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Ramsey-Erdmann Construction LLC |
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Builders of ICF (insulated concrete form) homes. This changes everything! |
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Benefits of an ICF Home |
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1123 Tiger Ln SE Rochester, MN 55904 |
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To contact us: |
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Easy To live With. Easy To love.
The concrete walls of an ICF home have high thermal mass, which buffers the interior of a home from the extremes of outdoor temperature during every 24-hour cycle. This reduces both peak and total heating and cooling loads. This combination of high R-values, low air infiltration, and high thermal mass is believed to account for the amazing 25% to 50% energy savings of ICF versus wood or steel-framed homes.
Peace & Quiet
Solid & Lasting Security In fire wall tests, ICF's stood exposure to intense flame without structural failure longer than did common frame walls. The polystyrene foam used in most ICF forms is treated so it will not support combustion. Also, tests show that its tendency to transmit an outside flame source is less than that of most wood products. [Many insurance carriers are now offering a discount on a home owner's policy for an ICF home.]
Less Repair & Maintenance
A Healthier Home & Environment ICF homes provide a healthy indoor environment, too. Nothing held within or ordinarily emitted by an ICF wall is toxic. The measurement of the air contents of actual ICF houses shows an almost complete absence of any emissions.
Versatile System - Flexible Designs
Internationally Proven & Code-Accepted
Cost Competitive
More Information?
Concrete Homes Online: www.concretehomes.com Insulating Concrete Form Association www.forms.org/ ToolBase Sevices http://www.toolbase The Aggregate & Ready Mix Association of MN (ARM) http://www.chooseconcretehomes.com
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS:
Q. Are there house plans that are typically to be used for ICF construction? A. Over the past few years, some design/build professionals and architects have designed homes around a specific ICF. However, in reality, virtually any home design can effectively use ICF for the exterior walls with very little if any alteration in the blueprints.
A. Absolutely! Not because of the way it looks, since it will look like any other home, but because of the way it feels - very little sound entering from the outside, constant temperatures and continuously filtered air. And, when your utility bills arrive, you'll be dancing for joy!
Q. If I change my mind after construction has begun, and want an additional window or door, can that be done? A. Absolutely. It will cost a bit, as it does with any construction change, but is nearly as easy as when working with wood construction.
. The housing industry has been relatively slow to react to this rather significant change in construction techniques. It's a lot easier for them to continue to do things the way they've always been done - as long as they're making money at it - even though they aren't doing any favors for homebuyers. This is all changing with our involvement in public relations, aggressive marketing and extensive education programs throughout the country.
A. Even though mold has always been a bit of a problem, particularly in damper climates, it has been exacerbated in new construction because of building techniques. In traditional stick-built homes, the desire to become as energy efficient as possible has dominated outside wall building techniques. Not only are the walls insulated, generally with fiberglass bat insulation but they are also wrapped with plastic - on the inside as well as the outside. This has a tendency to create a "terrarium effect" inside the wall, trapping moisture - a perfect breeding place for mold growth. With an ICF wall, there is absolutely no room or opportunity for mold to develop.
A. Heavens no. There are virtually no design barriers when it applies to ICF construction. In fact, when ICF homes started to be built from the footings to the eaves in the early 90's, the typical ICF house was at the most expensive end of the housing scale - mostly because those owners could afford the largest homes and the best technology, regardless of cost - but although they certainly wanted all the benefits of ICF construction, they were absolutely not willing to give up aesthetic value.
Q. Since most of the ICF is Polystyrene, what happens if I have a fire and it burns? Doesn't plastic give off toxic fumes when it burns? A. ICF is constructed of Expanded Polystyrene, which is produced with a heat and steam process, with no hydroflorocarbons (HFC's or HCFC's) being released into the ozone layer. Also, there is a borate encapsulated into the polystyrene "bead" during production. Borate is a flame retardant and as a result, the ICF will not burn on its own. It must have an external flame source in order to burn. However, when it does burn, it actually gives out fewer toxins than burning pine. This is one of the reasons the American Lung Association has selected ICF's for use in building many of the "Health Houses" throughout the country.
Q. Will I be able to save money on my homeowners insurance if I build with ICF? A. There are significant discounts offered by most insurance companies to ICF homeowners. This is due to the fact that ICF construction is rated as masonry construction, and qualifies for discounts of 10% - 22%, depending on the insurance company and location of the home. Ask your insurance advisor for details.
A. Because of the energy efficient nature of an ICF structure itself, a smaller (and therefore less expensive) heating/air conditioning system can be installed to produce the level of comfort desired. As a rule of thumb, you can reduce the size of both air conditioning and heating units by 30%. That alone saves quite a bit of money, but you should also take into account the huge reduction in monthly energy costs afforded by ICF homes, compared to traditional construction.
A. A house doesn't need to breathe, - people need to breathe. A tight house is actually good. Tight construction has been incorporated in commercial buildings for years, with air-to-air exchangers controlling the venting and bringing in of air to keep fresh air circulating throughout the building. The same is true in ICF housing. An air-to-air exchanger is incorporated into the HVAC units with appropriate filtration in order to reduce pollens, dust and molds, typically by 96 to 98 percent. Obviously, this unit will cost an additional amount, but the cost savings attributed to the reduction in size of the HVAC units, and the lower energy costs for the life of the home more than make up for this expense.
Q. My current basement is concrete, but it's cold and damp. Why is an ICF basement different? A. ICF's are different in that the concrete is not exposed to the interior, or exterior of the basement wall. It is surrounded by polystyrene, which will not allow any moisture to penetrate into the living space. Plus, there is no room for moisture to support mold within the ICF itself. Thus, you will have a perfectly dry basement. Actually, we don't make references to "basements" any more in ICF constructed homes. Since they are totally inhabitable, they are now called "lower levels".
A. There are so many variables involved in construction: the size of the home, how many levels, how many corners/angles, what type of finish is used, etc. As a rule of thumb, based on many years of experience, construction time for the exterior walls by a properly trained, experienced work crew can be reduced by using ICF. The variable is the experience of the construction crew, and that is the main reason we insist on only licensed builders who are certified in building with ICF's.
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