ICF house

[isu22andy]

Looking at buying a house that’s about 20 years old built with ICF insulated concrete forms from the footings to the rafters. Any concerns with these build types other than the obvious issues like remodeling makes things difficult , and hanging heavier items on walls might be a bit more difficult ?

Also it has infloor heat on both levels with a boiler system on natural gas . I assume these are pretty bullet proof .

It’s a very nice place but I’m concerned with the longevity/reliability of both these items .

Run or consider it ? Any real world advice helpful .

 

[Steiny77]

I think the points you brought up are the obvious ones.
So long as they put all the rebar where it was supposed to go, footings were good, waterproofing and drainage was done right, etc. they make a pretty nice house. At 20 years old, if there are issues, they should be evident. If you have a builder friend, have them take a look at it with you.

 

[Nuts]

I have worked on tons of ICF houses over the years. This would be one of my top 2 choices of construction. There will be plastic strips that the drywall was hung on. With a magnet you can find these screws hopefully. I can typically find where the screw finishing was if it isn't textured. In any case they then run 8" or 6" on center. They should hold some pretty heavy things. You could also use a long tapcon and hit anywhere. I would run a volt detector first to be sure you are not hitting wires if near any where electrical is fed. I have not seen or heard of issues with an ICF house related to ICF.

 

[Pagosa]

Ive built several frost/basement walls and my home from Logix and Nudura ICFs. They are basically bullet proof, wont burn, high seismic rating, great insulation value. Compared to conventional framed house of todays lumber its night and day difference.

 

[Elktrack]

I’ve got a couple of friends with the exact set up you’re describing and their homes are extremely efficient. The radiant heat with the ICF walls is impressive. I wouldn’t think twice about buying a home like that. Actually, it might make me more interested in it than a stick framed home…

 

[Addicting]

Does that type of foam break down over time?

Not ICF but we are required to use insulation on basement. We used 1” pink board and it has broken down over the last 20 years. What was an inch is now full of holes anywhere the sun/uv hit it.