ICF's

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What are ICFs (Insulated Concrete Forms)?

Text Box: ICFs forms, which resemble large Styrofoam Legos, are hollow blocks or panels normally made of polystyrene foam. These blocks are stacked on top of each other in the shape of the walls a building. The ICF’s are then filled with reinforced concrete to create the structure.
    ICF construction sandwiches a heavy, high strength material (reinforced concrete) between two layers of a light, high-insulation material (polystyrene foam). This creates a wall with a quality combination of desirable properties: air tightness, strength, sound attenuation, insulation, and mass.
    Insulating values for ICF walls using polystyrene foam are R-17 to R-26, compared to a wood frame structure’s which are R-11 to R-21. This causes a significant energy savings for the owner.
ICF built buildings also offer solidity such as reducing the flex in floors, cuts shifting and vibration from the force of the wind or the slamming of a door.
    Concrete forms can survive high-forced winds like tornado’s and hurricanes much better than wood homes. And when properly reinforced they should also withstand earthquakes as well