The Failure of SCIP Panels (so far)
What would you call a building system developed more than 50 years ago, that currently accounts for under one tenth of one percent of new homes? A failure.
For those of us who believe in the inherent benefits and potential of SCIP’s, the path forward begins with an acknowledgement of just how bad things are. If you ask people involved with SCIP construction why it has failed to catch on, here are most common explanations:
Closed mindedness and risk aversion from contractors
Lack of training, education, and awareness of SCIP benefits
Resistance from subcontractors for plumbing, electrical, etc.
High cost and lack of experienced shotcrete workers willing to do residential
Panel manufacturers focused on profits over supporting builders
Dishonesty and greed from everyone involved, including contractors
There’s no doubt that all of these explanations have contributed to the failure of adoption of SCIP construction. But the key reason comes down to this— it costs too much.
A common story emerges: A homeowner or architect is interested in disaster resistant construction. They do some research and are intrigued by SCIP panels. They ask their general contractor. The contractor tells them that it’s expensive, complicated, and unnecessary. The truth is there’s no upside for the general contractor. For them, it’s more to learn, more to go wrong, and harder to find subcontractors. Next, the contractor asks for quotes from a stucco subcontractor to apply the two inches of structural concrete on the inside and outside of the panels. A stucco person is used to applying non-structural concrete. Now they need to apply concrete two inches thick, that is the key structural element. If something goes wrong and the concrete cracks, the stucco subcontractor could be on the hook for huge structural expenses instead of a cosmetic repair. The stucco contractor gives a price that is 3X what it should cost. Next, the contractor gets bids for plumbing, electrical, and HVAC. The same story applies here, more for the subcontractor to learn, more to go wrong, and no upside. The current construction system is working just fine for them, and there’s no reason to change.
The contractor brings a bid back to the homeowner, and it’s shockingly high. The homeowner is disappointed, but satisfied that they considered disaster resistant construction, even if they couldn’t afford it. The higher price makes sense to them—shouldn’t it cost more to build a house resistant to wildfires and hurricanes and three times stronger for earthquakes? Another house gets built with stick framing, and it will be at risk of being destroyed by the next natural disaster.
There are three key points to this story:
Concrete is an unforgiving material, difficult or impossible to repair if not done right at first
Risk aversion and lack of experience drives the higher cost (not material costs)
Getting concrete on the panel correctly and repeatably is the key to reducing costs
This is why Reimagined Homes has focused on developing an easy, repeatable cast-in-place system to get the concrete on the panels. This system requires lower skill and fewer labor hours. Part of this system is a special concrete mix, and the restriction that forms be filled slower than typically done.