Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF) are a construction method for residential, commercial, and multi-story buildings using expanded polystyrene (foam). The insulated concrete forms are stacked, steel-reinforced, and then filled with concrete. ICF offers better energy efficiency in our cold Alberta climate. The steel-reinforced concrete cores in ICF buildings make them safer and stronger. Moreover, ICFs have excellent sound insulation features, are more moisture resistant and there are less wasted materials, making ICFs more environment-friendly than traditional framing methods.

Insulated Concrete Forms allow for faster build speeds, rolling six separate construction steps into one simple process. Merging concrete, steel reinforcements, insulation, air barrier, vapor barrier, and furring strips make your construction projects more cost-effective with quicker completion times.

Why Inspiration Homes recommends building with Insulated Concrete Forms (ICFs)

THE BENEFITS OF INSULATED CONCRETE FORMS

1. Energy-Efficiency = Massive Energy Savings & Reduced Environmental Impact

One of the big advantages of ICFs for homeowners is energy efficiency. A recent groundbreaking study found that ICF walls had 60% less energy loss.

This is due to the “ICF Effect”:

The continuous foam panels in ICFs provided an R-value of R-25 and above.
The thermal mass of the concrete core in the wall.
The airtight ICF building envelope.

2. Greater Comfort

Another benefit of ICF homes is that they’re more comfortable – with consistent temperatures, no drafts and QUIET – the Logix ICF has a sound transmission class of 56 which is far greater than regular walls and which reduces outside noise to a whisper.

This added comfort level extends to ICF basements which feel just like another main floor of your home. On the other hand, many regular basements are just used for storage.

3. Safe & Disaster-Resilient

Another benefit of ICF homes is that the steel-reinforced concrete walls protect against fires, hurricanes and earthquakes. Logix ICF walls, for instance, have a four-hour fire rating compared to wood-frame walls, which can burn down in minutes.

Here’s just one example of how an ICF home stood up against Hurricane Michael while the surrounding homes were destroyed.

ICF homes are mold-resistant as well.

4. Build Faster and Easier = More Time Savings and Less Building Cost

A second benefit of building with ICFs is that it’s a faster and easier process. Building with Logix ICFs, for instance, requires just six steps in one package.

You can even build through both wet and snowy conditions.

It may come as a surprise given that many people believe building with wood is faster and cheaper, but this case study will show you what happened when one general contractor built with wood versus ICFs.

For instance, this same builder found that his ICF build required half the crew size and two thirds the total amount of labor hours.