Allison Causseaux, homeowner, 2800 sq ft: We are really excited that we made the decision to build our home using ICF. We built a home that doubled our square feet of living and our electric bill has been less! There truly is a sense of security knowing that your family is a little safer when a storm approaches being surrounded by concrete walls. Having built close to a highway the wall construction has reduced the interior noise tremendously, as we don’t hear the highway. There was also a cost savings on homeowners insurance.
Joe Bufkin, Landmark Design, building design specialist: I believe ICF offers an excellent opportunity to deal with issues very specific to our location here in Florida. The need for strength and fire resistance in our climate with our high wind exposures is an integral element ICF offers. In addition to strength, the energy benefits that ICF offers are a viable solution to our ever lasting quest for more sustainable energy choices. Beyond strength and energy, ICF is a great investment. With a relatively small investment, ICF offers a lifetime of return by greatly minimizing your personal cost of living, allowing more financial freedom for you and your family. ICF is simply hard to beat.
Lorne Whaley, homeowner, 1850 sq ft: Two years ago I didn’t know anything about ICF Construction, today I couldn’t imagine living in a home built any other way. The benefits that we have discovered are too many to name, but I will mention a few. Let me first start by saying that we live in a home that was already built, and didn’t research ICF Construction prior to making this our residence.
The first thing that we noticed was the energy savings. Our first power bill was about $50. When it came in, we felt for sure there was either a mistake, or it was prorated. As the months continued to pass, we continued to see very low power bills. The next logical conclusion was we were subconsciously adjusting the thermostat, as we had in the past, to keep the bill low. It didn’t occur to us that the construction of the home was the primary reason until one day we spoke to some of the construction people and they asked us how we liked the power bill. After some careful thought about the question, and what little information I had about ICF Construction, it finally started to click. I can truthfully say that in the summer time we keep our thermostat set at 71 with a humidity level of 58% (home all day, with kids), and our power bill averages $120 per month. This seems to be the most obvious advantage of the other ICF home owners we have spoke to. This is a savings of about $200 per month. This alone saves you $72,000 over the course of a 30 year mortgage.
Another huge advantage of the ICF Construction that I have discovered is the lack of exterior noise. My career requires shift work, so I am often a day sleeper. Couple that with the fact that I live right next to a major highway, and it could be hard to get needed rest. With the ICF Construction, I would say about 95% of all outside noise is completely cut out. Recently there has been a great deal of outside road construction. When this first started I thought I was never going to get a restful night’s (day) sleep. As of this time, I have not been disturbed a single time.
Fortunately for our area, in the last two years we have not experienced any weather as severe as that seen in other areas of the gulf coast. With that being said, we have had some high winds and heavy rains. During these times I have observed some of the pine trees swaying to the point of nearly breaking. Our home has withstood all of these winds, without even so much as the walls creaking, like that heard in stick built homes. During the hurricane that recently hit and destroyed the Houston area, we were watching the news coverage when they showed an area that was completely leveled with the exception of one home. This was an IFC Constructed home. The damage that it received was very minimal, with only a few shingles being blown off the roof. So as far as the weather is concerned I feel comfortable that when the worst of the weather does come our way, I will still have a home when we are able to return.
As you can see, the advantages of the ICF Construction are numerous. The FEW that I have named are just a sample of what can be experienced over the course of a lifetime. If anyone ever asked for my opinion on the type of home construction that is best suited for energy savings, one that is weather retardant, and a home that will provide them with a quiet and peaceful living atmosphere, I would happily explain to them why ICF Construction is the best method available.
Randy Merritt, PE, Randy Merritt Construction and Engineering: I was surprised by the ease of construction of ICF. The pieces fit together like a puzzle, and then once filled with concrete, make for a very strong structure. Any person wanting the strongest wind resistance possible and excellent insulation qualities should take a hard look at ICF construction
Pam Lightner, homeowner, 2200 sq ft: We love our new ICF home. I feel safe and secure during storms knowing the concrete walls will withstand 250 MPH winds. We wanted a "green" home and appreciate that ICF is an environmentally friendly choice. The one foot thick walls make every window sill a window seat and I love the quiet that the thick walls provide. The solid poured core walls allows no air to leak in or out, and the ICF forms provide exceptional insulation so we can afford to stay comfortable inside, no matter what the weather, with lower heating and cooling bills. The quality ICF construction gives us a feeling of security, the energy efficient features help us reduce our carbon footprint, and the home is more beautiful than we ever imagined.
Eric Anderson, Compass Homes of NW FL, building contractor:
(A couple of months ago) was the second home I personally built using the Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF). The First ICF home was built in 1999 which was my personal home using (a first generation form). It took two weeks to layout the forms and they had to be assembled, when I poured the walls we had problems with some of the corners blowing out because of the way the forms were designed the forms were 8” tall x 6’ long x 6” thick. The forms did not have any from of locking mechanism once they were stacked on top of each other. The locking system was installing 1x material on all the seams to hold it in place.
Recently I used the Nudura brand ICF form (3rd generation) system with the help of (a certified installer), the house was 1500 sq ft under roof, the forms came assembled and from start to finish the walls were in place and braced off within 2 days, inspected the third day, poured and plumbed the walls the 4th day. We started pouring at 8am and by noon the walls were plumb and the truss anchors were set. The wall braces were left on over the weekend and removed within a couple hours on the following Monday. The interior walls were framed and trusses set and decked that week. The house was dried in within 2 weeks. I think the Nudura ICF System is a superior product and will recommend the product to future home buyers / owners.
With today’s rising energy cost the difference in the cost of the house will be returned to the homeowner within a couple years on the energy saving alone.
Lee Rigby, homeowner, 2200 sq ft: Our new ICF home is a dream! The energy efficiency helped it become a "Certified Florida Green Home" by the Florida Green Home Building Coalition - which means a lot to me. As we live in the woods and are concerned about flying branches (and falling trees) during high winds, the solid concrete core construction is comforting as well as energy efficient.
(The product and the installer) were extremely easy to work with. We all designed the home ourselves, and it turned out that much of the design was being revised as the construction progressed, requiring a lot of flexibility on the part of (the contractor) - and the results are fantastic.
Blake Prince, carpenter and home tenant, 1300 sq ft: I’m a carpenter and I work with this product in my day job. I was amazed that, after about a 4 hour learning curve, how easy the system is to handle, place and pour. I mean the whole system, the product, materials, door and window frames, bracing, scaffolding, walk ways, concrete pumping, the system, the team, yet the simplicity. It’s just amazing.
When the market turned down, I, along with some roomies, were able to rent a vacant ICF house that was unsold ($150,000 asking price) So, I’ll mention here that we are musicians by night, country rock musicians, drums, bass and electric guitar. We didn’t turn it down much either, and we never had a DP report, no one ever complained, not once. The Sheriff never came, except the three deputies that live within 3 houses on our street coming by. The next door neighbor happened over one night and said she didn’t even know we played.
Some of us were home, in and out, most all days. Our normal utility bills for Spring and Fall would run $55 to $75, and we NEVER got over $100. I feel this alone saved us maybe $100 to $150 or more per month off our rent (housing) cost. Just amazing stuff.
Danita, homeowner, 1800 sq ft (all sq fts are heated and cooled only): My husband and I just recently moved into our new Insulated Concrete Form home. We live less than a block off of U.S. 319 but don’t hear the traffic noises from the highway with the thickly insulated walls. The house also does a great job of holding in heat in the winter and cool air in the summer. In fact, we have not yet had to turn on our air-conditioner this season. We enclosed a porch to make a sunroom and that portion of the house is not built with the Insulated Concrete Form. You can tell a big difference between the temperature in that room and the rest of the house. Another great feature of the home is that it is hurricane-safe with the insulated concrete walls, the way the roof is anchored, and the safety glass in the windows. Many of our friends and family members have raved about how impressed they are with the home, its design and construction. It is a beautiful home and we are very proud of it
Kenny Clark, electrician, Alternative Electric:
The installation of wiring in these types of homes is similar to your average home, except that it is somewhat easier, with less drilling of holes in walls and less time fastening of wires to walls. Because of the foam/concrete/foam wall construction it is possible to obtain a more finished look where utilities meet the house. The foam wall construction also provides a secure fastening system for all device boxes. With the energy problems we face and the cost of EVERYTHING, especially utilities going up it’s good to see these green homes that are extremely efficient going up in our community. I hope to see more of these homes being built and have the opportunity to be involved in their construction
Amanda Lawhon, homeowner, 1700 sq ft: I love our ICF home, because of how cool and quiet it is. In the spring and fall, my husband and I can leave the AC off for months at a time. For our 1,780 square foot home, we pay an average of $145 per month for electricity (extreme solar exposure and includes water heat). It hasn't been storm-tested yet, but there's no doubt it can stand up to the worst Mother Nature can throw at it. Watching the ICF construction process, I really got a sense that this was a house that would last for generations.
Nick Weaver, homeowner, 2900 sq ft: Kristin and I love our ICF house. The utility bill every month is about $150. We enjoy the safety of the structure and its ability to keep out sound. My wife loves not to have to worry about severe storms with the ICF’s ability to withstand hurricane force winds. The only downfall of this product is the inability to change any window or door sizes once the wall is poured (without some effort). We love this product and recommend this product to any who wants a safe and happy place to live.
Alan Reese, Realtor, Ochlockonee Bay Realty: I have had personal experience with three ICF homes. Two were new 1800 sq. ft. homes (vacant, doors and windows closed, with the HVAC set at 68 to 76 degree range) with the HVAC set, some lights and appliances running. The average utility bill was approximately $26.00 dollars per month. The other home had 2200 sq. ft. with a family of 4 living in the home. The average utility bill was approximately $80.00 per month. The average utility bill on a conventionally built home of 2200 sq. ft. would be between $180.00 and $220.00 per month (some may be much higher). Conservatively speaking, let’s say $200.00 per month, then that would be a $120.00 savings per month, or $1,400 per year. This $1,400 applied to the mortgage once per year would cut a 30 year mortgage to approximately a 15 year mortgage saving tens of thousands of dollars (somewhere around $180,000, actually, assuming a $1,000 per month mortgage payment) in interest over the
balance of the loan. This alone would overcome ANY additional up-front costs of an ICF home.
MM, homeowner (Woodville area), 1500 sq ft: We have lived in our ICF home for a little over 2 years now, and during that time, we have experienced many features that made us glad that we built ICF. First, I'll start with the visual aspects- the window sills! Almost a full foot of window sill to place flower pots, pictures, etc. If you have house pets, they love to use it as a perch to keep watch outside. Second, the stuff you don't see- NOISE! Our home is built less than 200 yards from a busy highway and a noisy subdivision access road. I can hardly hear the traffic unless I am next to a window. I can hardly hear the rain hitting the roof unless it's storming. The strength of the walls gives us a peace of mind during storms that no other residential-built house can give, and living less than 15 miles from the coast, we feel that is important. The ICF is super-insulated. We are on City of Tallahassee utilities and the utility bill for the month of April was $115, using all electric appliances-minus water heating, and powering out-buildings and chest freezers year round. My utility bill has been cut in half compared to the mobile home I had lived in for the past 11 years.
Lisa Porter, homeowner: Living in an Insulated Concrete Form (ICF) home provides my family with security. We have weathered two hurricane seasons fearlessly! The temperature indoors does not fluctuate with the changing temperatures outdoors. Having the ICF is like living inside a cooler! Therefore, our electric bill remains consistent and minimal. I love the depth of my windowsills that come standard with the ICF. The noise from outside stays outside! We live off of a highway and can not hear the traffic at all. Our home is very soundproof. Also with the ICF home, we have NO worry or threat of termite damage. The ICF home is the wisest choice of any potential homeowner.
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