Problems?
Choices...
Volume 1 : Choices series
If you are considering building a new home, you have probably been faced with many choices. One of the primary decisions in building is the wall system. A choice growing in popularity is ICF, Insulated Concrete Forms.
Lisa McCaghren of ICF Installations, an ICF construction company, confirms that the benefits that people are most drawn to are comfort and energy savings. A wood frame built home can be prone to hot and cold spots, but an ICF home has thermal temperature control qualities, is air tight and can maintaina constant comfort level through out the home making the energy savings as high as 70%. Other benefits includesignificant reduction in vapor and mold issues, pest resistant, fire resistant properties and some can take as highas200-300 MPH winds. These benefits can result in lower insurance premiums.
Waffle Design
Generally, people who are considering using ICF are curious about how the cost compares to conventional methods. The Department of Energy states that in general the cost is about 5% more than wood framed homes. To defray that cost, Housing and Urban Development has a program called Energy Efficient Mortgage. This will allow the home buyer to add the additional cost of approved energy efficient materials to the mortgage without increasing the down payment creating a positive cash flow when the first utility bill arrives. Link to http://www.hud.gov/offices/hsg/sfh/eem/energy-r.cfm for more information.
Another consideration is which ICF block to use for your building project. There are 2 basic types of block designs, grid and waffle. The grid design is a sandwich type where the foam is on the outside and the concrete is poured in the middle. These tend to have a higher vertical and wind strength so this block would be good in windy areas like Coastal Texas. The waffle design has cylinders where the concrete is poured so there is less concrete and more insulation. This block is good where you need more insulation, like Central Texas.
Grid Design
Additionally, there are 80 different manufacturers to choose from. First, choose a company of size, tenure and service that has testing and engineering behind their product. Next, the block should be treated with borax and the foam bead should be 1.75 PCF density (heavier than that of an ice chest). This information should be easily found on the company website or from the manufacturing representative. If you have a hard time finding it that may be a red flag.
If you would like to contact Lisa McCaghren for more information, call 830-885-5021 or contact Kevin Hill at 210-254-0302.
Check out our website
Contact Cammi Klier at 512.330.9309
or cklier@cdshomedesign.com
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