ARCS

Has anyone here built a slab on grade ICF home? Or anyone that deals withh slab on grades in cold climates for the matter. I am in northern Minnesota and am looking at building a slab on grade spec home and just looking to pick someone's brain.

thom

I would say NO.

Here in NM we build mostly slab on grade. For a time we insulated our slabs with perimeter insulation, Styrene. Sometime after we had built thousands of homes that way (a code requirement) someone figured out that though termites won't eat the stuff, they tunnel through it easily, giving them an easy path from underground into your framing.

Glasshousebltr

Just three words for ya....radiant floor heat.

Bob

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Bob

concretemasonry

I question the slab on grade, although I built one (slab because of lake lot). A slab on grade home will have a limited number of people that will buy it, so you may wait longer to unload it. A slab on grade can be a stigma that will scare people away from a sales standpoint. If it is lakeshore, you can sell most any type if you have a location, but they will expect quality because of the investment in land.

Are you targeting a low cost home or an upscale spec home? That should dictate the method of construction above grade. In the northern part of the state, there are many people that can build a wood frame home, so you will have a lot of competition unless you have prime land. If you have prime land, find someone you can build an ICF home for.

If you are after the low cost market, forget about the ICF. It is just too good and to costly to compete with the entry level homes the are really not that efficient. The low end market does not have people that take the time to understand the real benefits of ICF. You know what part of the state the money comes from now.

ICFs are great, but require experience for the specialized construction and details. I have seen too many problems when people think you can just stack up pieces of foam and fill them with concrete.

If you are an experienced contractor and have a good concrete sub familiar with pumping and filling braced forms you can probably get a great energy efficient home that will make the owner very proud that he bought it. He could be your best salesman!!

If you really want a great home, try an ICF home on a basement.

Dick