Concrete home construction

[dfkrug]

My wife's cousin (who happens to be CEO of Ecoblock) sent me a video
a few years ago of a tornado scoring a direct hit on an ICF house in
Kansas. The roof flew off, but there was no significant wall damage and it
was rebuilt. The adjacent houses were flattened. Amazing that the
camera operator survived.

There is a full cover photo in Concrete Construction Magazine from last year
that shows a single house standing in an area of total devastation in
New Orleans. It was built of ICFs.

 

[dfkrug]

This house in Danville, CA is about 17,000 sf and has taken about
5 y to build.

 

[dmccarty]

I saw a picture of an ICF house in a subdivision that had been hit by a tornado. It was the only home left. A large hardwood had fallen on the roof and the only damage was the that tree poking holes in the roof.

There was a house in CA a few years ago that was part of a famous picture. The whole neighborhood had burned down but the house did not due to its design. I can't remember if that one was an ICF house or not. Seems like it had stucco walls and it had no roof eaves to speak of which kept the flames from getting up into the attic of the house.

Later,
Dan

 

[dfkrug]

The wall to the right is a 20-ft tall retaining wall, built with 8" Polysteel
ICFs, concrete pilasters, and 30-ft drilled tiebacks. I am an experimenter
and I have not heard of any ICFs rewalls this high.

 

[dfkrug]

There was a house in CA a few years ago that was part of a famous picture. The whole neighborhood had burned down but the house did not due to its design. I can't remember if that one was an ICF house or not. Seems like it had stucco walls and it had no roof eaves to speak of which kept the flames from getting up into the attic of the house.

The Oakland Hills Fire was 15 y ago, and it destroyed nearly 3000 houses.
Three houses to survive were built of Polysteel ICFs. I met the contractor
once about 11 y ago. I have never seen good photos, however. Maybe
yours were from that fire?

 

[dmccarty]

I don't know if the picture I saw was the fire you mentioned. Seems like 15 years ago would have been to far back but it good be. Polysteel was the brand of ICF's we where thinkng of using.

In your picture of the wall, is that tree really as large as it looks to be in the picture?

Later,
Dan

 

[Paddy]

The roof blowing off is one reason I will have a concrete roof as well. Nice systems out there, www.insul-deck.org
I will have a flat roof with 3' half walls extending up above the roof deck. It will be like a elevated patio. Since my home will be lake front, tall is good for great views. Nice part to is the property tax dept will call it a roof, I will use it as a patio!

 

[dfkrug]

In your picture of the wall, is that tree really as large as it looks to be in the picture?

I live in a coastal redwood forest. The tree in the foreground is
really 3 redwoods, all 100-120ft tall.

My recommendation for first timer ICF installers: work with a nearby
distributor who can provide local help. The help I used to provide
included consultation with the designer/architect/engineer BEFORE they
started, consultation during permit process, on-site training of the
installer, pre-pour inspections, and I usually directed at least the first
pour. Don't try to save a few cents/Form by going long distance. Now
finding a builder, that was always hard. The better approach seemed to
be an owner finds a builder willing to learn. Not ideal, but it often
worked out. Whenever there was head-to-head competition of ICF
vs conventionally poured, ICFs always won.

 

[BobRip]

I have been living in an ICF house made from Polysteel forms for about 11 years. It is about 3500 sq ft in the Richmond Va. area. We have R55 celulose insulation in the attic (14 inches thick). We had 4 people living here. Our average heating a cooling bills for the first 5 years was a little less than $30 per month. The base electric bill was about $100. Last month in July the total bill was $123, but we are now down to two people.
During hurricaine Isabel, we could barely tell there was a hurricane (slight exageration). My wife says we missed it. The sound proofing is excellent.

It did take 8 months to build the house. This was the third house that the builder had done with ICF. The framer lost money on his bid and he built other house two days a week and mine the other three. There is some important experience to be gained from prior builds. If you don't brace the forms properly then the walls can shift during the concrete pour. If you don't put the concrete in evenly (i.e. fill one cavity mostly full before starting to fill the next) you can get blow outs. This is not a major factor, but you need to know how to deal with it.
I really like the ICF and would hate to bo back to a stick built, but have it built by somebody who has built them before.

 

[Paddy]

Is your house one level? Sounds like your happy with concrete!