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Pictured above are Fred Solomon, CEO of Platinum Advanced Technologies, Mike Nichols, founder of Advanza Homes, and Richard Gilley who designed and financed the building of the League City Model Home.

Mike Nichols, the developer of the steel reinforced poly-urethane  panels used in the League City Model Home and Kent Sweezy a contractor who along with Mike oversaw the construction of the first SIP homes personally supervised the construction of the model home in League City, TX and the panels used in its construction. It was Mike Nichols, an experienced commercial contractor, an inventor and  owner of one of the largest pipe fabrication facilities in the US with locations in Texas City, and Harlingen, Texas who took it upon himself a few years ago to find a better way to manufacture structural insulated panels for use in residential and commercial construction.

In 2005 Fred Solomon, an investor in Mike's pipe fabrication company, recognizing the potential of the energy saving and hurricane resistant properties of these homes first formed  Platinum Home Builders, Inc. then later changed the name to Platinum Advanced Technologies, Inc.

It was Fred's vision to capitalize on this emerging market by seeking venture capital

for the expansion of the operations at the 80,000 sq ft facility  in Harlingen, Texas and establishing a corporate office in St. Petersburg, Florida under the the newly formed moniker Platinum Advanced Technologies, Inc. Fred brought in  some more engineers and other experts to make recommendations on improvements to Mike's original design specifications,  purchase new equipment and streamline the manufacturing process at the facilities in Harlingen, Texas. It remains Fred's vision to manufacture high quality panels for the residential home building industry nationwide.

Structural Insulated Panels have been around since the 1930s when they were first developed by the US Forest Service. A variety of manufacturer/fabricator suppliers exist within the SIP industry. Some manufacturers specialize in Structural Insulated Panels and only manufacture SIPs. For others, SIPs are one of many in a group of products they manufacture. The same diversity holds true for fabricators. Panels can be pre-cut by an independent service, separate from a manufacturer or by the SIP manufacturer itself. This final group of manufacturer/fabricators offers the most complete service - custom-made panels to fabrication to ready-to-install delivery and assistance.

We require that the panels we use meet the specifications of Energy Wise Home Builders Co.  and are custom manufactured  according to the building requirements and structural needs of each building design.

For more information on SIP's and SIP construction please visit the Structural Insulated Panel Association website.

Imagine being asleep in the bedroom of your SIP home when suddenly, at two a.m., you’re abruptly wakened by a horrific, loud noise outside! It sounds as if a speeding train is running straight through your home. Then suddenly, before you even have time to blink, your house is lifted, shifted, and slammed to the ground in one big heaving event.

After checking to make sure that you’re okay, you rush downstairs to see what’s just happened. Your refrigerator is still upright, with everything safely inside. Your dishes even stayed in the kitchen cupboard. For such a huge catastrophe, there’s relatively little interior damage and you begin to wonder if what you think just happened really happened.

Now imagine you go outside to survey the site. Your home, despite now sitting on top of your car, is pretty well intact, with very little structural damage. Only two of your windows are shattered, and a few of your roof shingles are loose. As you look around, you quickly begin to notice by the debris and upturned trailers that your neighbors didn’t fare quite as well.

This may resemble a scene straight from the “Wizard of Oz,” but it’s almost exactly what happened to Matt and Kim Chesley on November 10, 2002, when a F2 tornado ravaged Portland, Tennessee. The Chesleys had researched a lot of products before building their two-story home in Sumner County, Tennessee.

After seeing their church constructed with SIPs, they were so impressed, they decided to use SIPs on their own home. The house, completed about five years ago, is a two-story home, designed in traditional architecture. After moving into their new SIP home, they were immediately thankful for their lower energy bills, while increasing their living space by over 250%.

SIPs also provided the Chesleys with a quieter, stronger, more durable home. Until November 10th the Chesleys had no idea how durable and strong. The Chesley’s SIP house had been buffeted by F2 tornado winds, that were later confirmed by the National Weather Service to be anywhere between 113–157 miles an hour in the immediate vicinity of the house.

The SIP house held strongly together. So strong in fact, that the house stood up to the damaging winds, while the cement block foundation failed. Very little damage could be detected to the house itself.

The Chesleys plan to re-build on their Tennessee acreage. Since their SIP house held together so soundly, all of their personal belongings survived and were well protected from the scattering winds and harsh rains of the storm. Their old appliances, plumbing fixtures, cabinets, and the like can and will be used in the new house construction. Oh, and in case there was any doubt, they are planning on using SIPs!

Article courtesy of the Structural Insulated Panel Association

Home • Floor Plans •  Contact • Energy-Smart Home • Home Envelope • Foundation •  Framing Heating & Cooling • Windows and Doors •  Roof  • Ventilation •  Appliances  • Credits

For more information about these unique homes please call us at  (832) 476-1956

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