Everything You Need to Know About ICF Home Building

 

Building a home is a dream come true for many people. The project requires a substantial amount of money, so you need to hire experts for quality work. There are many advantages to hiring the best custom home builders in the US. Professional builders are connected with expert contractors, and they enjoy professional relationships with agents, material suppliers, and electricians. This means when you require a certain professional, your home builder will connect you with a reliable person. Companies that build houses on your land charge fairly. This is because they purchase goods in bulk and get substantial discounts.

When you build your own home companies, they help manage your resources better. They are experts, and they know how to maximize time and complete the project on time. Another benefit of hiring a custom builder is drawing your design and making it a reality. You can choose custom timber frames, fixtures, paint, and ceramics. A good builder should have good communication skills. Homeowners have a lot of issues they may need clarification on. If a homeowner gives out suggestions, a builder should listen and implement them. However, if you don’t own a piece of land, you can still own a house. Look for affordable new build homes near me and settle for your dream home.

What are the best home construction materials for energy efficiency, strength, and sustainable, green architecture? Some of the newest innovations in home construction materials include insulated concrete forms, or ICF blocks. The Department Of Housing And Urban Development has estimated that using ICF walls and ICF building blocks for home construction could save homeowners as much as 25% on their heating and cooling costs for the year. Here’s everything you need to know about these home construction materials and their benefits.

What Are They?

Insulated concrete forms are made to fit together in interlocking blocks. The outside of each form is made of foam insulation connected by a plastic framework. Once the forms are stacked in the desired construction, they are then filled with concrete. This means that the concrete forms are insulated on inside and outside so that they are far better insulated than standard materials used in home construction. Because the blocks fit together so tightly, very little air can get in and out, which also greatly increases their insulation value.

How Insulated Are ICF Homes?

When compared to concrete flooring, for example, ICF decking is 40% lighter and much better insulated. Concrete, when properly insulated and airtight, holds temperature. When the air contained within the concrete is warmed up, the concrete holds the warmth. If that same house is filled with cool air and closed up, it stays cool. According to a study done on 58 homes in North America, those made with insulated concrete forms required 32% less energy to cool and 44% less energy to heat than comparable houses made with traditional methods.

How Strong Are ICF Forms?

Another benefit to using these home construction materials is their great strength and the safety benefits they convey. Properly constructed ICF buildings can stand up to winds as strong as 402 km/h. They are strong enough to withstand hurricanes and tornadoes and typically do in houses made from ICF blocks that have gone through these types of storms. They are also very fire resistant because concrete is not flammable. They also protect your family from pests of all kinds. Neither termites nor mice will be interested in trying to chew through your concrete. Finally, these home construction materials are very resistant to seismic shifts.

How Expensive is an ICF Home?

Currently, the jury is out on this. Because not every construction company is qualified and capable of using insulated concrete form construction, the few that are can charge a premium for their services and unique expertise. This is balanced out by the fact that construction takes less time and creates far less waste than ordinary construction methods. This means that, currently, the cost is about the same. All other things being equal, constructing with ICF building blocks should be about 40% cheaper than conventional construction, and as ICF construction becomes more commonplace this will become apparent.

What’s it Like Living in an ICF Home?

Functionally, there is no difference to the look or performance of an ICF block home when compared to a standard home, except for the savings in energy costs and the resistance to pest invasion. It is possible to decorate both the inside and the outside just as any other home, with paint, brick, drywall, carpets, vinyl siding, etc. The only other thing that people generally comment on is the enormous noise reduction within the house. The insulated concrete forms do a fantastic job of keeping out sound as well as insulating the house.

If I Want to Build with These Home Construction Materials, What Should I Do?

First, be sure to get a professional ICF builder to work on your project. It requires special expertise to work properly with ICF blocks. As you design your home, be sure to plan for plenty of ventilation and get the best quality windows and window sills that you can, because the temperature swings and condensation just around the Windows will be greater than with conventional construction methods.

ICF forms are some of the best home construction materials available on the market today. If you want a durable, energy-efficient, green home the last years into the future, you can’t do better than insulated concrete forms.