Insulated Concrete Forms

We are certified Nudura installers, so ICF is not something we subcontract out.

An insulated concrete form wall is a core of reinforced concrete with rigid foam on both faces, poured in place. You get continuous insulation with no thermal bridging through studs, a wall that does not rot or burn, and a noticeable drop in outside noise. Below grade or above grade, it is the same wall going up the same way.

In a New England climate the running cost is where it pays back. The wall holds temperature far longer than stick framing, so your heating and cooling system cycles less. It is also the reason ICF shows up on coastal and high wind builds. Our own crew is on site for every stage of that wall, from the first course to the pour, with no subcontractor in between.

Where ICF pays back fastest

On a full house an insulated concrete form wall is a good decision. On an ADU it is closer to an obvious one, and the three reasons all come from the building being small. A small building has much more outside surface per square foot of living space, so heat leaves it faster and the wall carries more of the load. The insulation you are paying for is working harder on a small unit than it would on a whole house.

An ADU normally sits near the main house or a lot line, where a concrete core between the two settles the noise question in both directions. That same proximity is what makes fire separation come up when the town reads its setback rules, and this is a wall that does not burn. The cost difference over stick framing is also a smaller absolute number on 800 square feet than it is on a whole house. And the heating bill it reduces belongs to a unit that is occupied all year.

How the job runs

Layout on the footing The first course is set to a snapped line on the poured footing, because every course above it copies whatever that one does.
Forms stacked to height The forms run the perimeter and the interior walls and stack to full height, below grade or above grade, as one wall.
Bucks set in Window and door bucks go into the form as the wall goes up, not cut into it afterwards.
Steel tied in Vertical and horizontal reinforcing is placed through the core before anything is closed up.
Braced plumb and straight Alignment bracing is set and checked, because the concrete keeps whatever shape the bracing holds.
Pour and strip The wall is poured in place, and once the bracing comes off you have reinforced concrete with continuous insulation on both faces.