ICF / Discussions

...ICF walls is a far better way than the mold-inviting normal practice of trapping moisture in basement walls with a vapor barrier. A crawl space is a just a short basement, so if you did it with ICF then kudos to you for a good design, but in general we find the very notion of a crawl space a bad building concept. In al...

...icf walls for my house putting a monk slopping roof on a 5/12 pitch wanting to use sips for the roof.

...ICF construction, it will offer virtually no heat regulating assistance. Concrete inside the thermal envelope will absorb and release heat, concrete outside of it will not. Are the stem walls also insulated on the outside? I'm wondering if they are ICF, as I can think of no reason to insulate the interior only of a bel...

...ICF blocks for the basement construction. We know nothing about the history of ICF construction or whether it's a good idea. Our winters are cold as we are high up and the site is west facing on the basement window side - do ICFs have any particular problems for basement walls? Is Insulating Concrete Forms construction...

Do you have any reviews or suggestions for Gigacrete homes? They seem eco-friendly with a tight building envelope. There's just not much info out there.  Hi Sasha  It seems like EPS panels that encapsulate probably double stud light frame steel construction. Light frame steel definitely sweats if left too close to the ...

Hi there For NYC What is the best insulation Under 2" Cement slab Roof for energy efficiency and water leaks? Maybe 2 layers?  The base for the roof will be Metal beams. Thanks, Rafael, Brooklyn  We would propose you use a rigid board insulation for a flat roof, and there are several to choose from. Probably one of the...

...ICF and Passive house, I would suggest having a look at ThermalWall, a rigid insulation panel designed to attach to ICF blocks (above or below grade) that can help you meet performance targets. I'm not sure if it has achieved PH certification yet as a product, but it was conceived specifically to make ICF a viable opti...

...ICF block construction walls allows thermal bridging into the concrete core of the wall allowing energy stored in the thermal mass to bleed into the soil below. This is one of the problems with building ICF on a traditional concrete strip foundation. Is there any way to stop this advantage for ICF construction from lit...

...ICF blocks serving as a frost wall.  Our exterior above grade walls will also be ICF construction with the addition of 3.5" of EPS panels on the exterior.  We will have a concrete slab floor.  What is the best method to support very heavy sliding doors and eliminate thermal bridging when building with ICF?  I really li...

...ICF construction? Now that the homeowners have lived with it for 5 years would they change anything about the flooring and will the ICF blocks on my build give any advantages compared to Edelweiss? The type of heat source is less important than the temperature you will run the floor at and the type of flooring. A well-...

...ICF blocks, Double stud walls, and pre-built wall assemblies.  What can you tell me about your experience with ICF construction compared to pre-fab wall assemblies? Are there Prefab companies in Ontario/Quebec who recommend siting homes on an ICF basement for example? Thanks Shaun We really quite like prefab / pre buil...