Things to Consider in Building Homes with ICF

insulated concrete forms - ICF

Considering building a home with ICF? First and foremost, congratulations! Building with insulated concrete forms will treat you to a plethora of advantages that you can enjoy for a long time. Foremost of these include reduced energy costs, enhanced indoor living conditions, and superior fire resistance.

To up the advantages, it is vital that you make sure that your ICF home construction is installed properly. To help you, don’t forget to consider these factors.

insulated concrete forms - ICF

Specific Material Choice

Insulated concrete forms are typically the same across the board, but there are two main types that you can choose from: blocks and panels. Whichever you opt for should depend on factors such as:

  • The scope of your project
  • The specific parts of the house that you want to use ICFs for

Blocks are made up pre-formed segments that can be interlocked together, much like Legos. Panels, on the other hand, have flat edges that require a separate connector or a tie to be interconnected. They have to be pre-assembled prior to installation, either at your site or at the distributor’s factory.

 

Specific Application Use

The specific application you wish to do with the ICFs is also integral to the extent of the benefits that post-construction will reap. For instance, if you want to use these concrete formworks for only one room in your house, you can still expect curbed energy consumption. But it won’t be as big as using ICS for all of your outside walls.

When deciding how best to use the product, it is best to sit down and take note of things that will help guide you towards the right decision. These include:

  • Your projected energy consumption
  • Your area’s weather conditions; and
  • Your budget

 

Professional Help

Finally, make sure that you get the right professional help in constructing with ICFs. This is because there are specific technical considerations that have to be managed properly to make sure that the full functionality and performance of the material can be harnessed properly. Additionally, your product warranty can get compromised if the recommended installation practices have not been followed by your installer.

When choosing suppliers or contractors that specialise in insulated concrete forms, we recommend that you look for:

  • A good catalog of products from established brands
  • A trusted reputation and a long history of good service
  • Comprehensive installation, repair, and maintenance services and solutions; and
  • A courteous and friendly team that offers round-the-clock customer assistance

 

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