ReddiForm Offers ICFs at Discount to Disaster Victims

June 13, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ReddiForm Offers ICFs at Discount to Build Homes for Disaster Victims

Safe and Energy Efficient Homes can be Built for Less Cost using ReddiForm ICFs.

Our hearts and prayers go out to all those who have been impacted by recent disasters throughout the country.  ReddiForm is offering ICFs (Insulated Concrete Forms) at discount, and technical support for free, to anyone who has experienced a natural disaster loss this year, and plans to build an ICF safe home.

We agree with those who believe ICFs are the answer to Tornado/Hurricane/Seismic Events.  Building with ICFs is the doable, safe and energy efficient way to build. For those who have lost their home and pocessions, rebuilding a safe home with ICFs makes sense as ICFs are today’s cost effective and competitive building method.   Homeowner’s bonus benefits include reduced utility costs, tax credits, lower long term maintenance costs, and reduced insurance rates.  Homeowners enjoy a healthy home environment, and a sustainable home.  

We hope to build partnerships in building more communities like Greenburg, Kansas where they have proven the worth of ICFs with their success story.   After being destroyed by a twister a few years ago it was decided by the town fathers that it only made sense that they would rebuild in a safe sustainable way, and ICFs were their answer.  Read their story at http://www.icfmag.com/articles/features/greensburg.html   ReddiForm believes they made a wise decision, and welcomes anyone to contact us so we can help rebuild more communities just like theirs.

ICFs make it easy to build walls, below and above ground, with stacked up EPS forms filled with steel and concrete. The ICF home will last for generations, will withstand disasters, and are guaranteed to be 50% to 70% more energy efficient.

We hope that our ICFs will help rebuild great communities that will protect all our neighbors, and show that America can still lead the way.

To learn more about ReddiForm ICFs availability call 800-734-8268 or email Rick@ReddiForm.com

ICFs Stand Up to Storms

Hurricanes and tornados cause millions of dollars in damage each year to America's homes. Perhaps the best option is to build with insulating concrete forms, or ICFs. Hurricanes pose three main threats to a structure—strong winds, storm surge, and flying debris—and ICFs stand up well to all three.

Strong Winds and Storm Surge: ICFs stand up to hurricane force winds easily, thanks to the mass of concrete in the exterior walls.  

ICF structures have another advantage: They are integrally tied to the footing or foundation slab with structural reinforcing steel.  While frame walls use hurricane ties and/or anchor bolts to meet code minimums, ICF wall-footing connections are stronger by a factor of ten.  Sometimes, the walls are poured monolithically with the footing, eliminating even the cold joint. 

Likewise, all of the wall components above the footing are connected in a solid monolithic mass, eliminating flex, fatigue, and weak points. Photographs taken after Katrina prove the point dramatically:  Often, a battered ICF homes stands relatively intact, even when the neighboring homes have been swept away or reduced to a bare slab.

One area of concern for code officials and the insurance industry are the roof attachments; it does little good to have hurricane-proof walls if the roof is compromised and belongings get ruined in the torrential rain.  Once again, ICF homes have more hurricane-resistant alternatives available than other building methods.

Traditional roof trusses fastened into concrete are extremely sturdy.  Steel trusses are even better.  And ICFs are strong enough to support the most durable choice, a concrete roof system.

Flying Debris: The third major threat from hurricanes is flying debris. Dramatic photos show sheets of plywood skewering palm trees.  Boards literally become missiles, and can puncture even brick walls. 

Scientists at Texas Tech University have studied this issue extensively.  In one experiment, eight-foot-long 2x4 studs were shot at various wall assemblies.  They easily penetrated wood- and steel-frame walls at 50 mph.  At 70 mph, they penetrated brick veneer.  But nothing penetrated ICFs, even at 100 mph. (See a video of the tests at www.icfmag.com.)

The report concludes, “The strength and durability of concrete walls offer unmatched resistance to the devastation of major storms.  

“The Best Wall Possible”

“Homes built with ICFs [are] sustainable structures capable of withstanding extreme weather conditions,” confirms Dr. Ronald Zollo.  Zollo is a professor of civil and architectural engineering at the University of Miami and a licensed professional engineer.  He led the team that surveyed the damage of 1992’s Hurricane Andrew.

 Zollo says ICFs are stronger than competing concrete systems because of the concrete cure time and the monolithic structure of the wall.  “It’s not an assembly of smaller components,” he says. “You aren’t dealing with fatigue issues, loosening of the structure, and deterioration. You have continuity throughout the structural system.”

“Homeowners and builders,” he continues, “need to move away from traditional structures that cannot withstand the type of lateral forces that extreme weather, such as hurricanes, can place on a home. The strongest wall is a concrete wall, and if we’re going to build a poured wall, let’s make it the best poured wall possible, and that wall is ICF.”

No Added Cost

Significantly, ICF construction does not cost significantly more than frame construction, and is often cheaper than CMU.   Layne Thompson, an ECO-Block distributor in Desdin, FL, points out that wood-frame or concrete block construction requires significant work to meet hurricane-resistant standard, while “ICF walls are inherently stronger with no extra effort.  There is no extra cost in the wall.”

ICF's Point to LEED NC

 ICF construction contributes to USGBC LEED NC Energy Optimization credits… 

the 10 toughest points with the greatest savings in life cycle costs. 

 Several programs have been created over the past few years in an attempt to quantify the environmental footprint of a building, and identify a benchmark for green building. Insulating Concrete Form (ICF) construction is a consistently strong contributor to any these green build measures. 

Perhaps the most recognized is the US Green Building Council Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System. LEED promotes a whole-building approach with performance criteria in five areas: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality. 

Energy Performance 

A quick review of the 69 possible points available in the LEED for New Construction (LEED NC) identifies energy savings as the most heavily weighted criteria, with up to 10 points achievable. This strong focus on energy savings is appropriate considering the bulk of a building’s environmental footprint is caused by the energy consumed in the heating and cooling of a structure over the course of its lifetime. 

 The high performance thermal envelope of ICF construction can offer a significant contribution towards achieving all 10 of the Energy & Atmosphere Credit 1 Optimize Energy Performance points. The energy effectiveness of an ICF wall is due to the unique synergy of continuous insulation, virtually no air infiltration and the added thermal mass of the concrete wall. 

 Reduced Footprint 

Sustainable Sites Credit 5.1 calls for reducing the development footprint and limiting site disturbance to conserve existing natural areas. ICF construction can reduce impact to a construction site, as the bracing is typically erected on the inside of the ICF wall, with limited construction activity around the perimeter. 

Materials Credits 

ICFs contribute to the Materials & Resource Credits in three areas: construction waste reduction, recycled content and regional materials. 

MR Credit 2.1 and 2.2 seeks to reduce construction waste. ICF construction typically factors in only 2 – 5% waste, much lower than most other wall materials. 

The Recycled Content Credit MR 4 is applicable for 

some ICF manufacturers who have incorporated recycled content in the plastic ties. The expanded polystyrene (EPS) used for the forms may contain some factory regrind, but generally no post-consumer waste, as the possible contaminants may jeopardize the function as a safe concrete forming material. 

The concrete mix used for ICFs can incorporate high percentages of fly-ash, which is 100% pre-consumer waste. The reinforcing steel (rebar) is generally over 80% post-consumer recycled. LEED calculates recycled content by weight. The recycled fraction of the assembly is then multiplied by the cost of assembly to determine the recycled content value. The values of all the recycled materials used in the building are adjusted for pre- vs post-consumer and then added together to determine a combined recycled materials percentage of total value. 

The Regional Materials MR Credit 5 requires not only the manufacturing, but also the extraction of the material to be within a 500 mile radius (per LEED-NC Vrs.2.2 and LEED® Canada- NC 1.0). The aggregate in the concrete mix would generally qualify. 

Durability 

LEED Canada has introduced a Materials and Resources Credit 8, Durable Building with the intent of minimizing construction waste due to premature failure of the building from moisture and structural deterioration. The Canadian Standards Association (CSA) Guidelines on Durability in Buildings identifies concrete as a durable material, with high resistance to mold and mildew. Indeed, the architecture of ancient Rome is time tested evidence of the endurance of concrete. Moreover, ICFs protect the concrete with layers of EPS foam, which is a stable material and not subject to deterioration or loss of thermal value. 

Indoor Air Quality 

ICF structures can also achieve a high Indoor 

Environmental Quality. The airtight nature of the ICF concrete wall allows for better control of air flow required by Credit EQ2, Increased Ventilation Effectiveness: additional outdoor air ventilation (v2.2) or effective delivery and mixing of supply air (Canada v1). 

Using ICFs for the building envelope can reduce temperature and humidity variables, and facilitate the maintenance of the comfort ranges specified for Credit EQ7, Thermal Comfort (Canada v.1, provide a thermally comfortable environment.) 

The Environmental Quality Credits 3.2 and 4.1 are concerned with the reduction of pollutants. The EPS foam used in most ICF forms emits no VOCs or formaldehyde, nor does it produce any CFCs or HCFCs during manufacturing. EPS will not generate any off-gassing, as the material is inorganic and inert. The adhesives and low expanding foams used in the ICF assembly are equally non-toxic, as is the concrete mass. 

Innovative Design 

The LEED system also offers the opportunity to be awarded points for exceptional or innovative performance. For example, LEED recognizes the Cradle to Cradle^SM (C2C) Evaluation Protocol developed by McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDC). MBDC sets the benchmark for independent evaluation of a products’ impact on the environment and the waste stream. Recently, a leading ICF company met the rigorous requirements to earn a Silver C2C Certification. Projects using this ICF product would contribute toward a LEED Innovation in Design credit. 

Sustainable Construction 

In addition to the points delimited by the USGBC LEED system, ICFs contribute to sustainable construction in many other ways. The sound dampening of the concrete and foam is ideal for protection from urban noise. The solid monolithic concrete wall withstands the worst of rain storms, fires, and high winds. It is also impenetrable to insects, including termites. This is a product that will endure, as will its qualities and benefits. 

No matter what the green point system, Insulating Concrete Forms offer the most straightforward solution for an environmentally preferred, energy efficient thermal envelope so vital to sustainable construction. 

Article by: Insulating Concrete Form Association, 1730 Dewes St, Glenview, IL 60025 888-884-4232

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