ICF Built Homes

[Twisted Canuck]

Nice looking house Jim. Honest question for you....I always leaned towards building my 'forever' home slab on grade, once the kids were gone and I could downsize. One of the builders I work for has built probably a dozen this way in one of the newer acreage developments south of GP, where there is a high water table. After spending a couple weeks working on any given one, I found it was a killer being on concrete all day long (probably a result of standing on concrete for years in front of a lathe or welding, in a fabricating shop).

So, for living in, day to day, do you find that being on concrete gets hard on your legs/hips/lower back? I still haven't given up the idea of doing it, but I'm more hesitant as I age and start to feel it more. I have serious bone spurs in both feet (plantar fasciitis and achilles), and also badly broke a hip about 6 years ago....so looking for your experience and observations from long term living on slab.

Thanks, TC

[elkhunter1234]

Originally Posted by Twisted Canuck

Nice looking house Jim. Honest question for you....I always leaned towards building my 'forever' home slab on grade, once the kids were gone and I could downsize. One of the builders I work for has built probably a dozen this way in one of the newer acreage developments south of GP, where there is a high water table. After spending a couple weeks working on any given one, I found it was a killer being on concrete all day long (probably a result of standing on concrete for years in front of a lathe or welding, in a fabricating shop).

So, for living in, day to day, do you find that being on concrete gets hard on your legs/hips/lower back? I still haven't given up the idea of doing it, but I'm more hesitant as I age and start to feel it more. I have serious bone spurs in both feet (plantar fasciitis and achilles), and also badly broke a hip about 6 years ago....so looking for your experience and observations from long term living on slab.

Thanks, TC

PM sent TC

Jim

[Brian Bildson]

I've done three multi family buildings over the years, 200 + suites, plus a house last year totally in ICF. There's no comparison to any other construction techniques i've investigated. my buildings cost significantly less to operate and are super quiet. ICF is tough to beat if quality matters.

[Erik]

This is a fantastic thread! Really shows the bright side of AO forum and just what a unique community we have here.

Got a noob question and hopefully this doesn't take us too far off the path of the OP.
Can someone ballpark the difference in cost between a stick frame vs icf vs pre-cast build? let's suppose all else is equal and the only difference is the type of construction

[Redneck 7]

I’ve done a shop foundation with ICF and it really wasn’t a bad product to use, I’m sure I’ll use it for a foundation one day when I build. But one thing that drives me nuts about building a house, and I’ve built lots. All concrete cracks, especially when you have stresses on it that shouldn’t be there. To build a house properly, you should have your main floor framed and sheathed before you backfill. No home builder does this because it’s hard to install your beams, joists and sub floor without walking up to the top of the foundation. They always backfill putting stress on the walls, cured or not that concrete is being stressed. Then you put your mainfloor on holding it in the stressed position. Each floor is what holds your walls together, then your roof holds the top floor together. Just silly in my eyes.

[EZM]

Originally Posted by Redneck 7

I’ve done a shop foundation with ICF and it really wasn’t a bad product to use, I’m sure I’ll use it for a foundation one day when I build. But one thing that drives me nuts about building a house, and I’ve built lots. All concrete cracks, especially when you have stresses on it that shouldn’t be there. To build a house properly, you should have your main floor framed and sheathed before you backfill. No home builder does this because it’s hard to install your beams, joists and sub floor without walking up to the top of the foundation. They always backfill putting stress on the walls, cured or not that concrete is being stressed. Then you put your mainfloor on holding it in the stressed position. Each floor is what holds your walls together, then your roof holds the top floor together. Just silly in my eyes.

This is a true statement. Shoring your foundation with 2x4 or 2x6's pegged into the dirt does very little.

Even if the build the main floor (although it helps) wouldn't even be acceptable in my mind.

A properly shored/braced poured wall should stay in place far longer throughout the initial construction process. I've always thought the same thing.

That doesn't happen in commercial sites as they often re-shore floors as they cycle forming equipment up the building or over to a new section of the same floor.

Why they get away with it in residential construction is a mystery to me.

[elkhunter1234]

Originally Posted by Erik

This is a fantastic thread! Really shows the bright side of AO forum and just what a unique community we have here.

Got a noob question and hopefully this doesn't take us too far off the path of the OP.
Can someone ballpark the difference in cost between a stick frame vs icf vs pre-cast build? let's suppose all else is equal and the only difference is the type of construction

When we build our last house 13 years ago my ICF guy told me that when you consider the cost of finishing a basement there is not much difference ICF and conventional concrete basement, ICF over stick built mainfloor cost me an extra
10 grand over stick built, mind you I stacked all the block and just had my ICF buddy come in and inspect and do the pour. Our hose is just shy of 3,000 sq
Ft with half the house with vaulted ceilings.

Jim...

[Arty]

Originally Posted by Erik

[...]difference in cost between a stick frame vs icf vs pre-cast build? let's suppose all else is equal and the only difference is the type of construction

Very difficult to answer that kind of question, because precast sandwich core panels at least are optimized for a particular kind of structure. Once you get away from a simple regular structure, when building only one copy of it, you lose the advantages of that technology.

Although building something which ends up looking a bit like the Chicago 'Robie House' or even a bit like a multi-storey mobile home with cathedral ceilings, might be my interest maybe it wouldn't be for others. So the closer your design fits a particular technology, the more of an advantage that technology would have including cost.

Sort of like choosing the right truck for a particular use, such as half-ton vs highway tractor/trailer to carry a particular weight range a particular distance.

[reddeerguy2015]

So can someone recommend a good ICF builder in the red deer area ??