Straight answers on resilient, affordable housing.

SIPs are factory-made wall, floor and roof panels: two OSB skins bonded under high pressure to a rigid EPS foam core. Each panel is the structure and the insulation at once, so there is no separate stud frame to build, insulate and seal. Panels arrive cut to the plan and go up quickly with a small crew.

Our homes are engineered for 180+ mph winds and carry a Grade 2 seismic rating. SIPs act like a series of stiff, glued I-beams, so walls and roof resist racking and uplift as one system, and the ground screw foundation anchors the home into the soil rather than letting it sit on top of it. Every plan is stamped by our engineer of record for the loads at your site.

Like any wood-framed home, a SIPs home is built to fire code. The foam core is covered on the interior with a code-required thermal barrier, typically gypsum board, and fire-rated wall and roof assemblies can be specified where local code or the project calls for them. We also pair the system with fire-resistant exterior finishes and metal roofing on request.

SIPs are very airtight, so the real job is managing moisture at the joints and penetrations. Panel seams are sealed as they go up and the home gets right-sized mechanical ventilation. Insect-resistant, borate-treated foam can be specified, and because our homes sit on ground screws, the structure is kept off the soil and easy to inspect underneath.

Very. Our assemblies reach an R-48 insulation value with far less air leakage than stick framing, so heating and cooling loads drop and smaller HVAC equipment does the job. The Structural Insulated Panel Association reports utility savings of 50 percent or more when SIPs are combined with other efficient features.

The system has a 25+ year design life as a baseline, and a well-maintained SIPs home, like any well-built permanent house, is designed to serve for generations. SIPs have been used in homes for more than 40 years.

Ground screws are galvanized steel shafts with a helical thread that are driven into the soil to the depth and capacity the engineer specifies. The floor system bolts on top. There is no excavation, no concrete slab and no curing time, so framing can start right after the screws are set.

Yes. Ground screws are an engineered foundation, and products are available with ICC-ES evaluation reports under the International Building Code and International Residential Code. Our engineer of record sizes every foundation from site soil conditions, and a geotechnical assessment is done where the jurisdiction requires it.

That is where ground screws shine. Because there is no slab, uneven or sloped terrain does not need to be leveled, and screw length and spacing are adjusted to the soil. We have no topography restrictions, and the light equipment involved reaches sites a concrete truck cannot.

Yes. Because the home stands on screws rather than a slab, it can be raised to meet the required flood elevation without bringing in fill, and water can pass beneath it. Elevation and anchoring are designed to the local floodplain rules for each site.

It depends mostly on location and local labor costs, then on size, finishes and site conditions. We quote two ways: a materials-delivered kit for teams that build with their own crews, and an all-in price where JLFS designs, delivers and builds. Request a proposal with your site and unit count and we will come back with a budget range.

About 45 days per home with a five-person crew, from foundation to finished home. That figure includes contingency for training local crews. Overall project time also depends on design, permitting and shipping, which we plan in parallel to keep the schedule short.

A SIPs home built to local code on an engineered permanent foundation is real property, just like a conventionally framed home, so it can generally be financed and insured the same way. Lenders and insurers make their own decisions, so we recommend talking with yours early; we can provide the engineering and product documentation they ask for.

Yes. Public partners often fund housing through federal, state and municipal programs. Our U.S. program, First Step Housing, structures developments around those funds in public-private partnerships, and internationally we work with governments, NGOs and development banks under Project Safe Haven.

Yes. Homes can be equipped with solar power and battery storage, rainwater capture, above-ground septic, waterless toilets and composting sinks, plus a smart hub that reports system data. Fully equipped, the home needs only a potable water supply. Grid-tied versions are available where utilities exist.

Access for delivery and a cleared footprint. We assess the site, climate, codes and community needs first, then ship panels, screws and systems as a complete kit. No slab, utility trenching for a foundation, or heavy excavation is required.

Governments and housing agencies (disaster recovery, workforce and military housing), NGOs and humanitarian organizations (homes, clinics and regional hub outposts), and developers, communities and private owners (affordable for-sale and rental housing, single-family homes, ADUs, multifamily and mixed-use).

Across all 50 U.S. states and territories and in more than 20 countries, including disaster-affected and remote regions conventional construction cannot easily reach.

JLFS is registered on SAM.gov (UEI RKQ9ZHCW8P57), is a United Nations contractor (UNGM #1087156), is approved by the Inter-American Development Bank, holds U.S. Department of Defense clearance, and is a member of the Structural Insulated Panel Association.

Standard units are 40 m², 62 m², 75 m² and 106 m². Our flagship is an 800 sq ft, two-bedroom, one-bath home. Plans can be adapted, and the same system is used for medical and health clinics, mobile units on a 48-ft flatbed chassis, and Regional Hub Outposts.

Yes. Local workers are trained on site alongside our crews, and they keep those skills after the project ends. That builds local capacity and keeps more of the project's investment in the community.

We do. JLFS is a design-build firm: a licensed architect and engineer of record stamp every plan, designed to the code that applies where you build, and we prepare the drawings and documentation for permitting.

First Step Housing is our U.S. program, delivering affordable homes through public-private partnerships funded by federal, state and municipal housing funds. Project Safe Haven is our international program, bringing safe, sustainable housing to disaster-affected and hard-to-reach communities with governments, NGOs and development banks.

Send us a few details through the inquiry form: where you want to build, how many units, and your timeline. We will come back with next steps and a budget range.