Latest ICF home. - Contractor Talk - Professional Construction and Remodeling Forum

**joasis** · 09-10-2008, 03:44 PM

I downloaded some pictures, and here are a few of the ICF home we are building. These are from July, when we poured the walls. The home is a basic ranch, 2800 sq/ft.

**genecarp** · 09-10-2008, 03:55 PM

cool, not used around here to often, is that expandable foam seeping out on those seams? 2x8 acq window frames? what are the panels made of, they must be very rigid, there does not seem to be many braces, looks like every 3' or so...

**joasis** · 09-10-2008, 04:01 PM

Those are blocks, from Buildblock, and the braces are about 5 feet apart....never had a blowout yet (knock on wood)....yes, spray foam is used as a glue for the blocks where needed and to close up joints around the window and door bucks, which are 2x12 ICQ. The blocks are 11 inches thick.

747 · 09-10-2008, 04:03 PM

How come i don't see anybody in the pic vibrating the concrete inside the forms?

mickeyco · 09-10-2008, 04:12 PM

Very interesting, seen them on TV, never in person, I'd be curious to here more about them. I have a billion questions, I'll start with a few. No basement, you guys are in tornado alley? Are they framed or furred inside? Electric, plumbing, heating cooling ducts if used go where? How efficient are they?

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**joasis** · 09-10-2008, 04:12 PM

We have found that vibrating from the top as we pour is more effective...we actually let the vibrator hit the rebar....and it works great. It is out of site, but the scaffold my son is standing on is carrying the "snake" and the other guy was just positioning him on that wall before he was back up vibrating.

My next project is to build the outriggers for the braces so we can walkboard around, instead of using a scaffold. I sold my old set, and built this new set just before we poured...still haven't painted them yet either.

**joasis** · 09-10-2008, 04:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mickeyco

Very interesting, seen them on TV, never in person, I'd be curious to here more about them. I have a billion questions, I'll start with a few. No basement, you guys are in tornado alley?

There is a safe room, not visible in the picture, it is a master closet in the house, 6 inch poured cap.

Are they framed or furred inside?

The BuildBlock have "plastic" studs (webs) every six inches that hold the rebar in place, and give structure to the block, as well as creating studs...drywall is screwed directly to the wall.

Electric, plumbing, heating cooling ducts if used go where? How efficient are they?

Electric goes in the EPS, my electrician uses an electric chainsaw with a depth block and the romex is placed in the groove, the boxes are cut with a hot knife. Plumbing can be placed in the block EPS as well, and the interior walls are all conventional. HVAC goes in the attic, which is typical here. The walls give an estimated R40 value, plus the advantage of the thermal mass of the concrete wall, which is 6 inches thick.

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More at: http://www.buildblock.com/

mickeyco · 09-10-2008, 04:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by joasis

More at: http://www.buildblock.com/

So you guys are playing with giant lego blocks all day.

Very cool system, the strength of "forms" is amazing. They have some great examples on their website and some homes not to far from this area (Indiana and Wisconsin), so they're feasible here. I downloaded the instruction manual, I'll print it out and read it while dropping the kids off at the pool.

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Dave R · 09-10-2008, 05:13 PM

Do you put the concrete pump at the bottom of the wall and lift it out as the concrete pours or let the concrete fall into the wall cavity from the top?
I've seen it done both ways.
I was in a concrete class recently and was told that concrete will seperate if it falls more than 5 feet in height, leaving the aggregate seperated from the rest so you have a pile of aggregate and a pile of puddin on top of it.
I didn't know that before.

**joasis** · 09-10-2008, 05:52 PM

With the steel grid and the wall ties, it would be impossible to drop the trimmer down in the walls, and yes, I have heard that as well....but I don't think it is a real factor...maybe with some specialized mixes, but not what we are doing. Concretemasonry will have a more detailed answer on that question.

Chris Johnson · 09-10-2008, 08:58 PM

Concrete seperates if dropped more then five feet under freefall conditions. Inside the ICF wall it is loaded with rebar which isn't necessarily reversing the effects but is helping to break it up and put the mix back together plus with proper vibration (Too much vibration and you can seperate the concrete as well) it allows for a proper consistant consolidated mix.

Test have proven dropping concrete does not cause it to lose strength as another story goes, Concrete has been dropped by free fall 150' into piers and had greater strength after 28 days then the original design mix called for.

Dropping concrete inside ICF forms from 10'+ can be hard on the bottom forms, my preferred method is to fill the bottoms of the window openings all the way around, then jump up on the wall and start placing concrete beside a window allowing the concrete to have minimal drop and allow it to 'flow' around the wall. I also have a (bad) habit of filling the wall 6-8' on my first pass and top it up on the second go around.

concretemasonry · 09-10-2008, 10:09 PM

There is one basic principal to follow when pouring concrete or grout whether in a block, wall or a column - Do not pour it too fast.

If you pour a bridge pier, there is a maximum rate of pour height (inches per hour) to allow the concrete to settle, redistribute and consolidate.

If you grout a wall, there is a requirement on the height of the lifts and how long to wait before finally consolidating and topping off.

The best thing about pumping, is that it makes it much easier to do it right and bring up the level gradually all around to eliminate or minimize placement problems. It also gives you time to vibrate and eliminate the very common problems at corners and under/around openings.

ICF basements are the source of many ICF problems where it is too easy to dump down from a truck too fast since a pump may not be used. This is unfortunate since this is a more critical area and a source of the many failures, when you can get away with lot more above grade if the walls stay plumb and the wall is far more structurally adequate than is really needed.

The days of the "macho" dump and top are really gone whether people realize it or not. - If you want good concrete.

K_Tile · 09-21-2008, 05:34 PM

Has anyone here used SCC in an ICF wall? What about using SCC and metal fibers instead of rebar?

Chris Johnson · 09-21-2008, 08:09 PM

SCC is the rage in Europe, I understand that is all they use, we are a little slower here in the USA, I still prefer to place and consolidate my mud the old fashioned way, one day I am sure I will be convinced to try SCC but years ago LaFarge warned me not to use it in ICF and I have followed that since.

As for the fibers, every area is different, in my area no engineer will eliminate rebar even with fiber. I have heard some other states the engineer can make it work.

daystoshort · 10-05-2008, 10:09 PM

nice, Iuse nudura icf's i will post some pic tomorow of our last home.

daystoshort · 10-06-2008, 12:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mickeyco

So you guys are playing with giant lego blocks all day.

Very cool system, the strength of "forms" is amazing. They have some great examples on their website and some homes not to far from this area (Indiana and Wisconsin), so they're feasible here. I downloaded the instruction manual, I'll print it out and read it while dropping the kids off at the pool.

.

thats just what it is a giant logo hear are some pic's of an addition i done with a 4 man crew.

daystoshort · 10-06-2008, 10:11 PM

this is a 3 pore icf with precast flores on the 2nd level wood flores on the 3rd

**joasis** · 10-07-2008, 06:22 AM

Looks good...the Nudura system looks good and not a lot of issues....nice to see another ICF builder on board.

daystoshort · 10-07-2008, 01:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by joasis

Looks good...the Nudura system looks good and not a lot of issues....nice to see another ICF builder on board.

thanks.I like the nudura i started out useing arxx then bluemax and with the nudura i have only had one blowout in 7 years.you no as well as i do that a blow out sux.how do you like the build block we dont see much of it arount hear.

**joasis** · 10-07-2008, 02:11 PM

I learned with Reward wall, and saw a blowout...I have never had one with Buildblock...of course, that being said, experience helps with preventing blowouts....the one I saw was too much concrete placed in one pass and a T-wall not having enough bracing...not really an issue with the blocks.