ICF Building

"Why should you build with Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF)? A better question would be: Why would you consider building with anything else?..." 

Imagine If You Will?...

It’s a Sunday morning in January in Ontario. You stretch under your comforter, ready for your morning coffee. Your eyes are drawn to your icy bedroom window by the sound of the howling wind and blowing snow outside.

The thought of having to make your way to the cold kitchen floor, sends shivers down your spine.

As you start to make your way, it almost seems as if the wind is blowing “inside” the house. The constant noise of the furnace coming from the basement makes you shiver even more, just thinking about next month’s heating bill…

Meanwhile, on the other side of town, your brother-in-law wakes and stretches on his king size bed.  The automatic coffee maker is brewing – and the smell of fresh brewed coffee fills the air.

As he walks into the kitchen he smiles, feeling the warmth of his floors – thank goodness for radiant floor heat!  Through his kitchen window he notices that the huge birch tree at the side of the house has bent almost to the ground. What a storm – it must be really cold outside!

He smiles again, complimenting himself on making the right decision to build with Insulated Concrete Form - With ICF building, the weather outside will never disturb his families comfort inside...

Flexibility in Design - Any type of building is possible when building with ICF

Why build with concrete? Simply put, it's a better way to build a better home...

1. Comfort – Nothing blows through reinforced concrete. There will be absolutely no drafts or cold spots. ICF homeowners have commented on how constant temperatures stay within their homes. Because of the tremendous thermal mass of the exterior wall envelope of the building, temperature peaks are smoothed, and therefore homes are noticeably warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer.

2.  Safety & Health – There are no CFCs, HCFCs, or formaldehydes, and also no wood to rot and mold. ICFs are the answer for allergy and asthma sufferers. They have at least a two-hour fire rating and are termite and pest resistant. But most importantly, these structures can withstand a severe storm hit. Have you considered climate change into your future structure’s design?

3.  Flexibility in Design – Reinforced concrete has tremendous proven design capabilities. For example, how many bridges do you travel over every day? ICF wall systems can support concrete floor and roof systems and give you the ultimate in innovative design.

4.  Quiet – Your outside noises are quieted. Is your future building site near train tracks, airports, highways or recreational vehicle trails? Maybe you simply do not wish to hear the neighbor mowing his lawn.

5.  Energy Efficiency – Homes built with ICF exterior walls require an estimated average 44% less energy to heat and 32% less energy to cool than comparable frame houses. Consequently, your HVAC systems can be downsized. Since floor systems are hung on the inside of the wall, real energy savings come when you design above-grade, thereby eliminating a huge heat loss area in conventional housing.

6.  Build Green with ICFs - Protect our Children's Future! Our world’s number one challenge is to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide that is being discharged into our atmosphere. The earth’s relatively sudden warming and consequent dramatic effects of climate change are directly related to these carbon dioxide emissions. Landfill construction waste is reduced to less than 1% when you build with ICF’s. For every one ton of methane produced by landfilling practices, 20 tons of CO2 are produced. Every ICF home saves approximately 8.5 trees and effectively preserve nature’s air filters. Ask yourself the question, “How much oxygen does sand and gravel produce?” If we can reduce our energy bills by as much as 40%, we can reduce CO2 emissions by the same amount. The world’s international Kyoto agreement insists on a reduction of emissions by 50% just to slow down the effects of global warming. ICFs are a part of the answer to CO2 reductions.

7.  Storm Warning - ICF walls provide safe shelter from severe storms, whose occurrences are increasing in frequency as well as severity. Provinces and states with no past history of tornadoes are now experiencing them. As a result of the recent number of hurricanes in their areas, building codes are being upgraded along the seashores of the Caribbean, Florida and the Carolinas. Since 1983, insurance claims due to a majority of severe storm events have been doubling every five years. Protect your investment, protect your family, and protect yourself. Build with Insulated Concrete Forms.

See "The Anathomy of an ICF wall".

More Articles on ICF Building:

"If Rome Was Built Today It Would Be Built Using ICF Construction",  

"9 Things You Need To Know About Building ICF wall BEFORE You Start"

"ICF Concrete FAQs - You need to know this for any ICF project..."

"How Much Does It Cost to Build With Insulated Concrete Blocks?"

"ICF Building - Why should you build with Insulated Concrete Forms?"

"Concrete Homes"