HOW-TO
How To: Make a Residential Window Opening
Every house or building design requires numerous rough openings for doors and windows. Incorporating these openings into an ICF wall assembly requires a number of fundamentals to be established in the pre-design. Don’t try to layout the block coursing to suit the...
Evaluate ICFs Versus Wood or CMU
The major question everyone is posting regarding building materials and wall assemblies is related to cost, specifically the initial capital costs for the options of building with ICFs versus traditional wood framing or concrete block. This is not a simple question...
How To: Planning ICF Construction Sequences
For a new ICF installer there is considerable information from the ICF manufacturers about how to lay the blocks, but one of the main questions being asked on social media is about the construction sequencing or phasing — how many courses to install and when to place...
How-To Plans and Permits
The hardest part of building a home for yourself is the design — deciding on the floor plan, not to mention materials. Every successful building project requires a detailed set of design or working drawings as a necessary tool for estimating, building, and permit...
How To Select An ICF Product
The decision has been made to build with ICFs. Now, how do you select which product to use? Every ICF block or product line is unique in attributes and features which impact the installation speed and efficiency, the engineering requirements, and the overall energy...
Select the Right ICF Concrete Core Size
A majority of ICF companies provide forms with concrete core sizes at 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 inches. The range allows for different applications and engineering design criteria. The structural advantage of reinforced concrete design allows for thinner walls than those...
A Growing Market For ICF Pools
Similar skills, different applications Across the country, contractors are scrambling to adapt to the pandemic in a few ways. Demand for new homes and home remodeling is skyrocketing while at the same time, commercial construction is in a decline (Dodge reports that...
ICF Basics for Commercial Contractors
An ICF form combines insulation, furring strips, and rebar saddles in a single product.The number of commercial buildings being built with ICFs has increased dramatically in the past decade. Between 2010 and 2015, the ICF industry has transitioned from being 60%...
Bracing for ICFs
A wall alignment and bracing system is an essential piece of equipment for any ICF installer, and mastering the basics of this tool is essential. ICF projects are bigger and more complex than ever before. In the U.S., OSHA has tightened safety requirements....
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