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Why Build an Insulating Concrete Form (ICF) Home?
Whether you’re considering building a new home or have plans and are searching for a contractor, you’ve come to the right place. Building a home with ICF concrete exterior walls adds value throughout the life of your home. Your new concrete home could be the most comfortable and safest home you have ever owned. Here’s why:
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Lower heating and cooling bills. You’ll be amazed at how much more efficient your heating and cooling system will operate in your ICF home. You can save up to 50% to 80% on your energy bills! Fully insulated concrete walls keep the cold and hot air out of your home, keeping a more consistent temperature inside.
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Comfort. When you walk around inside an ICF house, you notice that the temperature remains constant no matter what part of the house you're in. Upstairs, downstairs, bonus room—they're all the same. An ICF house stays cools in the summer and warm in the winter, with no cold or hot spots. The temperature is uniform throughout the house.
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Strength and safety. Our steel-reinforced concrete walls can be engineered to withstand winds up to 200 miles per hour. In 2005, a tornado ripped through a Wisconsin town, destroying everything in its path. Only an ICF-built home remained standing with no damage to the walls themselves. Some ICF concrete walls have been proven to withstand fire up to four hours. Now that's strength that can keep your family safe and secure no matter what comes your way.
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Clean air. ICF walls drastically reduce the amount of air infiltration into your home reducing the level or airborne dust and allergens. Walls made of concrete help eliminate worries about mold, moisture and outside allergens. That’s a must if anyone in your family suffers from asthma or allergies. And you won't have to dust nearly as often.
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Savings. While depending on the size and design of your house, you could pay from 0% to 4% or more in upfront construction costs. But, over the long term, costs are reduced or reimbursed in a number of ways—smaller heating and cooling units, lower monthly energy bills, lower insurance costs, shorter construction time, no extra costs for furring or insulation, low maintenance costs and greater resale value.
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Peace and quiet. Insulated concrete forms (ICFs) are rated the quietest building products in the market. You won’t believe how much noise you won’t hear in a concrete home. Noise from traffic or the neighbor’s barking dogs is practically gone.
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The design you want. Your ICF home looks like any other house except it will be much stronger and better insulated. Plus, you can build any floor plan with ICFs. Whether you want curved walls, arched windows, an open floor plan or all of the above, you can build the home of your dreams with ICFs!
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A happy environment. An ICF home uses fewer trees in construction, so it's an environmentally friendly way to build. Plus, because of the added energy efficiency you get with insulated concrete walls, you'll use less energy to heat and cool your home.
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Be sure to check out our FAQ page as well as our Technical Briefs page. If you're ready to build the home of your dreams or if you have questions about ICF construction, contact us now and ask to speak with Keith Watson, CGG, CAPS.
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