Looking for natural cooling ideas

[Paddy]

ICF construction is really best for the DIY type. You don't need forms, but Lots of bracing though. They are very pricey for what you get in the end. Simple put, in the end you get poured walls with foam on the outside. You can have conventual walls poured and attach the foam or I've seen methods where the foam is placed in the forms before the pour. Its been a few years but, I have had 10' walls poured for $75 a running foot. 2" blue foam on both sides is $14 a running ft, w/o labor. It might be $20 a runing foot installed either by 'in the form method' or gluing. So we are at $10 a sq ft for 8" poured walls with 2" blue foam in and outside. And you don't have to do the work! Just write the check. The ICFs are about $3.45 a sq ft no labor or concrete/rebar/bracing lumber.

 

[dfkrug]

ICF construction is really best for the DIY type. You don't need forms, but Lots of bracing though. They are very pricey for what you get in the end. Simple put, in the end you get poured walls with foam on the outside. You can have conventual walls poured and attach the foam or I've seen methods where the foam is placed in the forms before the pour. Its been a few years but, I have had 10' walls poured for $75 a running foot. 2" blue foam on both sides is $14 a running ft, w/o labor. It might be $20 a runing foot installed either by 'in the form method' or gluing. So we are at $10 a sq ft for 8" poured walls with 2" blue foam in and outside. And you don't have to do the work! Just write the check. The ICFs are about $3.45 a sq ft no labor or concrete/rebar/bracing lumber.

Yes, ICF construction is very good for the DIY type. But there are many
contractors around the country who specialize in this type of constructon.
They are very efficient at it and can set, brace, and pour houses in just
a few days. Bracing is required for any kind of concrete walls and there
are there are numerous brands of adjustable braces you can buy or rent
for ICF construction. The contractors who specialize in ICF construction
OWN these reusable steel braces. There are huge labor savings using
ICFs over conventional poured walls. Finally, in terms of cost of ICF
construction vs. wood frame.....that is not a simple calculation. First, the
outside walls (frame) of a house only amount to about 10% of its total
construction cost. You may pay somewhat more for ICF vs. 2x6 for this
part, depending on how experienced your builder is. 2x6 construction is
getting close in cost, however, as you take into acct all of the steel
ties and moment frames now reqd by newer building codes, esp in seismic
and high wind areas. Then there is the energy savings for the owner to
acct for.

 

[Paddy]

"There are huge labor savings using
ICFs over conventional poured walls."

Not sure where the huge savings comes from. Setting up forms goes quick. But in the end, how much does it cost for a ICF wall per running ft? I don't really care how much time a contractor saves, just price in the end.

I'm sold on concrete. I have used my last 2x6. My next home will not only have Concrete walls on the ground floor, but concrete second level floors, second story walls and a concrete flat roof. For most of the walls, I will go for a poured wall with the foam on the inside. This is for fire protection and true effective thermal mass. Thermal mass does much less good if insolated between foam. I will run ele thru the foam via conduit. I believe Stress skin panels are wired this way.

I'm glad to see the intrest in concrete construction finally hit the US. Now all we need to do is tweek the designs a bit and have more skilled masonary designer and labor. there some out there though.

 

[SPIKER]

I just wanted to post a little help to this summer / winter designing help ideas can be had from a pretty good mag, Mother Earth News. it is a 6 book/yr mag. lots of good articals about many homesteading green energy renuable info. farming ips ect too. I'm not yet a subscriber but have been reading it on/off for a few weeks due to getting some old ones from a coworker who has had a long term suscription. he said they used to have a hole lot more "Do-It-Yourself" articals, plans in there the one I was just reading last night had some really good solar food drier plans in it. no I'm not affiliated with them, just think they have a good bit of actually USABLE information in there ...

http://www.motherearthnews.com/

Mark M

heck they had a 10.00 (pay now online link/url on the web site so I signed up for myslelf ;D

 

[Haoleguy]

dfkrug makes a very important point on cost and that is an experienced ICF building design and construction crew make fewer mistakes, move quickly, and know were additional attention is needed during the build phase and can be competitive on cost. One of the common early mistakes by DIYers is insufficient attention to vertical and horizontal straightness and foundation level tolerances. My spouse and I are in the process of selecting the ICF manufacturer which will then be followed by ICF experienced contractor and architect/designer. There were many important features in ICF construction but two were that we live in a high wind area which requires hurricane force stability and secondly with significant seasonal weather changes we require a stable exterior for masonry applications e.g. Grailcoat, stucco, etc. I only wish there were more ICF experienced tradesmen in the northeastern US.....Cheers.

 

[dfkrug]

. One of the common early mistakes by DIYers is insufficient attention to vertical and horizontal straightness and foundation level tolerances. My spouse and I are in the process of selecting the ICF manufacturer which will then be followed by ICF experienced contractor and architect/designer. .

I have found ICF installation mistakes made by both DIYers and contractors.
If I can generalize, at least the DIY types ask questions. I have found that
contractors I am training to do a first time install often insist on doing things
their own way. Furthermore, if they have had some exposure to another
brand of ICFs, they may resist or ignore any installation directions. Different
brands of ICFs have different installation and pouring requirements!

In the choice of an ICF, the most important consideration is local support of
the installer from a factory-trained distributor.

There is a Concrete Construction thread now for this subject.