What is ICF?

What is ICF?

Insulated Cement Forms.

What different choices of ICF blocks are available and what makes one block better/not as good as another?

I am curious about this whole concept. So I started researching.

There are a lot of different manufactures of ICF. The key componet is the :Block:
I learned that there are several blocks manufactures that have a upside and downside. A right and left side. Also the corners are right or left. And a inside wall side and outside wall side.These are the blocks you do NOT want.

From my research so far I like the "The building block" ICF

product because it has no sides at all. The ICF blocks are correct no matter which way you place them. So there are 2 main building blocks.

1 the basic block

2 the corner block

These also have measurements marked on the outside all the way around the #1 and #2 building blocks to make it easy to cut for windows, vents, doors etc

http://www.buildblock.com

This project is building a garage with a MIL unit on top of the garage. Connecting to the original house on one side. So this

using new tech with old tech construction.

The foundation and footing is done in one pour.

The poly blocks are fit together with a locking system like interlaced fingers.

Using a caulking tube application of a special glue to additionally

strengthen the blocks to one another.

Install the first row of blocks and then come back and install the rebar vertical bars into the foundation/wall footing.

Steel rebar and steel clips are put inside the poly blocks both vertically and horizontally.

They show pumping the concrete into the center of the blocks at the second story wall level.

The second story, which is the living quarters. Is brought in my truck and lifted on by crane in several sections or as they call them 'boxes'. These boxes some are finished inside with plumbing for the bathroom, tile in the bathroom and some with flooring, most with ceilings installed.

The floor in the garage is poly planks to form the layout of the foundation/floor for the garage. Then Plastic tubing is laid out like a radiator config. Cement poured on top of that of 3-4 inches. This is water radiant heating and cooling for the structure.

Increase in energy saving of at least 30%-40% personally I think it is higher. Construction cost is reduced by 25%. Speed of construction is GREATLY increased. The structure goes up fast.

I have to explore some more to answer some of my own questions. I want to know how they run the plumbing?

My guess is they are not being smart about it and it's in the cement foundation. If so I don't like that one bit. I believe the electric is run inside of the blocks? I really don't know and would like to know.

The roof? I would hope they would have come up with a better way of doing roofs. Shingles for me would not cut it.

IMO it would degrade the over all project.

Rain gutters how is that handled?

Finally outside surfaces? Stucco? Yuck ...come on peeps something better than stucco.

Flooring inside the dwelling? Any acid stained concrete or ? New flooring products to go along with this new tech?

I know some of you don't like bobba-louie-Villa. This series of videos does teach a person the basics of this new building process in a no nonsense way. There are video's 1 through 4 at the top here. Then scroll down to the bottom to watch the next sets. There are maybe 6 to 8 videos all together.

http://www.bobvila.com/BVTV/Bob_Vila/Video-0222-01-1.html

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