Feature : Grand Rapids Builders Journal
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can pour boiling coffee into it and
you will feel just a little heat
coming through. You can imagine
how well four inches will insulate.”
ICF manufacturers boast of a
range of benefits to this
technology, from straighter,
soundproof walls that won’t rot or
attract termites to clean, dry
basements that won’t develop
mold and fungus problems.
Basement walls will 
not crack and
are easy to finish into a livable
space, especially when
temperatures average twenty
degrees warmer than in traditional
basements. ICF walls are also
earthquake and wind resistant.
Most importantly, and all ICF home can see its heating and cooling costs reduced by as much as 75 percent over conventional construction Every one of the homes Gary has built in the last few years has used insulated concrete forms at least for the foundation. Gary states, “I have one in the works now that will use ICF in all the exterior construction, all the way to the roof trusses. I’ll be really interested to see the homeowners energy bills next year.” A previous Gary Katt home with an ICF basement and foam-insulated 2x6 walls had two furnaces to heat 6000 square feet, and the average monthly heating bill was on $250.00 last year. While ICF technology is already fairly widespread in southeast Michigan, Gary is not aware of many builders in western Michigan who are using it, yet. He was convinced to try it when an acquaintance opened a Reddi- Wall in the area.
In Gary’s experience, Reddi-Wall, which is headquartered in Oakland, Michigan, is the best brand of insulated concrete forms on market. He believes that the webbing design within the Reddi- Wall blocks makes them stronger and more reliable than other brands. “When you pour in the concrete, it creates a lot of pressure,” he says, “I don’t know if you have ever seen concrete blow out the sides of the wall, but it is a big messhome - 1 - 2 - 3 - next >>
