The concrete pour for a whole storey can usually be completed in less than a day. Your contractor would then spend a few days bracing the walls and any structural openings. In most cases, the formwork for a four-room ground floor can be erected in just a couple of days. ICF is fast to build with and requires less in the way of traditional building skills when compared to brick-and-block and even timber frame projects. It’s almost like they cuddle you!” How long does it take to build with ICF? “Heating and cooling bills will be minimal, and because you have an air quality system, they never feel stale. “ICF homes are incredibly quiet”, says Chris Stride, chair of the Insulating Concrete Formwork Association (ICFA) Any offcuts of polystyrene can be re-used elsewhere, on or off the build, and you can order the ready-mixed concrete to exact volume requirements.īecause ICF is such a heavyweight formwork, it also provides fantastic acoustic properties. This helps to reduce heat loss even more.ĭifferent thicknesses of ICF block, with varying insulation depths, are available to help you achieve your target thermal performance (including Passivhaus standards).Īnother benefit, and a big plus in this age of environmental awareness, is that the system only produces a tiny amount of waste in construction. ICF structures also offer very good airtightness as standard, as the concrete pour and insulating formwork combine to create a highly sealed house shell. So you can enjoy a highly efficient home that easily surpasses Building Regulations standards – meaning lower bills and less energy in use. The formwork bestows fantastic U-values (a measure of heat loss) ranging from around 0.30 W/m2K right down to around 0.11 W/m2K. Once the pour is complete, the ICF remains in place to provide a robust layer of thermal insulation – one that will last for the lifetime of the building. Particular attention to detail is needed around structural openings and areas such as gables to ensure a full fill, for maximum strength and airtightness. The concrete must be carefully directed and vibrated to prevent voids forming. This minimises pressure on the ties and bracing, thus reducing the chance of Grand Designs-style blow-outs. The ready-mix concrete is delivered on a truck and poured in lifts, with the crew gradually moving around the building. Claim a pair of free tickets today and start planning your visit. The next show will be on 10th and 11th June 2023, in Bicester. Talk to the experts about your project and learn from their years of experience at Build It Live. Watch live presentations on a variety of self build and renovation topics, browse real structural systems and get your specific questions answered.īuild It Live takes place three times a year in Kent, Oxfordshire and Exeter. Walls are generally constructed to first floor level before filling with concrete, letting it dry and going up to next storey or roof. The formwork is then braced and aligned, ready to be filled with poured concrete. Steel reinforcement is inserted into the cavities, to the structural engineer’s design. The panels or blocks feature an interlocking profile, so they can be stacked without bonding materials to provide a formwork system into which concrete is pumped. ICF is based on hollow block or sheet components, usually made of expanded polystyrene (EPS), fastened together with metal or plastic connectors. Here’s what you need to know if you’re considering ICF for your self build home. What’s more, it lends itself to pretty much any style of house design, and quality is built-in thanks to its impressive thermal and acoustic properties. Sometimes referred to as LEGO for adults, ICF is a straightforward building method that can get you to weathertight stage very fast. If you’re looking for an intuitive, quick structural system with impressive energy performance, then insulated concrete formwork (ICF) could be a great choice for your self build project.
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