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 safet, most comfortable and cost effective home you have ever owned. Here’s why:

Strength & Safety. ICF homes provide the strength and security to keep your family safe and secure. The steel-reinforced concrete walls can be engineered to withstand winds up to 250 mph. There are numerous documented cases of ICF homes that have survived devastating tornado and hurricane force winds. In addition, ICF homes have a 4 hour fire rating (compared to 1 hour stick-built) and offer superior seismic and impact performance. Plus, ICF walls won’t rust, rot or decay!

Superior Energy Performance. 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.

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. 

Air Quality. 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. 

Cost Effective. While depending on the size and design of your house, you could pay around 6% 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.

Peace & Quiet. ICF walls have excellent sound attenuation qualities. In fact, ICFs are rated the quietest building products on the market. An ICF wall has a Sound Transmission Class (STC) rating of 50 as compared to 33 for stick-built homes. ICF walls reduce unwanted outside noise by as much as 87%. 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 eliminated. 

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!

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.