44 Days To Go: ICF Building Class
Yesterday, I took a free class on ICF Construction, sponsored by Fox Blocks.
ICF stands for, "Insulated Concrete Forms" - essentially, making your home a giant Yeti cooler.
The above photo is an ICF panel - it is 16" tall (it's on its side in the photo), 48" wide, and this particular one has an 8" hollow center, where strapping, rebar, and concrete will go. It replaces 6(!) cinder blocks or CMU blocks, yet I can pick it up with one hand. Video proof here.
Why did I take this class...?
We hope to build our new home out of ICF.
Our main reasons we're drawn to ICF are:
1. Your home can be built faster - think how long it would take a person to carry over, lift, and place 6 heavy cinder blocks - and how many breaks they will have to take to rest. Now replace those 6 blocks with 1 panel that a middle-aged, out-of-shape woman can lift with 1 hand.
2. ICF is impervious to insects (we have termite nests the size of small cars on our land), rot, fire, and withstands 190 MPH winds.
3. Cooling cost savings are incredible! Since we will be off-grid, having to install less solar panels and batteries to cool our home versus traditional concrete will save us considerable money, and keep us more comfortable.
My instructor for the class, Alfonso, grew up in Puerto Rico in a concrete home, and talked about how they had no worries when a hurricane rolled through - so long as they had enough food and drinks. However, if he put his hand to a wall or ceiling, you could feel the heat radiating in through the concrete, since it is not insulated. Our villa we will move into for now is made of concrete; if we can't swing the cost of ICF, we'll go with concrete for the sturdiness and bug-resistance properties.
The class I took was full of General Contractors, DIY Homeowners, Tradespeople, a Drafter...a little bit of everything. We are all now certified to build with ICF!*
*Although the professionals STRONGLY suggested subbing out the pouring of the concrete - that takes years of practice and specialized skills to perfect.
The blocks assemble essentially like legos - they have interlocking parts and can be cut to size, flipped, rotated as needed. The material is recyclable, and the brackets that hold both sides of foam together are made from recycled plastics.
We haven't had much luck in finding local crews using ICF currently; there has been chatter in the Facebook groups like, "So-and-so (now deceased) built a bunch of ICF homes..." but no strong leads of current companies. That is probably going to be the most difficult part, finding a crew that can pour the cement properly.
The other challenge will be importing the blocks; Fox Blocks' website allows users to enter their structure's height and linear feet of walls, as well as number of interior and exterior corners. It then auto-generates your order and cost, it's really slick! From their Omaha plant, they can pack a container and ship it anywhere in the world. Ordering and shipping is easy...paying duty on it will be painful.
If you are interested in learning more about ICF construction, I highly suggest visiting FoxBlocks.com. Poke around, and if you want to advance your knowledge, look for a free class in your area!