icf / Green Building & Sustainable Home Renovation Information & Advice

ICF Block Construction - The Definitive History of ICFs from 1932 to 2023 © R j
Concrete and masonry

The definitive history of ICF blocks and ICF construction

...ICFs - Contents What is the history of ICFs ? What is the History of Plastic foam ICF's  ICF blocks aren't made of styrofoam Who invented foam ICF construction blocks? Which was the first ICF block construction? What happened next in the history of ICFs? The History of ICFs Timeline The History of ICF Blocks  To ...

Concrete, wood and steel structures compared - Timber Frame wins!
Materials and resources

How wood structures compare to steel and concrete for Carbon Footprint

Wood, steel and concrete each have specific structural advantages, each with their own characteristics. The following is a life-cycle comparison conducted by the Athena Sustainable Materials Institute (ASMI) of the materials only, and does not include any considerations of how they each affect thermal performance, vapo...

Ice dams on roofs & how to fix them
Roof assemblies - renovation

What causes ice dams and how to fix them

Ice dams form at the bottom of roofs, letting water penetrate and cause damage to the interior of walls and roofs.  When snow melts on a roof it runs down until it meets the unheated bottom edge of a roof and then freezes. This chunk of ice is called an ice dam, and it can cause water to backup beneath shingles and Ice...

Choosing a building envelope
Wall assemblies - new construction

Choosing a building envelope - starting with the perfect wall

...ICF - Insulated Concrete Forms: ICF block  diagram courtesy Fox Blocks This is a system of polystyrene blocks that are stacked and filled with concrete to form the entire wall system of your home. Building with ICF blocks is great for reducing sound transmission and stopping the infiltration of air, insects and roden...

Insulated Radiant Floor ICF Foam Forms Heated with Air
Delivery: radiant, forced-air and decentralized

Air-heated radiant floor slab foam forming systems

Radiant heating systems are very common in concrete floors now because they provide a very balanced and comfortable distribution of heat. Those systems are most commonly hydronic, meaning heated liquid is pumped through tubing in the concrete which then radiates that heat into the house. View the slab on grade foam for...

Frost in Attics: What causes Attic Ice? How to Fix it?
Roof assemblies - renovation

Why is there frost in my attic? Is ice in roofs a problem & How do I stop it?

Frost in Attics: why is there Ice in my roof?  When a warm sunny day arrives after a long cold stretch and it seems like you have a roof leak when there isn't a cloud in the sky, it's probably Attic Icing, otherwise known as Ice Dams or Ice Damming, and the surprising thing is that it's very unlikely that the roof cove...

Prefab frost-protected shallow foundation insulated form kit
Slab on Grade

Raft slabs - How to build Insulated Frost Protected shallow foundations (FPSF) on problem soils

...ICF foundation wall. This provides a continuous layer of insulation separating the concrete from the ground. The result is a very comfortable and energy efficient basement, with no thermal bridging and reduced risk of mold.  Basement mockup with frost protected shallow foundation forms and ICF wall courtesy of  Treehu...

Top Tips for Getting a House Ready for Winter
Wall assemblies - renovation

Winter preparation for your home - are you ready for the cold?

Top Tips for preparing a home for winter Extremely low temperatures over winter can test your home in many ways, and sometimes your house will return a failing grade. Even brand new homes built to code can see failures of their building envelopes, windows, doors and ventilation systems during winter, a simple failure t...

How to Build a Frost Protected Shallow Foundation (FPSF) Forms
Delivery: radiant, forced-air and decentralized

Design and construction of frost-protected shallow foundations with radiant heat

...ICF dowels/anchor bolts and confirm their locations with framing contractor and ensure bolts are offset from studs and have a minimum of 3” embedment in concrete. Steel trowel surface using power trowels. Keep top of slab moist for three days to minimize shrinkage and cracking. (Concrete chemically sets, then subsequen...