Building first home

Looks good

I hate ICF's but they definitely go up fast

 

Definitely quick.

 

I built one home with them. It was my last.

 

I'm obviously already committed but I'd be curious to know what it is you guys dot like about them?

 

My main concern is proper exterior waterproofing of them and burrowing insects

 

Fair enough. I would think insects would be more of a problem with wood construction? Although the foam may be a haven for ants I guess. I don't know what other insects could be an issue here but I'm certainly not a biologist or whatever the insect version is called.

The foundation will end up with a full membrane wrap. I can't recall the name of the product at the moment.

In the end for us the insulating a sound factors helped make the decision. Ease and speed of construction as well. And the fact that the increased cost wasnt significant for us.

 

Here is a question... In the world of tsi ( I think) floor joists. What do the number ratings mean. Ie 280 and 560. We have 560 in one section of the house. I'm assuming that aside from costing more they are also a beefier joist.

 

the numbers are the series of joists , and you are correct different series for longer spans or concentrated loads

What manufacturer of joists do you have ?

When you say full membrane wrap , you mean peel and stick or foundation dimple board ?

 

I think it's a good concept, but what a pita to put together. Done right, it takes a lot of bracing. And it's worse than CMU's concerning window & doors & plumbing/electric, etc.

And I'm old school...love my 2x6's and plywood & fiberglass insulation.

Fortunately, the one we built was a single story on a slab.

Oh, another thing...it's best set up for stucco or brick as your ext. finish, siding finish or trim details is another headache.

Good luck w/ you build...looking forward to future pics

 

I'm not 100 percent. I think it sticks to the foam so maybe peel and stick. Is there one that would be better? The dimple board gets a coating over it right?

The joists are coming through the local Rona from Tricon.

 

Peel and stick is a self adhering membrane , dimple board is a dimpled roll of plastic that goes against the foundation after damproofing that creates a drainage plane between the concrete and soil thus eliminating hydrostatic pressure

 

Superseal dimpleboard

http://www.superseal.ca/dimpledmembrane.html

 

I will have to post some pictures close up of the blocks/product we are using. It comes in 48x16 blocks ( I think that's the dimensions) and corner pieces that are literally like Lego. They have plastic strapping to hold the block together. They also have a composite webbing every 8 inches that act as studs to fasten your finishing too.

This brand is super easy to put together. Heck I did some! Place the book and tie to adjacent blocks with zap straps (zip ties). Industrial strength of course.

Windows are a bit of hassle for sure and electrical/plumbing are a bit more work. It won't affect our plumbing much due to the house plan. Our electrician ( a friend) has done a couple before and has the required heat gun to cut the wire into the foam.

There are some other products for icf that aren't as nice as these and are definitely more complicated to set up.

Will be neat to see the progression from foundation to main floor. We are using a slightly thinner block for the main floor. Definitely taking a lot of pictures so I will keep you guys updated on the progress.

Nice to have some independent construction knowledge commenting on things as we go.

 

Thanks. I will look into that!

 

Are your ICF's going above grade ?

 

Yeah. We are going right to trusses with the icf. The foundation are the 8 inch concrete version, above that will have 6 inches of concrete.

 

Does your area of BC fall under the rainscreen requirement , and if so , do you need to do it or are the ICF's considered a " mass wall " ?

 

I'm not entirely certain, I would think we fall within that area as we get a lot of rain...

I do know that the siding will be attached using furring strips to create a space between the Siding and foam. This is especially important for us as we are using natural cedar siding.

I should add that there is no need to use house wrap as the foam functions as vapor barrier etc.

 

The space provided behind the siding by the strips is the 10mm rainscreen cavity .

The housewrap never acts as a vapour barrier , it is actually an air barrier , the foam in your case acts as both the air barrier as well as the vapour barrier

 

Good to know. The rain screen makes sense. Having contact between the siding and foam would make it damp.