ICF Construction in PA

[KimB in PA]

I am working on a ICF new construction property in Pennsylvania, the Pocono Mtn region. I have read several websites about it and read the older forum postings on it. I am currently working on the cost approach for it. Based on what I have read, I feel I am going in the right direction by using Masonary Construction SIP for the cost approach.
Has anyone done one of these recently? They truely sound great and I am looking forward to seeing the final result for it.
Any suggestions, information or comments (kind perferred) would be appreciated.

 

[Farm Gal]

Hi Kim!

I built two homes of partial ICF (partially below grade basements) and Ferro-styro above grade walls. AWESOME houses... they were EntergyStar certified construction back in 1994 - among the first in the nation! I like the 'standard' width above grade finish look more than the thick walled ICF.

One of the concerns as an appraiser you shoudl address is that the home be finished out properly and that they use enough braces to keep the walls straight. Sometimes you get a D-I-Y couple who 'done built them walls all by themselves' and then tried to skipmp on the bracing due to cost (or being so proud of how straight the walls look... Problem is when you pump in the mud it can skew the formerely straight walls... with very dire results!

The other issue is that interior wallcover and finishes must be properly applied - or you can get a real 'rough' interior appearance with the extra thick walls... it seems to exacerbate any irregularities. IF the ICF is not prechanneled for electrical/plumbing, sometimes folks burn the channels into the blocks - noprobblems there but if htey fill em with foam and don't rasp it smooth, you can get some wall irregularities that are way worse than crooked studs!

I would condition or caution my pre-construction appraisal on the assumption of proper construction and finishing of the structure.... you don't have to get too mouthy, but it gives you an out if you go back and find walls and finish quality that looks like it was put up by drunk monkeys!

 

[KimB in PA]

Luckily the borrowers seem to be very well versed in th construction of this type of home. I do have a comment for all my new construction per plans/specs that it is based on the represented quailty of construction.
Thanks for the heads up. They are finishing with hardwood and tile flooring and drywall walls. So we will see what happens as it is being completed.

 

[Tejus]

After investigating the construction options, I've chosen an ICF for my own house. There are many types of ICF's, I also evaluated them and selected the best for my requirements. I considered the foam type ICF's, but didn't like them for several reasons. I chose FASWALL which consists of interlocking blocks made of recycled wood chips and cement. I found the FASWALL blocks easier to work with, required only corner bracing when installing/pouring a couple rows of blocks at a time, is more durable, resistant to insects and less prone to blow outs during the concrete pours.

Since I had never worked with FASWALL before, I designed and built a small model to test my theories. There are a lot of "tricks of the trade" and issues you'll learn working with the stuff that were not publicized or people didn't know about. Building the model was the best idea I had, allowed me to make mistakes, learn and limit the adverse impact.

As LA stated in the previous post, the installation is key and needs to be done properly.

My model (small 2 story cabin) is complete, working well and being used as a residence. I've updated my house plans based on the lessons learned with the model. This includes things like built in anchor bolts which can be used to hold scaffolding in place, improved methods to cut/shape the FASWALL blocks, improved methods for the utility installation, a metal roof covered with solar panels, custom site built doors throughout (fun projects), pier/beam foundation rather than a slab, extended curing time between coats of stucco and rustic design features not found in other houses. This is an overall challenging, fun and rewarding project.

The overall cost of my house materials will be more than a standard stick built house. Since the labor is primarily my own, the overall out of pocket house cost will be much lower than a standard stick built house which I hire somebody to build. I could not build the house myself using stick built technology. I don't know of any cost service which would accurately reflect my costs.

If people knew how much my total out of pocket house cost will be, they would cry. I'll pay all the construction costs as they occur. I'm already making plans to obtain a home equity loan when the house is complete and reinvest the home equity loan at a higher rate. Rather than paying a mortgage, I'll have a substantial positive cash flow as long as I own the house. Life is good.

buene suerte.