ICF Builders Q&A Common Questions

An ICF Home looks like any conventional new home on the inside and on the outside. The window sills are deeper since the walls are thicker. Very few people can tell the difference between ICF construction and other types of construction.

You can get a good idea of what is required as far as tools, equipment and manpower is necessary by reading a Technical Manual about ICF Construction, which we will be happy to provide for you. You may also feel free to call our office and arrange to send your house plans to us for a free, no-obligation material and labor estimate.

You should wait a minimum of seven days and follow guidelines set by your structural engineer.

Virtually any conventional exterior finish can be used with an ICF System. Proper planning should be considered. Check your technical manual for details.

Yes. Any type of stucco can be applied directly to the EPS Forms.

Yes. You can install an ICF Building System by yourself. You should, however, employ an ICF Contractor to assist you with the concrete placement activities.

No. Conventional house plans can be used. You must simply have the exterior wall thickness increased to show the ICF Wall.

A structural engineer should design buildings constructed with an ICF Building System, but the sky is the limit.

No. EPS Foam is a poor conductor of heat and cold. Therefore, water vapor that may be present in the structure will not condense on the walls.

No. Termites do not eat the EPS Foam. Termites will, however, burrow through the foam to get to wood.

Today's plastics offer strength, durability and lower thermal conductivity than metals, so plastic is the best choice in an ICF System.

Yes, most ICF Forms are engineered to withstand the rigors of internal vibration. "Patting" or "tapping" the exterior of the forms is not an effective method of concrete vibration.

ICF Blocks are inert, non-toxic and do not 'off gas'.