Insulating Concrete Forms Construction

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Ever year, thousands of general contractors and subcontractors must grapple with whether to bid Insulating Concrete Form (ICF) projects, how much to charge for them, and how to manage the job. ICFs are stronger, energy-efficient, and offer great design flexibility, and their use is growing by 30% a year. This invaluable work walks the contractor through both business and technical considerations in evaluating and adopting Insulating Concrete Forms for both the residential and commercial markets. * Details the entire ICF construction process * Training and supplier information * Actual job site experiences

Insulating concrete forms, the most requested new material in home building today, increases energy efficiency, design flexibility, strength and durability. This step-by-step illustrated guide shows designers, architects, and engineers how to put this cutting-edge technology to work. Eight pages of color photos show homes recently constructed with this technology. 178 illus.

Insulating concrete forms (ICFs) are hollow blocks, planks, or panels made from rigid foam plastic insulation or from composites of cement and other mateterals and which have the ability to act as forms for cast-in-place concrete walls. While gaining in popularity as an alternative to light-frame construction, the lack of consistent and comprehensive standards has prevented ICF systems from reaching their full potential among builders and officials who may be unfamiliar with this construction technique.

Prospective homeowners will welcome this introduction to a durable, energy-efficient new building technology: insulating concrete forms (ICFs). Written by a top expert in the field, and organized in an accessible question-and-answer form, it will help homebuyers decide whether an ICF is right for them and how to get the most for their money. Every aspect of planning and construction is covered, from exactly what an ICF is to the intricacies of building a concrete house, from choosing a contractor to selecting a suitable design for the system. There’s crucial advice on how to make sure construction goes smoothly, diagrams and photos to illustrate every point, beautiful ICF homes on display, and explanations of how these homes differ from conventional ones and why they cost less to maintain.

The idea of this book directly followed the realization of how scarce the information is on the scientific research carried out all over the world on ICFs (Insulating Concrete Forms). These studies were conducted through testing and experimentation and offer scientific evidence on the economic, safety and energetic benefits of the ICF construction system. Therefore, the author of the present book collected, analyzed and catalogued by typology fifty pieces of research that are now available for rapide use and easy consultation. The collective reading of these works shows that ICFs make a construction system with a relevant and internationally consolidated scientific background concerning both the usual performativity and exceptional aspects like explosions and tornadoes. Each summary is followed by a few explicatory lines listing the topic and the references to the author. The volume also presents an introductory part in which the main specifications of the ICF system are described, and a section devoted to the pictures of buildings under construction to better illustrate this construction technology.