My wife and I bought our house dirt cheap post crash at $140,000, and will soon list for $210,000. We're in a better spot financially as well, and are hoping to build a house in the ballpark of $250,000.
Does anyone have any experience, tips, or resources for someone in our position? We have very few particulars worked out right now, besides that I am very interested in ICF/tech blocks as an exterior envelope.
I'm just looking to get my feet wet and avoid any major pitfalls.
I forgot to mention that we're in Southern Maine, to give an idea of the climate. That means full basement, and wild, unpredictable temperature and humidity fluctuations for large chunks of the year.
>>997304
Ask away. I have been building ICF for years. Pic related, a detached garage I built for myself.
>>997308
How important is it to find an experienced crew to work with ICF? Is it something I could possibly handle myself, with minimal building experience?
Also, just curious - why no ICF roof?
>>997331
Yes you can do it yourself if you have some basic skill. You should identify the dealer you will be buying your block from by visiting the manufactures web site. Your pic looks like Logic brand. That's a good form and one we sell. Ask the dealer if you can visit some of their projects and watch and learn. Make sure you use plans drawn for ICF or are building a basic, classic structure. ICF block are generally 48" X 16" and few inches in dimension changes can mean the difference in lots of cutting and fitting and almost none. If you DIY the job, the fewer corners and bump outs and weird angles you have make construction a bunch easier.
>>997331
There is no such thing as an ICF roof. There is Lite Deck and SIPS panels. I opted for rafters insulated with double sided foil foam.
So what are you going to do when you're waiting for your new house to be built, this house you haven't even got plans for yet?
I wouldn't sell up until you know what you're doing.
>>997472
We have family that would love to have us.
>>997308
What's that material you used around the openings? Around here I only see them use 2x8
>>997851
It's a product called V-Buck.
www.vbuck.com/
Whats the advantage of icf over standard framing?
>>997897
OP here. From what I have read, it's essentially nature proof. Also has a much higher r value (I know, heating is more complex than just r values) and drastically reduces energy costs. It's also semi soundproofing.
>>997908
Not to mention fireproof. Built an ICF house footer to gable for a guy whose ex wife poured a gallon of gasoline on his deck and lit it. The fire department woke him up ringing his doorbell.
>>997908
The walls do have a high R value but the heating advantage comes from how tight they are. Zero air infiltration. In fact, they are by nature "sick homes". You must install a heat recovery ventilation system in an all ICF house.
>>997908
We had a women genuinely complain that her ICF house was too quiet. She said she never knew she had visitors until they knocked. She was used to hearing cars come down her drive. We had to install a driveway sensor and bell to molify her.
ICF is the future Today! Stupid easy to do. You feel like a life size Lego man. We just finished a house from footings to top plate. We all think sheet rocking was easier cause of the plastic inside the ICF is every 6 inches. The homeowner went with steel siding... which we screwed on so that took a little more time. Also on a few courses of siding we had to bridge the gap between the different courses of ICF. We had 4 guys in our crew and that seemed just right. One cutting rebar and laying it, another stacking block with an assistant. The last was boss man moving materials around and verifying the plans.
>>998136
>>998136
I'm a big guy. Guess who gets the rebar job? Really don't mind. It's a good workout. The Chinese crap is a pain though. One piece hard as can be and the next soft like butter. End up on your face. I keep telling the owner we need a hydraulic bender and he says he doesn't hear any one else complaining.
So what, you just pour cement between the block walls? Do you use the same stuff to build the interior walls too? If it's so good for sound, then surely it traps the sound inside so drywall isn't good enough?
Do you hang drywall on the inside of the white stuff and plaster the outside?
>>998536
The foam block have plastic webbing molded into the white foam for rigidity. The webbing is made so that it comes through the foam and makes 1-1/2" wide battens every 6 or 8 inches along the inside and outside of the block. This becomes your furring for drywall or paneling on the inside or siding, brick ties, paneling, stucco screen or whatever on the outside. An ICF building can be finished in exactly the same way as a frame structure.
>>998536
Interior walls are usually conventional framing. We have built interior walls out of ICF on slabs when sound or fireproofing are required such as condos.
>>998108
>molify
I love new words
