icf / Green Building & Sustainable Home Renovation Information & Advice

...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 ...

...ICFs and why they are the choice for a truly high-performance basement. Below is an overview of the sections we will cover, allowing you to jump directly to the information you need. What are ICFs? ICF vs. poured concrete: Which is best? Energy efficiency and comfort with ICF homes Understanding thermal bridging Struc...

...ICF blocks? Why ICF is the best choice for basements: cost and performance ICF foam explained: It's EPS, not Styrofoam™ Key benefits of building with ICF blocks The environmental impact of ICF construction Should you build a whole home with ICF? In brief: The case for ICF What are ICF blocks? ICF blocks are hollow, i...

...ICF) and foundations G-EPS is offered by some manufacturers of ICF blocks, which serve as both the formwork and permanent insulation of concrete walls. Furthermore, its excellent long-term water absorption resistance makes it highly suitable for below-grade applications like insulating basement walls, crawlspaces, and ...

...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...

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...

...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, you can read about the definitive history of ICF blocks here. Building with ICF blocks is great for reducing sound transm...

...ICF basements and frost protected shallow foundations (raft slabs). Benefits for new residential construction Integrating self-healing properties into a new home foundation offers several advantages for energy efficiency and resilience. By making the concrete itself the primary water barrier, builders can simplify the...

...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...

...ICF walls on top for very effective and durable basement design.  Advantages of a monolithic slab foundation The first notable advantage of a monolithic slab is that it is done in a single trip of concrete trucks and work crews. It costs a lot to get a foundation crew and pump truck to show up on site, so one trip ins...

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...