The Realities of ICF
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- Опубликовано: 2 июн 2024
- The realities of ICF are almost as impressive as promised. The efficiencies are incredible, the sound control is good, the temperature consistency is insane, and the resilience is outstanding. Having built my own insulated concrete form home and living here for 2 years, I'm able to share the realities of an icf house. The many benefits of icf, greatly outweigh any slight issues it may have.
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I built our 4000 sq ft ICF home in 2003. The wife and friends said I was crazy to use ICF. Currently we are experiencing a heat wave of + 40 C. (Canada) and the interior is 20 C, or about 70 F. Love it. As well when the winds exceed 50 mph we don't hear nor feel them. Our heating costs are very low even though we have 6 months of cold winter, often below -40 C. This house has not moved 1/8 inch in 20 years. I went with a high efficiency gas furnace for expediency, but even in the winter it runs very seldom. The only way to build.
Thank you for sharing!
If the sheet rock is screwed into the plastic studs, just use a magnet to find the screws. No need for a stud finder.
To find studs in an ICF use magnets to locate drywall screws that coincide with location of studs. I use this in conventional construction as well.
I've just had a quote for Nudura in the UK, with the cost of wood and insulation being so high at the moment, it's actually looking cheaper to do ICF than timber frame or traditional block. Possibly a win win 🏆
Good deal!!!
We just built a 6200sqft home (including finished basement) and used an R30 ICF product. Blown away with the efficiency so far especially the ability to manage day/night temperature swings. We barely need to run our AC unit or heating system. It has been silly efficient so far. Absolutely love it.
You raised a couple other points that resonated with us. We're on a rural property and you would never know when it is windy outside. And yes the usual temperature related creaks or pops are non existent with ICF.
Highly recommend that anyone looking to build with ICF include a higher end HRV/ERV system to constantly exchange the air inside since it creates such a tight envelope, and also to look into a HEPA/VOC filter for your furnace and/or recovery ventilator.
Now that’s what I’m looking at. Love the testimonial. What’d u do for windows ? I often wondered if more needed to be done with the conditioning of the air Do you open ur windows or keep shut ? What’d udo for the basement floor ?
I’ve kinda always had my heart set on concrete construction, so ICF just kind of makes sense to me as the best way of doing that. To me I want to build a house, and live there the rest of my life, or until something forces me to move. I want it to be durable, and extremely comfortable. Lots of effort will be made to make the exterior zero maintenance too. It’s not just the time I don’t want to spend later, it’s also the money. If I can build it to just last in the first place, I’d rather.
Sounds like a great plan!!!
@@Challenged1 do you still use 1/2” drywall or can you hang something thinner because of it being hung on ICF walls?
@@SCARREDMTBER I used 1/2", but I suppose you could go thinner.
Loving your videos. I am helping a friend who has decided to build her house with ICF blocks. I'm 65 now and a retired former General Contractor and Chief Building Official, so I have experience in building and the regulations and codes that govern their methods and materials, and I really like the advantages that ICF construction offers, but I don't have any prior experience working with, or inspecting ICF construction. I'd really appreciate any and all advice you can provide. My friend would even be willing to pay you a modest consulting fee for one on one phone or video chat consultation sessions regarding specific parts of the construction process, like your Geothermal heating and cooling system, and perhaps the Solar electrical system. I also have prior experience working as a lead draftsman for an Architect very early in my career, so I am working on her house plans myself, with the guidance and help of an engineer friend I used to work with. I hope to have the plans completed before Jan. 1st of 2022. Please let me know if there is a way to contact you directly, or some way I can get my contact info to you without putting it up in comments here for the whole world to see and abuse.
Great videos and very educational!! We just bought a 4700 SF ICF home built in 2003 in Andover, Kansas. First thing i noticed was the consistent temperature throughout the home. We’re renting a traditional home in Illinois and it’s highly inefficient. The wife and i slept in the new house and noticed how quiet it was. I did feel the air in the basement felt a little still. I also noticed how little the HVAC had to run to keep the temperature up. Thanks again for your information.
Congrats on the move!!! It really is a different experience living in an ICF home
Good points, but I don’t really like my icf for one reason, siding was a huge pain, the corners have no studs to nail to....no screw to, yep no nails, long time and a pain, then around the windows, by the time the trim goes on, no place to nail...trim. Then, try and put something in, outside water tap, or anything, needs to be core drilled depending on size, all can be done but difficult. However, all good points, sound transmission, high R valve, picture hanging, ya but there are so many drywall anchors. If I were to do again, I’d use regular concrete construction in ground, ICF, very difficult to water proof below grade, then at ground level the area before above ground gets siding, what to do there, limited to large, but best parking always cracks after few years. I waoukd allow extra interior for double 2x4 walls to keep the bridging from cold heat to help in insulation. To have a sealed wall, spray foam, gives vapour and air barrier. Above ground, I would use, I can’t remember the term, it’s plywood with a high R valve inside, that way there is constant backing for trim, pictures ect. Both interior and exterior. I also found very messy to wire, the static foam stuck to everything. That is my experience as well, being a tradesman I was able to do all the work myself, except roofing, don’t like heights. But sheet rock didn’t move, no nail pops, no shrinkage, lots of ore planning, I managed to put in lots backing for towel bars ect. Messy, because had to cut out the styrofoam in 1/2”. That’s my experience, I didn’t do it for cost, I did it for durability. Energy savings is great. I would say it’s more durable due to concrete, so depending where you live, it’s actually simple as hell to install-ICF-1400 sq ft floor in a day. But, in my case I had to use a pile of plywood to hold the forms in place. Even they say 8’ pour is fine, do not believe them, support the corners and opening very good with extra. If you think it’s good do more. I did my place in two pours, 9 feet bottom, 9 feet top. The floor joints were a bit of a pain too, had to use special joist hangers.
My take, research, all options, and decide if you are doing it yourself or not. I can see a contractor cutting corners without you knowing, building myself I didn’t cut corners. I am happy with the place but found too much work for the little things. Siding ect.
,
Icf houses a cool. I have a wood framed house with steel siding and lots of thick insulation. Really like the steel siding.
I was thinking of getting steel siding in theory. May I ask how much you paid to get steel siding?
I was a builder developer in Washington state for 20 years. Most guys on RUclips dont know what they are talking about. They spout shit. You are one of the few guys on RUclips that I respect. You tell it how it is and give great information. I like how your videos are not trying to act Hollywood. I retired at age 49 and moved to Madison Alabama and will be building an ICF HOME but what is your opinion of the EF BLOCKS, they are not full coverage concrete wall they are a mesh work ,do you think they would be as energy efficient. I want to start building in the end of the year. Thank you sir God bless
Thank you for the kind words!!!
I don't have any experience with EF Blocks, so I'm kinda worthless on this question. They claim they get r-40, so I don't know why they wouldn't be at least close to as efficient as ICF.
Another great ICF video, I'm sold on the idea. Time to get going I guess. What are your thoughts on the floor ICF forms? How did you do the upper level floor in your home?
I went with standard wood trusses. They are nice because you can hide all of your mechanicals in the floor system. I guess I don't really see the point of the icf floor trusses in a single family home.
@@Challenged1 Good point about the mechanicals. I was thinking of hurricane / storm resistance, but that's what insurance is for. LOL
Thank you for the video and thumbs up I am looking at using ICF in the future for a shooting range and a home. The only problem I am finding is a termite one as they will eat into ICF blocks and people who treat homes for termites are saying NO to treating homes built using any ICF ! Maybe in the future builders of ICF could treat them when the ICF is molded into shape ?? Like when you buy treated wood ? Thank you.
You need a termite barrier installed before you start the ICF walls. Matt Risinger has a video showing this being done.
Garrett, what did the cost PSF for your home work out to for your solar system and where did you locate your solar panels? You mentioned ground source heat pumps. Is this the same as geothermal, and what was the combined cost PSF of your two ground source heat pump systems? Also, what are you paying per KWH there in Kansas for electric from your utility provider? And, can you tell me something about your windows? I assume they're double or triple pane. Do they have argon gas and UV protection?
I'm in the suburbs of a large city in KY. I haven't seen any ICF single family residential construction, but I have seen it in a hotel. I follow a RUclipsr in south central Indiana who has worked with ICF for some of his residential customers. To date it has only been for foundations. He'll be doing a two story house in ICF this year. From a contractor's perspective, he really likes the product.
Thanks!
Did you have any thoughts of going two story instead? Less foundation, less roof
In my condo, you have to be close to a window or a glass door to get cell phone reception. In the winter, I only use the heat pump in one room.
Thanks again for your review. I’m going to build a super small house of just 800 sq feet and when I consider that I just have to add 6 more feet to my footers and get double the living space… lights went off. They’re telling me about 120$ per lineal foot or about 18k for the walls with footings. 3x that to make my floors and legal windows and a trusses roof. Any of these numbers sound right?
I installed a whole home dehumidifier in my icf home just recently it was staying in the mid 60% range for the last 2 years
Which state after you in? We're curious if you are in a dry state or a wet state?
Thank you so much! Some valuable points and very well spoken off.
I am planning to build in south west Florida using
Hobbs Vertical ICF, and the lot is already purchased. I absolutely love the ICF idea. What I really scared of, is the proper process of concrete pouring and proper vibration. How do you mitigate the risk of bursting, hollow pockets, proper concrete consistency delivery? Should I simply hire someone for the pour? Thank you!
If it's something you aren't comfortable doing, hire it done. You can always be their helper.
Hobbs system is weird do the buildblocks. I have plumwall bracing if you want to rent it im in Avon park.
The pour is not to hard i thought the same way as you but now ive done a few and its nothing to be frightened about
Hey Garrett, I've been loving your videos. Quick question on the humidity issue, have you or anyone you've talked to come up with ideas to mitigate the humidity before finishing the inside / moving in? Or would something like the faswall / any block that isn't styrofoam provide better breathability to equalize the humidity much sooner?
The reason I am asking is because I know with traditional stick build houses, the exposed wood typically gets some mold growth which gets covered up and stays in the walls throughout the time you are in the space. Not good. I don't know how much of a problem this typically is (seems a lot more common in recently built homes), but it's not one I want to have.
I haven't heard of a remedy other than time. Just leave it uncovered as long as possible and run dehumdifiers. Doing that, I haven't seen any mold growth. I think being aware of it is the big takeaway. Then you know what to do and that it is temporary.
@@Challenged1 Thanks for the reply!
Checking out your videos. Great stuff! Someone put me onto the idea of ICF construction. Me and my fiancé have land and are looking to build this year. The price of materials because of the pandemic is very high where we live so the decision to build this year is complicated. That said, ICF seems on par with a current wood frame build because of the price hike on lumber. My fiancé is a little hesitant as she hasn’t heard much about ICF and has talk to some guys who do wood frames who are hesitant about it. I feel some of that is just old school and lack of knowledge, but do we have any resources that show people that have lived in an ICF home for years and their experience over the years? Definitely showing her this video!
My only gripe with icf is if only concrete was renewable...
@@rockrl98 it is “renewable” concrete can be ground up and reused as aggregate
@@davidchillton1744 imagine a world that has only aggregate
What would be your estimate cost for a 24x24 ft ICF wall? great video btw
can you do a video on how you mounted you main breaker panel to ICF? thanks
Hello garrett, allot of good information you are providing us. Just wanted you to give us review or ur opinion on ur crestline windows.
I m looking into those windows, just need honest review of these windows.
Thankx in advance.
I would buy their picture and single hung windows all day long. I'm not a fan of the double hung (too much air leakage.
What is the name of that crane u were using to lift things? My plan has 36' walls so need some kind of crane.
Garrett, these videos (ICF) are great, thanks for sharing. I keep wondering what is the truss looking thing on what appears to be a concrete pillar over your right shoulder (left side from viewers viewpoint)? Thanks much.
[addition:] the $100.00 dollar monthly electric bill, does that include your solar generation offset? ie. $240 electricity used, solar generated $140, left with $100.00 deficit/bill? Thanks again.
The $100 is net. I'm still gathering data on how much my solar offset is.
The truss that you see in the video is a truss. My recording space is in my shop.
I Wes wondering if you spent/n found windows that exceed the norm because that’s ur weak spots. I’ve noticed that my temp can b 72 in the center of the space but at the windows it can b 20-30 degrees less ( -25 temp outside) I’m wondering if windows could / should b fixed units as ur inside is so conditioned.
The only hidden cost is a “Air Circulation System.” These houses are so tight that the interior air needs to be refreshed. This system can be designed to handle the square footage, and really takes care of all your humidity or dryness problems. My house is 3600 sq ft, with 36% exterior glass (floor to ceiling) with 12’ ceilings throughout. We only use electric, which includes a sewage pump system, and one (yes, one) AC/Heat Pump. We also have our own well, so there’s an electric pump in the well. My average utility bill? $72.00 per month. So, how much more was the construction costs? About $6-8.00 per square foot. But, when you figure the average 3600 square foot house with normal wood construction you can expect to pay $200-300 per month for electricity, plus an initial cost of much larger AC/Heat units. So, within a year you will re-coup all your extra initial construction costs!!
Why did it cost $6 to $8 more per square foot? Was it because of the labor that ICF the concrete?
@@victoriaalai5041 the extra cost comes from the concrete and it’s placement. Plus there are additional rebar costs. BUTBwhat appears
@@stephentaylor9366 thank you for your quick reply. My husband and I are thinking there may be extra costs to too make the cuts for the plumbing and electrical lines as well. You're information was very helpful.
Can you show your de superheater system plus the ground source heat pumps used. Ty
Hey Garrett, I am building an ICF home with a basement plus two additional levels for a total of 5400sqft of buildable space up in Oregon and I am pretty torn on what to do for heating and cooling. We have a pretty moderate climate that dips into the low 30's in the winter and up into the 90's in the summers. The local HVAC contractors are quoting me $30k+ systems. My thinking is "do I really need to spend that kind of money up front in an ICF home?" Really dont know what to do.
Did they do any heat load calculations to size your system? It should be smaller than a traditional house by 40ish%.
so did you build a storm shelter area within your home using the recommended ICF construction techniques?
No dedicated storm shelter. With this type of house and a basement, I didn't see the purpose.
What width did you go with for your ICF's ? I'm curious if there is much of a difference between 6 inch and 8 inch.
8" in the basement, 6" on the main floor. 8" is much easier to fill with concrete.
Sounds like a whole house dehumidifier would be a good thing to have.
Did you consider doing an ICF roof rather than stick or was the price difference too great?
The spans on my house exceed the icf roof design. For a smaller house, I think it sounds awesome.
My icf roof probably cost me 35k in material and its around 2k sqft.
Its 35' from wall to wall but with the peak of the roof being a beam the span is only half of that.
@@SolarTechFL Thanks Joe! How much would it have been had you gone with wood/shingles instead?
Besides the insulation used in your interior walls (for sound damping) and the attic did u add any extra insulation to the inside or outside of the exterior (ICF) walls or is the ICF foam the only insulation you have on exterior walls?
The ICF is the insulation. When the thermal mass is taken into account, it's an R50 wall structure.
@@Challenged1
Did u use the 8” concrete block all the up to roof?
@@AmandaP111 8" core for the basement, 6" core for the main level.
Thanks for all yor ICF videos! On finding studs-I really like the magnetic stud-finders. I have a CH Hanson one ($7.49 at menards) Its just a magnet that finds your sheet rock screws.
Are you guys with Butler REC? I am impressed with how low your electric bills are! Ours are much higher for less sq ft.
Yes on the Butler REC. That's the nice thing with a new build focused on efficiency and energy savings. Do it right the first time!!!
I wonder if the foam window bucks that ICF manufacturers are providing instead of wood would reduce the expansion and contraction noises 🤔
I wonder that too....
There are any number of Window buck materials that can be used. Myself? I built my home in 1993, and used the top-line pressure treated lumber that can also be used below water even in salt water. I’ve Never heard any expansion or contraction sounds in my home. Of course, I used steel roof trusses, top-of-the-line vinyl windows (not aluminum), and fiberglass Mexican Tile shingle roofing. My interior walls are all steel studs. If you use them, be certain to insulate the interior walls with a top grade insulation product. Steel studs tend to transmit sound easier than wood studs that deaden sound somewhat. And, to add extra privacy, all walls between bedrooms and living areas were built with the smaller (thinner) 4” ICF block. This went for the walls for the bathrooms (actually these walls were part of the bedroom wall system). Exterior? Well for a life long guarantee never to maintain much exterior, brick!
Before building your ICF home, did you consider building a home using Precast concrete? From what I have read, Precast is superior.
I did not. It doesn't have the insulation values I was after.
Question how did you over come the problem of termites in the ICF insulation? I know you have wooden trusses. So that's why I asked this question because I've heard that termites tunnel through the phome.
They can, but they have to make it through the waterproofing first, which is rare.
Other than the insulation, the properties you describe are true for brick/CMF homes. I don't live in the US and in my country all homes are built either with brick, concrete or CMF blocks. When I visited the US, the noise and wind caught me off guard. You really don't have those problems with above mentioned homes. In the US the noise insulation between rooms were really bad. The insulation and ease of construction would make ICF my preferred choice. But just wanted to point out that other than those two properties everything you describe is pretty much equally relevant on for living in a non-wood constructed home.
Makes sense
Is the $100/mo to your local utility or the amortized & opportunity cost of your solar & geotherm & appliance upgrades?
It's the average of what I pay the utility each month.
How much did the house cost to build? How much would it have cost if you used a builder?? I know this is personal but I really want to do this too but I'm thinking the cost is prohibitive if I'm not as handy as you.
I made a how much my house cost video which shares all of the costs. I kept every receipt!!!
Did you do a heating and cooling load calculation
Did you go with triple glazing?
What was your price sqft?
Did you insulate under basement floor?
Concrete on main floor?
Why not quad roof means no roof maintenance and then you'd have zero leakage and all conditioned space?
Only questions I have at this time...one more step in MY learning curve as I am totally convinced ICF is the ONLY way to the future.
Immediate savings on utilities to offset costs of building efficiently lend to help with payments.
Double pane windows
$65/sf (Made a video about it)
Yes (Made a video about it)
No
The spans for my roofs were too large for ICF Roofs and I don't like how they look.
Do you ever have any problems with humidity or moisture in your house. Do you feel that your air conditioning does adequate job to remove any excess humidity? Thanks!
I have 2 dehumidifiers in my basement to help out.
Hello Garrette, id like to know why the project took 2 years. As per my understanding, the grey structure should take a lot less time as its a concrete pour.
Can you please share if it was the finishing that took more time, or does ICF usually take this long to build with?
It was mostly me and one other person building the house. ICF definitely saved time, but there's only so much two people can accomplish in a day.
@@Challenged1 WOW! Thats actually super impressive. Great job done too.
May i also ask, would you advice someone that doesn't know much about the practicalities of ICF to take the job on?
I am planning to hire an Engineer and an experienced ICF Contractor (at least for the pour days).
@@kashankhan6950 I would advise to do as much research as possible and then wing it. You'll learn more from doing than anything else.
@@Challenged1 i hear ya lol i did the same. Hardest i ever worked in my life.
Will a magnet work to find screw heads attached to the "studs"?
It should
Man you had me at 100.00 per month for a 6k sq ft all electric house.... im in Missouri and we are looking into building in the next year.
100% true ! one level, good to go for 300 mph wind ........... a real bunker !
could you not use a mag to find screw heads in drywall? to hang pics etc...
yes
Hi Garrett- firstly, just killer. I found the perfect channel for my build. I am GC-ing a homestead in the Colorado mountains on 35 acres of pastureland. Doing all above grade on slab with geothermal radiant. ICF's seem to lend themselves to this build. Love the legacy aspect as I have young children.
So I do have a couple of questions. 1. Did you use an HRV/ERV? You mention the moisture but are in Kansas with higher humidity. We are dry here year round so ERV makes sense I think. 2. You mention the small amount of noise you can hear through your windows. Are they triple pane by chance? 3. Did you pour walls before slab (this can prob be answered by checking out your other videos)? 4. Electrical - did you do the electric chainsaw? Any rec there? 5. Did you happen to put plywood behind your cabinets to make them easier to hang?
Thank you and awesome work!
Thank you!!!
1. I just run dehumidifiers during the summer, no ERV/HRV (Couldn't afford it at the time). 2. I have double pane windows. 3. Yes 4. I used a combo of a sawzall and drywall saw. 5. All of my upper cabinets are on interior walls.
@@Challenged1 Def hear you on the expense of the ERV/HRV.
One more question...
I have read that ICF's may not perform as well in very cold climates. I am in climate zone 7 and wonder if I should create an asymmetry from outside insulation to inside? Some of the ICF's appear to facilitate this.
@@benjaminhead1944 If you can afford it, do it. You can't be too insulated!!!
@@benjaminhead1944 i did a whole home erv that is fully ducted. Runs 24/7. Its called a life breath or something
Also have a whole home dehumidifier but im in Fl so humidity is insane here
Its not hard at all to find the nail strips on the buildblocks they are every 6" just keep a block inside while your building as a reference for your brain.
@@SolarTechFL Thanks Joe!
Would an ICF home be even cheaper to heat if you had radiant heating system instead of forced air?
It wouldn't matter the delivery method, just the number of BTU's input into the structure
My 2x6 framed house has gone through several hurricanes and I've never heard any creaking. Maybe do a better job on the details of design and fastening?
I'm assuming your house is designed to hurricane standards. 99% of the homes out there aren't, but I definitely think they should be.
@@Challenged1 yes it was designed for high seismic and wind loads. Everything good so far, except the fish tanks are real scary in earth quakes. Little tsunamis threatening to top the tanks and spill on my floor, lol.
Are insect infestation more prone to ICF homes?
Thank you for your videos, very educational for someone new to ICF homes.
Less so than most homes because they are much tighter
Insects don't eat concrete
Some insects do like to burrow into the foam to make homes. We built an ICF house (a two story with full basement) in Illinois in 2004. The lot we bought was the last vacant lot in the neighborhood, had a lot of large trees and when ever it rained, had areas with a lot of sitting water. As a result, the entire lot had years (and layers) of accumulated fallen leaves which had decomposed into a material which was very attractive to ants. After the house was finished and we had lived in it for a year or two we noticed how many ants we always saw on the sidewalks and in the flower beds. Then we started seeing them in the house. (I joked that we must have built the house right on top of a huge ant colony.) Anyway, we engaged the services of a pest control company which treated the outside of the house quarterly. And if we ever saw any activity inside, they came out and treated the interior with pet safe ant bait material. The ICF blocks we used were the standard type foam, but some manufacturers do (or did, I haven’t checked recently) incorporate borate into the foam to discourage insect activity. Of course at some point the effectiveness of the borate will dissipate. The ICF walls are tight, but ants can find their way into anything through tiny openings around windows and doors. We lived in the house for 18 years then retired and decided to move to a more temperate climate. I am an architect, designed and built the first house and wanted to design and build with ICFs again, but the pandemic and the great distance we were moving made that problematic. I do miss the many advantages of an ICF house, especially the feeling of security.
Some insects do like to burrow into the foam to make homes. We built an ICF house (a two story with full basement) in Illinois in 2004. The lot we bought was the last vacant lot in the neighborhood, had a lot of large trees and when ever it rained, had areas with a lot of sitting water. As a result, the entire lot had years (and layers) of accumulated fallen leaves which had decomposed into a material which was very attractive to ants. After the house was finished and we had lived in it for a year or two we noticed how many ants we always saw on the sidewalks and in the flower beds. Then we started seeing them in the house. (I joked that we must have built the house right on top of a huge ant colony.) Anyway, we engaged the services of a pest control company which treated the outside of the house quarterly. And if we ever saw any activity inside, they came out and treated the interior with pet safe ant bait material. The ICF blocks we used were the standard type foam, but some manufacturers do (or did, I haven’t checked recently) incorporate borate into the foam to discourage insect activity. Of course at some point the effectiveness of the borate will dissipate. The ICF walls are tight, but ants can find their way into anything through tiny openings around windows and doors. We lived in the house for 18 years then retired and decided to move to a more temperate climate. I am an architect, designed and built the first house and wanted to design and build with ICFs again, but the pandemic and the great distance we were moving made that problematic. I do miss the many advantages of an ICF house, especially the feeling of security.
Also in KS. Who was your builder?
Me
Anyone else have mice issues with the foam portion? Not sure if they found a way up or follow wires in the walls / foam.
How is your cellular signal in the house?
Normal
Pretty good size. 6000sqft
Any issues with termites?
None that I know of
Are you heating your water with a resistive hot water tank? If so you should think about upgrading that to a heat-pump version.
Yes. The heat pump versions don't have a great history of longevity. I bought a lifetime tank that I can change elements out of whenever they fail. Once the desuperheater is hooked up, I should cut the cost of hot water by 40%.
@@Challenged1 Desuperheaters do work well and reducing the amount of energy usage for heating water. Personally I bought a heatpump water heater. I have my 60 gallon desuperheater feed into my 50 gallon heat-pump water heater (resistive elements are turned off). This then feeds into an on-demand hot water heater 27kw. I find that this system allows for the lowest standby costs and highest savings. The heat-pump water heater is named brand and has a solid warranty. I also have a softener system that will reduce the corrosion on the tank. The on-demand is set to engage once the previous tanks drop below their thermal limits allowing me to have endless showers if I feel so indulgent.
Another nice factor about heat-pump water heaters is that they extract water from the air meaning mine acts as a de-humidifier for my basement @Matt Risinger has commented that the gen1 units he has installed have held up well so I felt confident in installing the 4th gen unit.
@@Couchlover47 That's what I have as well. Plus the heat pump style has to pull the heat from the home, which then has to be made up by the hvac system.
@@Challenged1 true the heat is pulled from the home but that is only a concern in the winter and during the winter it is acting as a dehumidifier. In the summer it is HELPING the overall conditioning of the space. In addition my geothermal has a COP of 4.6 and the heat pump water heater has a COP of 3.55 so I am still above the COP of 1 for a resistive unit. Finally I duct this cool dry air that the water heater produces to the condenser of my fridge in my kitchen reducing the work it has to preform and keeping the compressor cooler. I dont know the gains from that but they do exist.
Why not build out of concrete blocks and ad form boards on the blocks? Would be a lot cheaper with the same out come.
Much slower, not as strong, less r-value and no built in furring strips.
@@Challenged1 I'm not convinced it would take longer. Blocks can be laid fast. Blocks have been proven to be strong enough for buildings. Concrete has no r value. The r rating would be the same if the foam thickness was the same. Furingstrips may not be much of a factor on the overall time factor. Probably much cheaper in the end.
@@SawmillerSmith In the end, build whatever you want.
@@Challenged1 I like my idea for the fact is you don't need to buy the expensive not easily available concrete forms at the local big box stores. I haven't compared the cost of both styles or labor cost. How much where the concrete forms concrete and rebar for your house?
@@SawmillerSmith I made a video of how much my house cost which broke all of that out.
Sir one other question, in my area of Middle Tennessee where I will be building we have tornadoes so I wanted to do a concrete roof, what method do you recommend. Thank you God bless
If your house isn't too giant, you can do an ICF roof. They can be done in spans up to 40'.
That makes me even more interested in ICF. Here in far WTX an ICF building has greatly interested me, I didn't realize you could also make an ICF roof.
@@Challenged1 I used insuil deck for my pitched concrete roof. Its 5- 1/2" concrete slab and 16- 1/2" T-beams every. 24"
@@bradanthenat840 ruclips.net/video/eBQ0CA_Owns/видео.html
This is my concrete roof home i built. Its off-grid too
Did you all consider using a SIPS roof?
do you have heated flooring ?
No
@@Challenged1 Thanks. Is it possible to have heated flooring in concrete ?
@@brucetouzel6484 Absolutely
I've heard that ICF allows termites to tunnel through the foam. One RUclipsr claims that in the south some insurance agents won't insure ICF houses. Is this BS or what?
I'm planning another video on that specific topic
I've heard they tunnel through polyiso, but avoid EPS.
Some blocks like Nudura can be manufactured with an ant-bug additive
Im in Fl i did a wrap around porch and i don't think i will ever have to worry now
I like the exterior design.
Thanks
I humbly suggest that the days of being able to build a home are long gone. If interest rates don’t enslave you, the value of the dollar will. 😢
At least real estate, outside of the coastal extremes, is generally inflation adjusted.
@@Challenged1 Maybe you weren’t paying attention when Klaus Shwab and the WEF, World Economic Forum, said that, “ You will own nothing and be happy.”
Make no mistake, We are in a war of Good and Evil.
garrett i think we are cut from the same cloth
Me too ive done just about the same setup. Took me 2yrs too 😂
Is ICF house a passive house?
It could be
Have you ever used insulation coating before or have thought about using it?
@@jemmyhao Are you talking about spray foam?
Why does no one do icf roofs when they do a icf home?
My roof spans are too large
@@Challenged1 I live in fla,so to me icf or full poured walls seems only logical,but I jus cant figure out the people who do build em, never put the roof the same....major storm comes thru gonna have a convertible...lol...thanks for answering
Hey everybody,
before you watch this video run to the corner liquor store and get your favorite beverage. And every time Garrett says, "ICF" take a shot. I call it the "Garrett-ICF Game."
For the start, I'd like to build an ICF shed, and see how it is, but seems like, here they only sell these blocks to companies or some shit... :
I bought straight from the manufacturer, and I'm just joe-shmoe. Just call them
I’m trying to imagine the amount of sweat I would experience if I kept my house 76-77 during the summer. I can’t even sustain 72 for any length of time. Back down to 70 is where we go.
Pretty spoiled
@@Challenged1 I grew up in houses with no air conditioning. I’ve only had A/C for 4 years now and I think of it the same way I do heat in the winter, it’s there to make my space live able. My house is 68-71° year round.
I totally agree Jen, a super insulated house isn't affected much by the outside temp so once the house is at set temp it more then likely doesnt use much more energy to keep it at 69° (where my house is year round) vs 76°. I'd be willing to bet it's fractional, especially with high efficiency HVAC units
@@gyminit5 exactly. Insulated house and windows shut tight, my A/C isn’t working that hard to keep my house at 70° even when it’s 95-100° outside. It uses much more energy to heat it from 30-40° than it does to cool it.
Lots of Styrofoam, good for environment. Let's push this for the sake of the world. Lol and do a reno, put in new patio door. Oh and did it get wet during construction. Water trapped between polybead and concrete makes sweet sweet mold. And breeds well in the no air flow thermal nest. And FYI lots of hundred year old wood homes.
$100/mo. really is something to brag about. Put the savings away for your retirement.
That's exactly what I'm doing
@5:54 From the window, to the wall, to the sweat drip down my balls
It sounds like you are a hardcore energy saver, you may like earthship homes or any underground structure because they do not require heating or cooling what so ever. No 2 are equal!
An earthship home can be more costly than a simple extra large root cellar underground.
Did you know some sewage systems are made of huge metal circles that perfectly distribute the weight of the earth above them?
Did you know that metal back then was inferior to the metal we have today? ; because our processes are more advanced, now they can last 100 years. And if you do it right, addint gravel and having a concrete foundation and all. You can make it last 150 years or longer.
Why such a big house?
Build it once, build it right. I'm never moving again, so it better be big enough.
😁✌👍🖖👌😎
we want to see you doing it... our imagination is not as great as your... we want concrete stuff
67 - 68 degrees in the winter??? Are you married? ;)