ICFs
Insulated Concrete Forms
Yesterday in the Greensburg update ICFs (Insulated Concrete Forms), were talked about
as being the green building material of choice on at least a couple of projects. This
stuff caught my interest so I delved into it a little. Here’s what I found.
ICF is a block form that has 3 inches of styrofoam on two sides with a 6 inch plastic
spacer in the middle with slots to pop rebar into. They stack together to form walls
and buildings and concrete is poured into the middle of the forms.
Buildings made from ICFs are energy efficient, enviromentally friendly, solid, built
to last, quiet and comfortable. They lower the potential for mold and allergens by
keeping out the air and moisture. Cooling and heating cost are reduced because the
interior temperatures in ICF buildings remain steady throughout the seasons. They
resist the ravages of time, fire (up to 4 hours), and wind (up to 200 mph).
Most are produced from recycled materials and even the unused portions can be recycled
to make the least possible impact on the enviroment.
I like it!!!
Tags: allergens, building material, energy, green, insulated concrete forms, insulator, interior temperatures, mold, ravages of time, rebar, recycled materials, recycling, s, slots, spacer, styrofoam, time fire, unused portions, wind
Tags: allergens, building material, energy, green, insulated concrete forms, insulator, interior temperatures, mold, ravages of time, rebar, recycled materials, recycling, s, slots, spacer, styrofoam, time fire, unused portions, wind
June 24th, 2008 at 9:53 am
This seems to be the ideal way to go. I do however see a possible problem with something like this. I live in South Africa, here we have a desperate shortage of housing. Something like this could push up the price of construction and thereby make the housing shortage problem worse. Money seems to creep into everything doesn’t it?
sailors last blog post..Help yourself as well as others
June 24th, 2008 at 11:19 am
I see you point but in this case it is cheaper! You need no wood, no insulation, just concrete. Those forms stay in place…. construction labor can be reduced by doing it yourself!
Lindas last blog post..ICFs
June 24th, 2008 at 12:36 pm
Hi Linda,
I’ve seen these being used and they’re awesome. Whoever came up with this idea was a genius.
Barbara Swaffords last blog post..NBOTW Needs No Introduction
June 24th, 2008 at 1:05 pm
Sounds ideal. Any idea of the costs associated with using this as your main building material?
michellews last blog post..Ghetto Fabulous?
June 24th, 2008 at 7:43 pm
hi Barbara … yes! it is a very good product and there are many varieties. So buyer must research what is best for them.
Hi Michellew … From what I can tell, most of the icfs run between $3 to $5 per square foot. Again, depends on which icf product you choose.
Lindas last blog post..ICFs
June 25th, 2008 at 7:11 pm
Sounds like they’d make quite the fortress.
Brads last blog post..Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less, Why Wait?
June 25th, 2008 at 8:07 pm
I love ICF. It’s a great option for a green home. One builder told me that the home he built (nearly 3000 s/f ICF) would average electric bills of $25/month because of the enormous energy efficiency of the walls!
More about ICF on the following page:
http://www.building-your-green-home.com/insulated-concrete-forms.html
I’d love to see it become more and more popular - we’d sure save boatloads of electricity and cash over the long haul if we use it.
Lisetrises last blog post..Bamboo Wood Floors: A Good Green Idea?
June 25th, 2008 at 8:16 pm
And Trees too! I am very intrigued by the stuff… along with using recycling for stryofoam!
Lindas last blog post..Respect the Force of Nature
September 16th, 2008 at 10:44 pm
ICFs are great. We are starting to use them on out sustainable home projects. Check out out demo on our blog http://blog.costacoast.com
September 17th, 2008 at 6:44 am
I will be right over to see it. I am glad you are
using ICFs!