ICF Home

I've seen several built around here. What are you wanting to know?

Gidget,

Take a look at the link below for another look at ICF's. The website is for Omnicrete, which I wouldn't say I'm for or against their particular product, though if you're seriously looking at an ICF system, I would also consider AAC (Aerated Autoclaved Concrete) and SIPs.

http://www.omnicrete.com/COMPARISON OC vs POLYSTYRENE.pdf

Choosing an appropriate building material is really a personal choice about priorities. What are the features that are most important to you?

I bet you can google a search for "problems ICF" and find some things of which to be aware.

I'd be more worried about steel studs in the interior walls thatn the surrounding concrete. I have steel studs in my showroom walls and can hardly get a signal in my office. I usually keep my cell out in the main open area of the building to get a decent signal.
I have worked on several ICF homes and could ask homeowners if they would be willing to discuss their pros and cons with an interested party and get you names if you'd like. I know of homes from Gulf Breeze to Stallworth to the Retreat to Carillon if it might help.
I know they can sure take a storm.

Getting a phone signal around the concrete is pretty easy by purchasing an external antenna booster, which has a receiver outside of the house, with a cable going to a repeater inside your home.

I am also quite interested in them - they seem great from an insulation standpoint, but one issue/concern for me is that they can add 5-6% to the overall cost of the house. I imagine that is easily made back w/ energy or labor savings though (especially since one of the other things on my list is "insulate the sheet out of the place")

There are the ones that are like little Lego blocks, but there are also the "slab" type - has anyone used them that can give us info?

Energy efficient and green go hand in glove. Research your options for everything from insulation to sun orientation to natural lighting. I see many people throw a patio on their home never thinking about what it would be like to actually sit out there in the middle of the summer.....baking. I think a more efficient idea is having patios in different locations to take advantage of where the heat or cool is during different times of the year.

Insulated Low-E glass for windows and doors. The savings on the energy running the HVAC will pay for the Low-E in about 8 years time. And you can't put a dollar amount on comfort level inside the home.
Yes, I sell windows and doors so I know a little bit about them.

Proper positioning of items such as roof overhangs, shrubbery or a fence can also help cut energy costs by shielding the home from the worst sun.

Sounds like you'll have fun pulling it all together. Good luck.

Thank you for your help.

We have a small lot so I am limited on how many patio areas I can have. I think we have that part down - and of course you are right on energy efficient windows!

Since you are a window expert let me ask - what are your recommendations on types of hurricane shutters? The hurricane glass windows are SO heavy and still can shatter so I think we would prefer shutters that either roll down or whatever. We are just starting to research that part. Going to have a metal roof btw.

Have you seen many homes around 30A that have solar panels? We have some here at the house in LA. We are planning on several with backup battery system at the new house. Can't say that I saw any when we were there last.

THX again
G

Gidget,

Take a look at the link below for another look at ICF's. The website is for Omnicrete, which I wouldn't say I'm for or against their particular product, though if you're seriously looking at an ICF system, I would also consider AAC (Aerated Autoclaved Concrete) and SIPs.

http://www.omnicrete.com/COMPARISON OC vs POLYSTYRENE.pdf

Choosing an appropriate building material is really a personal choice about priorities. What are the features that are most important to you?

Thanks for the link.

This is the type I believe that we are going to be building. Ours will look nothing like any of the types of houses shown in the thumbnails though. We haven't started yet - plans are still being made.

LOGIX ICF

G

Thank you for your help.


Since you are a window expert let me ask - what are your recommendations on types of hurricane shutters? The hurricane glass windows are SO heavy and still can shatter so I think we would prefer shutters that either roll down or whatever. We are just starting to research that part. Going to have a metal roof btw.


THX again
G

Some shutters are related to the type of windows you want. You can't use a bahama type shutter with a crank out window as it will hit the shutter. Bahama's are great for cutting down on heat build-up by shading the windows.
Roll down shutters are a great 24/7 protection for homes that are used part time. They are the most expensive in my experience. The drawback to roll downs are the large box needed to roll them up into as well as a track system exposed on the outside of the building. Also, should you be in the home during a storm, there is no light inside once the power goes out versus a bahama or lexan type of shutter. All types will have pros and cons based on how you use the building.

My brother built a 5000 square foot ICF home here in Dallas and his electric bills in the summer average $245.

My brother built a 5000 square foot ICF home here in Dallas and his electric bills in the summer average $245.

Not bad for 5000 sq ft! Mine will be 1400!

Thanks - I'd love to see pics

G

Build a hip roof. You'll save a surprising amount on insurance.

Build a hip roof. You'll save a surprising amount on insurance.

Why?

Hip roofs are very wind-tolerant compared to homes with gables. Which is not a small issue when you want to build to have a structure make it through a 120 mph wind event.

I've never had a problem w/ gables and 140 mph codes. IMO it's just another way the insurance company is screwing people.

Though your gables were probably roofed with a certain amount of care. They're significantly easier to get wrong from a wind standpoint compared to the more idiot-proof hip roofs.

Hi Gidget, We are a small builder building a 1400 sq ft Coastal cottage for my brother in the 30A area of Seacrest, using ICF, starting in the fall when he is down for the winter from Wisconsin. He is very concerned about cost & energy savings and wants a home he can close up for the summer months to stand strong in case of storms. Please contact me, Mary, at 850-774-1359 or e-mail: ffimg1@aol.com

Hi Gidget,

Have been offline for a while, so I'm sorry that I'm just discovering this post now. We built a small ICF home in Seacrest last year, and are very pleased with it. We searched high and low for builders (all types of builders, not just ICF), as we had a very specific (read: low) budget, and we needed to find someone who could build not only high quality, but also very affordably. We found a terrific builder, and we would recommend him to anyone. PM me and I'll give you more info.

He also does very reasonable house plan drafting. It sounds like you have a plan already, but in case you don't, check out his website at www.WiseHomeDesign.com. Our plan--the "Seabreeze"--is on that site. It's just under 1,400 sq ft of interior space (1,520 exterior sq ft).

We have a house in NY, and that's where we spend the summers (we're there now). We spent the winter in the house in Seacrest, and the heating bills were about $100/mo. The cooling bill for mid-May to mid-June was only about $45, but we weren't there for 1/2 the month (the AC was set to 80 degrees, so I'm sure it still came on). So I expect that to go down for the remainder of the summer.

There are photos of our home under construction on that site, too, which are really cool.

So far, we've been very pleased. One of the main benefits we experience (esp because we're very close to a busy section of 30A) is the quietness. It's true that the cell phone won't work in the house. But we'd set our phones on a windowsill, and it usually still rang--then we'd just go outside to talk. No big deal (unless it was raining...).

We have a hip roof, and only pay about $1k/yr for the whole policy (wind/flood, etc.). Design-wise, in a smaller house, I definitely recommend going with at least 9-ft celings (that's what we used, and we could've gone taller). Our cathedral living area is 12 ft, and that's very comfortable.

We used impact glass instead of getting hurricane shutters. We got the windows & exterior doors at Home Depot because they were cheaper than our builder's contact, but we didn't have a good experience with Home Depot. They constantly screwed up the orders, and the exterior doors (steel) are poor quality. The windows are nice looking, though (we got the bronze/black color for the frames and grills, and with the white stucco exterior, achieved the Alys beach look we wanted).

We opted for stick-built interior walls, which is a cheaper option than ICF interior walls. (If a storm gets through those 11-inch exterior walls, then who cares if there are interior ICF walls?)

Since we're not there now, you could feel free to go check it out. The builder has a key so he could show the interior to you, too. We also used some very cool bamboo fencing (also installed by our builder).

So get in touch if you'd like more info. You're very wise to build ICF, and I don't think you'll be disappointed. But don't believe the stuff about it being more expensive than stick built. We didn't find that to be the case. We built a beautiful house that looks much more expensive than it really was (oak interior doors, granite floors, solid maple cabinets, granite fireplace, high-end fixtures, etc.). We found same-size modular houses that were more expensive than our house...and the build quality difference, well, there just is no comparison.

We also have a great source for solid wood kitchen cabinets--don't do HD or Lowe's...those are very poor quality. You won't believe how gorgeous our cabinets are, and how cheap they were (they were "ready to assemble" and our builder assembled and installed them). They're a real wow factor in the house.

So get in touch...as you can see from this verbose message, I've got lots to say, and would love to share more of our experiences if you're interested.

elenamaria

To Elenamaria: I saw your house while under construction, we are considering using Jeremy to build our cottage. Where did you get the cabinets?

ElenaMaria I sent you a personal message. Thank you for your wonderful post!

G

ElenaMaria I sent you a personal message. Thank you for your wonderful post!

G

Gidget,
I can't address building ICF in Florida but we built ours here in East Texas about 2.5 years ago. If you have general questions, just PM me. We also chose ICF mainly for energy savings as well as sturdiness/safety. Seeing it built was quite interesting (for us as wellas the neighbors!)- it is about 1800 sq ft exterior, 1600 interior and has exceeded our expectaions. We have a Mueller metal roof.

Gidget,
I can't address building ICF in Florida but we built ours here in East Texas about 2.5 years ago. If you have general questions, just PM me. We also chose ICF mainly for energy savings as well as sturdiness/safety. Seeing it built was quite interesting (for us as wellas the neighbors!)- it is about 1800 sq ft exterior, 1600 interior and has exceeded our expectaions. We have a Mueller metal roof.

Thanks! I would LOVE to hear more and see pics, etc... could you send me any links to pics?

Thanks again

G