand Board).

Factory-manufactured, SIPs are more energy efficient, stronger, quieter, and more airtight than traditional timber frame construction, bringing a highly energy efficient construction technology to the garden room.

Superior thermal performance

Although SIPs are very much a 21st century construction technology, Structural Insulated Panels have in fact been a in use since the 1980’s, though have grown in popularity due in part to their superior thermal performance.

Superior insulation also means less draft, better sound insulation, lower energy bills and reduced CO2 emissions.

Economical and eco-friendly

Fabricated from sustainable timber sources, SIPs use less timber than traditional timber frame construction, plus also have excellent eco-credentials with the rigid foam insulation having an Ozone Depletion Potential (ODP) rating of zero.

21st century garden room construction

Offsite fabrication together with the high strength of Structural Insulated Panels means that a weatherproof garden room shell can be completed in just a few days once the foundations are ready to receive the panels.

SIPs form to core of SilverLeaf Spaces construction methodology. Through meticulous design, together with the leading manufacturing technologies – 100mm Structural Insulated Panels for the floor and walls and 150mm for the roof structure – we’ve created a stunning range of garden rooms to enjoy, whatever the weather.

Why SilverLeaf?

Simply beautiful garden rooms. Made with love. Engineered to last.

SilverLeaf was founded on three key principles. Great design inspires. Quality without compromise. Every customer should receive nothing short of what we would accept ourselves. Three rules which continue to serve us well.

More than just beautiful aesthetics, every SilverLeaf garden room is meticulously designed and crafted using only the highest quality materials, with a high standard specification, plus a comprehensive 10-year guarantee.