I have been looking to build another house, but, one that would be more efficient, with the ability to be self-sustaining if I wanted. Easier said than done. For a few years now, I have been looking at ICF construction. What is ICF construction? It is abbreviated for Insulated Concrete Forming, an energy-efficient,ultra-strong method of construction that is very friendly to DIY builders. I am always suspicious when they say it is easy. Aren't you? We have all been to Ikea and put together one of their products that doesn't come with instructions. No instructions are needed! It's easy!
Walking in, you can see the seven foot front door. It is ginormous and makes me feel like a little kid answering the door. I have to admit, I really do like it. Surrounding the door are the ICF blocks. It was -9C (15F) that day and I put my hand up to the blocks, expecting cool air to be penetrating through. Not one bit. Airtight house. The house was never heated and had a concrete floor, and yet, I didn't have a jacket on in the house and wasn't cold. Impressed? It is easy to be.
Today is #MarketFriday initiated by 
This is a single ICF building block Does it look familiar? LEGO BLOCKS!!! Yes, these lightweight foam building blocks that come in many different sizes and shapes go together like Lego blocks, hence they are DIY friendly.
After leveling your building lot and pouring a foundation to support the ICF walls, you simply stack these interlocking blocks to form your walls, then fill the blocks with cement, and voila! You now have walls that can withstand anything nature can throw at it, all the while, being energy efficient.
In addition to coming in different shapes (straight like above, curved, 90-degree bends, etc.) they also come in different lengths, heights, and thicknesses. The different sizes and shapes enable you the flexibility to build your outside walls as strong as you want/need, and using 4-12 inches of cement to build almost any shape. You can also get them in different insulation thicknesses to get any level of thermal protection you want.
Wait, doesn’t a cement wall need rebar in it? Yes, and these blocks are set up to support that. If you look at the black things that are connecting the two pieces of insulation, they are designed to hold the rebar. All you have to do is add the appropriately sized rebar which is specified by your building plans, to the appropriate slots as you go. You know, inch by inch, it’s a cinch.
How about finishing these blocks? How do you put up drywall inside and how do you finish the outside? If you look at the vertical “FOX BLOCKS” stripes on the blocks, there is a sheet of heavy plastic sealed into the insulation that is designed as anchor points for screws. You simply use screws into these marked portions to hang any finish you want.
As you can see in this photo, most of the internal walls and ceilings were framed out with 2x4 wood construction. You can also see the inside construction of the roof in this picture. The triangular-shaped wood frames are roof trusses, which are also 2x4 in this portion of the house. The only reason they can get away with using such small lumber is that all of the roofing you see attached to these trusses is inside the house and will not have any outside roofing material added to their top. If you look closely, at where the walkway is, you can see that the trusses are doubled up on either side of the walkway and they are only single for the rest of the wall. This is because the 2x4's need to be the spacing you see on the right to support the roof weight. Since the walkway is wider than that spacing, they needed to be doubled up, with the ceiling like a 2x4 structure connecting them to carry this weight. Lastly for this picture, if you look at the open portion to the right you can see some odd blocking below the trusses. This is the frame of a coffered ceiling below. The basic ceiling height goes to the bottom of the trusses and the vertical boxing you see will be covered with drywall or wood to form the drop-down portion of the coffered ceiling.
Another view from the master bedroom, looking through the 2-sided fireplace into the master bathroom. The box structure on the floor of the bathroom is the frame for the large soaking tub and the 2x4 wood wall framed behind it is for a walk-through shower. Taking a close look at the framing for the fireplace, you will notice that there are three to four vertical boards on either side. Similar to the walkway and the trusses above, these extra boards are to carry the load of the "missing" vertical boards in the hole for the fireplace. Looking below the hole, you can see the short pieces of wood - these are spaced where the missing boards would have been if there wasn't a hole in the wall.
Above, you can see a 2x4 framed wall that will separate the master bedroom from the open area next to it that contains an indoor swimming pool - the windows will provide a great view of the pool. On the left, you can see where they've framed out a hole in the wall for a see-through, 2-sided fireplace. The room next door that will share the fireplace is the master bathroom. In this picture, you can also see the first example of larger framing. Because it is weight-bearing/spanning, the ceiling of this room is framed out in 2x10 wood rather than the 2x4's that are in the non-weight bearing areas. Looking closely, you will see numerous pieces of wood bundled together going one way with single 2x10's going in the other direction. The "bundled" wood are the beams that are holding up the next floor. The single 2x10's are supporting the floor between the beams and carrying their load over to the beams. The metal devices in the ceiling are to house the recessed lights. In the pool room, you can see an outside wall with raw ICF exposed.
The picture above provides a nice closeup of what the ICF looks like on the inside and outside before it's covered. The wooden box on the left is the framing for another fireplace but of greater interest is the electrical boxes in the wall above it and on the wall beside it. With conventional wood construction, you just drill holes in the board to run electrical wires through the walls (you can see that also in this picture), but you can't do that with an ICF wall. Instead, you melt openings in the insulation to provide openings in the wall to run your electrical. Looking at the seams of the ICF, you can also see how each level of these big "Lego" blocks locks to the one below it.
This will be the indoor pool, with the master bedroom above it. As discussed with the ceiling of the master bedroom, which was comprised of 2x10 to support the floor above it, this picture contains a good picture of using trusses built from 2x4's instead. This complicated combination of triangles and squares is designed to carry the weight using more physics than brawn, with the bigger boards. This takes up a lot more vertical space, but it also offers a convenient place to run any mechanical or electrical items (air conditioner ductwork, plumbing, electrical, etc.). The boxes in the corner contain all the cabinets for the house. This is a great way to get good quality cabinets at a very reasonable expense...but you have to supply a lot of labor to make it happen. These cabinets are referred to as Ready to Assemble (RTA) cabinets. The companies that provide RTA cabinets usually provide custom cabinets, built to your needs, but because they don't actually assemble them, they save on labor and because they are much smaller, they also save on shipping. Both of these attributes generate great savings for you...if you're willing and able to assemble and install them (or hire a local to do it). Another advantage of RTA cabinets is timing, they take up a fraction of the space required for completed cabinets, so you can get them early and store them on-site until they are needed. One of the biggest challenges of building a home is getting everything you need, on the building site when you need it. Lead time is different based on many factors (time to customize the order, supply/availability, delivery, need to finish other tasks before you can get certain items, etc.), but with so many parts and pieces involved in building a house, timing is a huge challenge.
I took a picture of the pictures. So much more efficient, no? This is an artist rendering of the imagined finished house. It seems long off, and it is the finishes that take the time, but, in the end, it will be amazing. PS... They said the solar panels will be in next week, if there is no snow.
Please leave the link to your post here so it can easily be found by others. It helps you and me to have them in one place. Where else can you take such a quick trip around the globe? Thank you so much for joining us!! ❤
I forgot about this. It is a two-story walk-in closet in the master bedroom. I think it is way too big, but, the upstairs can have shelving built for storage. The upstairs has access to the hallway. A nice wrought iron rail will grace those stairs.
Stairs are a popular item, but, no worries. They have an elevator to get to all three floors. The last floor only has a lookout, so you are on your own for that one!
Coffered ceiling... Who knew they made them this way? They are beautiful once they are finished. I hope that you learned a little something today, and if you have anything to add, that is always welcome. ICF building costs about $150 a square foot to build. Upon completion, it will be about 5% to 10% more in total construction costs than you would for a conventional wood-frame home, but you will save that in utilities in no time. Did I happen to mention it has a lake? A bonafide stocked lake. I saw the trout myself. Did you know what defines a lake? If it is over 16 feet deep. I had no idea.
As always, there must be flowers to color my world. Who doesn't love tulips? I can't imagine it. #alwaysaflower
While the major work on the outside is nearing completion, the inside has a way to go. Isn't that half the fun? Because the walls can move, I definitely would make fewer rooms, giving more space to each one. I will admit, after living with open plans for the last few houses, I like more walls. It creates a personal space, in my opinion. Right now, it is kind of like putting together a puzzle. Did I mention I am not that good at puzzles?
#MarketFriday began as a way to reach out across the globe and learn about different cultures through by their markets, especially local markets and farmers markets and eventually branching out and evolving over time from straight shopping to a cultural affair as it highlights how we differ and then again, how much we are alike. We have become a melting pot of culture, but, it is still the Rituals, Festivals, food, architecture, even your language/languages that separate us... Along with the fact of what is these things are normal for us. There are unwritten rules that rule our social behaviors. I see this as allowing for increased tolerance between cultures and nations, and opportunities to come together on an even playing ground. A strong culture can be beneficial to a country as it promotes unity, especially during a crisis, peaceful debate, and open dialogue. I have learned so much about all of you and it has been an amazing experience. I can only hope that learning about each other can help us work together for a peaceful world.
Fridays are all about the #MarketFriday Challenge! Looking to take part in it? Here is how:
@dswigle somewhere on your post. If you don't and someone reads it, there is nothing to tie #MarketFriday to that post.As always, please remember! #MarketFriday loves you!
