So what's so great about living in a concrete home? What do ICF walls offer that wood-framed walls can't, in terms of comfort, performance, affordability and safety? Here are some of the most compelling benefits, according to statistics from ICFA and PCA. Learn about the many advantages to building and living in a concrete house BENEFITS OF LIVING IN A CONCRETE HOUSE The foam forms are easy to cut and shape as desired, permitting customized architectural effects difficult to achieve with wood-frame construction, such as curved walls, large openings, long ceiling spans, custom angles and cathedral ceilings. Because of concrete's strength and moldability, you can use ICFs to create any size or style of home imaginable. This allows your home to assume any architectural style, from Victorian, to Colonial to ultra-contemporary, and not look like an underground basement. The ICFs have nailing strips that allow the typical interior finishes and exterior treatments such as siding, stucco, stone and brick to be applied. Insulated Concrete Forms (ICFs) are stacked and braced-then concrete is poured inside the forms. WHAT DO ICF HOMES LOOK LIKE?Ĭoncrete homes look exactly like "stick built" homes. Exterior siding and interior drywall can typically be attached directly to the form faces, with many ICFs incorporating integral attachment systems.įox Blocks in Omaha, NE / Turning Leaf Custom Homes in Sanford, FLĬontact a concrete home contractor by filling out this form.The pre-insulated walls eliminate the need for additional insulation and the labor cost of installing it.The insulating forms protect the concrete from temperature extremes, permitting concrete to be placed at below-freezing temperatures and extending the construction season by several months in cold climates.Because the forms remain in place, contractors can build concrete walls in less time (in as little as a day) for a typical house foundation.The foam forms are lightweight and easy to erect bracing and alignment systems are provided by most manufacturers.Within these basic categories are many different ICF products, differentiated based on the structural configuration they form (such as a flat wall, post-and-beam, or grid system),how the forms attach together, how finishes attach to the wall, thickness, and insulating values.įrom a builder's perspective, ICF systems offer numerous advantages over other types of concrete wall construction: The main difference between the panel and the plank systems is the assembly method. These are 8" to 12" tall, and 4' to 8' long. These are the largest ICF system and units are 1' to 4' tall and 8' to 12' long.
Watch the second of a series of videos that captures real life parts of an actual Fox Block ICF home build. Building Your ICF Home - Starting to Place Block