FAQ

What is ICF?

ICF stands for Insulating Concrete Forms

Are ICF Homes expensive?

Though ICF homes are more expensive to build than a common “stick framed” home, the long term cost of ownership will be much lower. With a Hybrid Group, Inc ICF Home your average monthly heating and cooling costs will typically be at least 50% less than a normal stick built house.

How much more expensive is ICF?

Normally the monthly savings on heating & cooling is enough to offset the small added building costs, giving you a safer, more efficient building for the same monthly expense.

How does ICF reduce my heating & cooling costs?

ICF walls work as a part of the whole building envelope.
The ICF wall consists of:

2.5 ” of EPS foam
a solid concrete core
another 2.5″ of EPS foam

The EPS foam insulates the concrete core from both sides.
The concrete core eliminates air infiltration through the walls.
The thermal mass of the concrete core modulates the outdoor temperature swings to maintain a constant, comfortable indoor temperature.

What is the Construction Process?

The Insulated Form Panels are stacked in place to form the wall
Steel rebar is installed as the panels are placed
Concrete is placed inside the forms
Drywall is installed directly onto the forms (studs are 8” on center) inside Brick, Stucco, Siding, or other finish is installed outside

Does it take longer to build with ICF?

Expect ICF to add 1-2 weeks to the schedule on an average size new home. On Commercial projects ICF can actually reduce overall build time.

Are ICF Commercial Buildings more expensive?

Due in part to redundancy in typical commercial building methods (like building a red iron wall with exterior sheeting & roll insulation, and then a steel stud wall inside it; or building a CMU wall with a stud wall inside it and EIFS outside), ICF walls frequently do not cost anything extra.

With ICF walls you get superior structural support, insulation, and framing in one assembly. The foam insulation is also ready for synthetic stucco finishes.

Why use ICF instead of concrete block (CMU)?

CMU is OK for lots of applications, but for a saferoom or basement even CMU corefilled with concrete and rebar does not come close to the strength and integrity of a poured in place walls.

Why not use a conventional formed concrete wall?

ICF gives you the strength of a poured in place wall with the insulation and framing (to attach drywall) already in place. The insulation is also a perfect base for stucco.