I recently found out about a relatively new (at least to me) home construction build called ICF or Insulated Concrete Form homes. There's a lot of informative videos and information on YouTube and the internet and I am just curious if there's any salty Ags out there that have built an ICF home. The pros appear to greatly outweigh the cons of building an ICF home and the rib and I are highly considering an ICF new home build when I retire.
I've been talking to a builder about their ICF homes and they have graciously invited us to attend the pouring of the concrete walls process and to stop by and view the entire ICF home building process. Problem is we live 8 hours away and timing is always a problem. Do any of you have any knowledge and/or experience with ICF homes that you would be willing to share with us?

Thank you in advance for any help you can share with us. It's greatly appreciated!!!

Wife and I almost built a house 15 years ago in south central PA. Was going to be about 3500 sq ft, plus an outbuilding as a shop. Was considering ICF's seriously, going all the way to the roof with them. Took a 5 day class, met with a contractor, started to generate some estimates.

Due to many factors we did not go through with the build. But ICF's were fascinating to me. Cannot remember what manufacturer I was considering, but was looking at about 20-30% more expensive to build the shell of the house. That was then, not sure about now. My main takeaway from the experience was the need for VERY thorough planning primarily windows, doors, and plumbing/electric on the perimeter of the building. I did also see a reluctance in subcontractors to get involved, as we know, new methods are not easily embraced in the residential world. It's not a project type that you want someone to get their first experience on.

Sorry I can't provide more, but would love for you to keep us posted on progress if you go this route.

I have an ICF house. Finished in 2007. It is a type called "composite ICF" made by a company in San Antonio called Amazon Gridwall. They are now out of business.
I did a lot of the construction myself: Stacking blocks, finishing walls, cabinets, etc. It was about 30% more expensive than regular stick frame construction.
I don't know if I would do it again in Central Texas. I would strongly consider it on the coast.
Let me know what questions you have and I'll try to answer.

Why would you not do it again in central Texas?

... and then the new fad has become 3D concrete houses that come with designers to suit you.
This jaded architect thinks there are many other items much more important to author a Wish List for a forever house but if this was one of the last items, then let's get some costs!!

I've built some ICF shear walls before. Depending on the height of wall, be careful with how fast you pour. We had our second one blow out because the guys wanted to get home on time and the concrete was late getting there. It saves on formwork and stripping costs in the commercial sector but I personally wouldn't choose it for my house. It is a relatively easy process though

Why wouldn't you choose it for your house? Because of the possibility of a bad concrete pour, or something more?

I was considering it also, but this thread has made me rethink. Since you have real world experience with it, I'd appreciate the specifics on why you don't like it.

Mainly the fact that modifications down the road become a larger problem. I like easy access to everything haha. The webbing that holds to two sides of the styrofoam together is some form of plastic that according to the Nudura rep has a stronger pull out force than standard wood stud, which is cool. I think they were located 8" OC if I recall correctly for our 12" thick walls about 12' tall. We would screw C-channel and pole braces into that. Don't let me talk you out of it, it's strong.

Check out the Nudura website for more details. They are a subsid of Tremco

I'm planning to build a house in the Amarillo/Canyon area and from everything I've read and watched online, ICF homes are extremely well insulated and the costs have come down quite a bit since their inception. I also read that once an ICF home is built, it's kinda like living in a Yeti cooler, well insulated, quiet, and very sturdy/durable. Panhandle tornados are always a concern, and there is not a need for a basement, but rather a "safe room" which is easily doable in an ICF home.

Lots of very good information to digest and I'll keep chugging along in my research efforts. As retirees, this will be the last home we'll ever have so we are planning for anything/everything, especially for the cold and windy climes of the Texas panhandle!

Thanks for the great comments and information! Good stuff to ponder for awhile!

Our house was built like this. It was 4700 sq feet. 2001 build. Very cool concept but the resale value wasn't really a thing. Also, make damn sure the REST of the house is tight. Walls with R values of 4,000 can be wasted if the rest of the envelope is leaky.

The worst part for me was modifications. Want to add a light switch? Good luck. Adding so much as shelving can be a hassle.

That said, it's not that big a deal. Just make sure you got conduit where you might need and pay attention to details during build. I would do it again.

We are in the Dallas area. Someone built an ICF house down the road from us about 20 years ago and it looks as good today as the day they finished it. They have added some carports to it but no significant alterations that I know of and I have never been inside. But from the outside looks fabulous and you can't see anything that tells you it is an ICF structure.

I designed an ICF house for a client that ended up not being built. I went to New Braunfels TX plant where they fabricated the units (Amazon Gridwall) even watched a number of them get poured, including a strip center here in Bastrop. For what it's worth, here's my take:

1. You have to be a believer. I mean that there are alternatives that can achieve similar performance if that is the driving reason to choose this method.
2. Windows and exterior openings will compromise the goal of high R-Value wall.
3. As someone already mentioned, plumbing and electric on exterior ICF walls need to be well planned. We placed all bathrooms perpendicular to exterior walls so that we didn't touch the ICFs.
4. Get a good ICF; blow-outs happen during the pouring. Being able to fix that on the fly is important.
5. Keep it simple- complex layouts, curves, expansive openings will defeat the strength of an ICF design.

That said, it will probably last forever. It's pretty much a concrete grid and can withstand strong winds, maybe even a low level tornado (something to look into).

If, however, your goal is energy efficiency, there are alternatives to include solar orientation, wind, and shade that can be accomplished with a reasonable budget. Roll in LED lighting, PVs, rainwater capture- and you may be surprised at what can be achieved close to net-zero or better. There are architects and builders that specialize in green building, I don't think too many of them use ICFs in the strategy. Insulating foam in a 2x6 wall + high energy efficiency windows can do a lot for this climate- get it HERS rated and viola! HTH

In my former career, I worked as a real estate appraiser and have been in several hundred homes, from shotgun shacks to multi-million dollar mansions. I've tried to incorporate a lot of ideas, features, and "wants" into our future home design and my goal was to "attempt" to design a house that would fit our needs and have plenty of space/square footage for our retirement years. I've been drawing up a set of plans and started with Plan A and now I'm on version Plan H! LOL!!!! It's more difficult than I thought it would be, but once I get a plan that my wife and I agree upon, we'll send it to a professional home designer to finish. We've found a designer that specializes in ICF homes so that gives us a lot of comfort, and the home builder is very experienced in ICF home builds as well.

The current floor plan version, Plan H, is over 4700 square feet with over 400 square feet attributable to the ICF blocks (12 inches thick x total length of exterior walls). The exterior facade will be stucco which is perfect for an ICF home with no crazy curves and/or angles. The wifey calls it a Texas Tuscan home for what that's worth. Nudera website is cool with great info!

As several of y'all have mentioned, planning ahead is extremely important, especially with electrical and water sources for the home exterior walls, whether it's inside or outside. I'm happy to know that most of y'all have a favorable opinion of ICF homes and one does need to do their extensive homework, pardon the pun, when designing, planning, and building.

Again, thanks for the great informative comments and it would be nice to visit with you to get more detailed info!!!

Alex at Okie School of Adventure and Charm has an ICF video on his youtube channel. If you haven't watched his videos they're great. His dad (MasonB) posts on here some.
ICF Video

kosmostx said:

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Alex at Okie School of Adventure and Charm has an ICF video on his youtube channel. If you haven't watched his videos they're great. His dad (MasonB) posts on here some.
ICF Video

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Thanks, kosmostx! I really enjoy the videos by Alex and the Okie School of Adventure and Charm. They're always great and the ICF video was very informative and entertaining!!! I haven't seen the ICF video before so thanks for the heads-up and sharing the link.

My folks completed an ICF build between Amarillo/Canyon within the past 18 months. I would be glad to connect you. Leave a way to get in touch, if you're interested.

oldag00 said:

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My folks completed an ICF build between Amarillo/Canyon within the past 18 months. I would be glad to connect you. Leave a way to get in touch, if you're interested.

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Hey oldag00,

Yes, I am very interested in visiting with your folks about their ICF build, especially since they're in the same part of the world where we will be building. My email is: texags86 at gmail dot com

We're hoping to make a trip to Canyon before the end of the year and check out some ICF homes and visit with a local ICF builder. Thank you so much for reaching out and sharing the info!!!