ICF WAREHOUSE
insulated concrete form becomes a top pick for residential and commercial building
John Ballew had been in the concrete and construction business for some time, but when he started seeing Insulated Concrete Forms hit the market, it made him take notice. “I started seeing these things and they’re starting to make them pretty darn nice,” he said. “They’re starting to make sense.”
THE START OF ICF
That was about two decades ago and now Ballew’s ICF Warehouse in Santa Fe is the Albuquerque and Santa Fe area’s exclusive supplier of Nudura products. Ballew partnered up with the company about three years ago after working with another ICF company for a while. “At the time, I thought this would be so easy to pour walls that carpenters could do it,” he said. The product offers design professionals, architects, homeowners and contractors a more efficient way to construct Insulated Concrete Form buildings, he said.
Made from polystyrene foam blocks with teeth on the top and slits on the bottom, the blocks click together seamlessly like Legos along parallel lines 8 to 10-inches apart. Once they are clicked together concrete is poured in the middle. The polystyrene insulation completely seals out the elements, making ICF one of the most energy-efficient construction techniques available, Ballew said. Building with ICFs allows concrete homes and commercial buildings to be built stronger, more energy efficient and more environmentally friendly, he said.
SOUND PROTECTION & ENERGY EFFICIENT
ICFs provide greater energy solutions for any structure and Ballew should know because
when the housing market cratered, he built hospitals and schools. The forms work in conjunction with the thermal mass of a solid concrete core to provide one of the most energy efficient and airtight wall systems available, Ballew said. “Among the main benefits are the heating and cooling costs are reduced dramatically,” he said. “It’s super insulated and the concrete core with the polystyrene that is 2 5/8-inch thick--it stops all air infiltration.”
Additionally, between the polystyrene and the concrete, it’s like living in a recording studio, Ballew said. “Another advantage is sound,” he said. “It’s got a 50-decibel rating, which is very good. It’s getting a lot of use in the theater industry as the divider walls. The theater industry is using it to build for them because of the sound-proofing element.” What sets the Nudura product apart is it has a patented snap on the top of each block, Ballew said. “That’s what I love about the form,” he added. “This little snap ties the blocks together so your forms don’t separate or move around. It has a built-in furring strip that allows you to attach drywall or stucco netting.”
CUT BUILDING TIME IN HALF
It makes for an easy, quick process. “The reason it’s faster is when you put it up, you have the framing, insulation and sheeting all done in one swoop,” Ballew said. “You’re done with everything. It’s easy to stucco and sheet rock the inside. You can then finish it any way you want with the plastic furring strip. It’s just like having a stud in a wall every eight inches--you can screw or staple to it.” Once the footings and plumbing are roughed in, an experienced crew can snap together a standard home and have the concrete ready to pour in six to eight days. The day after, trusses or roofing work and windows can begin, Bellew said, which greatly reduces the construction time.
“Within a day, it’s strength is at 500 to 600 pounds-per-square-inch, and within a week it’s at 2000 PSI,” he said. “That’s plenty to start braces off and start working on them right away.” It’s also easy to work with so ICF Warehouse can provide the materials and a local crew can do the work, Ballew said. “Your average crew that hasn’t done it before, would probably take an extra three or four days,” he said. “But we do a training day at least once or twice a year to get people up to speed.”
PAY MORE TO GET MORE
The versatility of an ICF is unlimited when it comes to building. “You can do anything with ICF that you can do with a stud wall,” Ballew said. “Some things may be a little more time consuming, but it’s not difficult to do. Whether it be arches or radius, you can really do anything.” Because of the large amount of concrete involved, the initial, up-front cost is going to be about 3 to 5 percent more expensive than traditional 2X6, frame-and-stucco construction, he said. But that money is quickly recouped in energy savings, Ballew added. “Payment over a 12 month period will be less, than on heating and cooling,” he said. “You’re saving money from the day you move in. When you get ready to resell, you’ve got a superior home that’s going to sell better. So you save money there and the other things you save money on is insurance costs. Because it’s a masonry structure, your insurance costs are considerably less if you are in an area where you don’t have good fire protection.”
Additionally, the concrete is a sturdy surface that doesn’t move, so the stucco doesn’t crack and have to be replaced. “I built my office out of this product in 1997 and the stucco still looks as good as the day I put it on,” Ballew said. “The building doesn’t move around.” So the bottom line is the product has been good for the bottom line. “We’ve been growing like crazy since I took over Nudura,” he said. “We’ve more than doubled our sales in the last three years. Nudura is by far the best form on the market. “I’ve been using the ICFs for 20 years. We’ve built everything from big commercial properties to small, little bitty structures. Everybody that’s ever been involved or lived in a house like this would never go back. Nobody wants to go back to stick build.”