![]() ![]() I’ve seen traditional foundation contractors set and pour fairly complex foundations in less than eight hours. The ICFs use the same foam and you should be able to get giant sheets of foam for much less than the ICFs, but it depends on several factors. The cost of the concrete will be nearly identical in both scenarios. I’d absolutely do a simple cost comparison. The foam can be put on both sides of a typical foundation just as it will be on the finished ICF foundation. You and a helper could apply the foam to a standard foundation in a few hours using a caulk gun that dispenses an adhesive and a simple circular saw to cut the foam. These foam sheets can be purchased in giant 4x8 sheets that you glue to the sides of smooth poured walls. The ICFs almost all use the same high-quality closed cell foam that you can purchase at building supply wholesalers or at the big box stores. There are a number of alternative ways to achieve what ICFs do. Since they stack on top of one another you can see why it’s so important for the footing to be level. Thus, it’s super important that the top row of the ICFs is perfectly level. You typically pour the concrete into ICFs until it reaches the top of the last row. The concrete poured into the forms can be made level with great ease and moderate skill using laser levels, string, finish nails and chalk. This takes minutes to do with traditional forms, but with ICFs it might take a while longer to brace so the walls are as straight as an arrow.Īnother key point is that traditional concrete foundation forms don’t require the footing to be perfectly level. Traditional concrete forms can be aligned using special screw bracing so the walls are perfectly straight. The footing also needs to be perfectly square so the ICFs are placed on the center of the footing with adequate flat area remaining to install any bracing that might be called for by the ICF manufacturer. As you might imagine, it takes lots of extra time to get the footing perfect. If the footing has humps or dips in it or is tilted side-to-side, the ICFs will telegraph all these defects. The ICF blocks are precision products and will conform to whatever they’re placed on. It’s important to realize the foundation footing the ICFs rest on should be perfectly flat and level. The finished ICF foundation performs structurally as well as a traditional poured concrete foundation. Not one will readily talk about the challenges of installing them – and there can be challenges. The manufacturers typically will sing the praises of their products. If you drove past it you’d have no idea it was a solid concrete two-story building as it was covered with lap siding. A large two-story building was built near my last home in the Midwest using ICFs. I’ve seen these products at all the trade shows and I’ve been on job sites where they’ve been used. The industry has undergone some consolidation, but that’s normal. Insulated concrete forms (ICF) have been around for several decades now. Does a concrete foundation poured this way work as well as a traditional poured or cast concrete foundation? What, if any, are the drawbacks from using these foam forms? Is there an alternative way to achieve a well-insulated house foundation? What about the cost of an ICF foundation? – Audrey P., Mount Desert, MaineĪ. They assemble much like children’s plastic blocks. ![]() I was doing research about house foundations and came across interlocking foam forms that stack on top of one another. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |