Lansing Island Custom Green Home: Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF)

Balda Development & Construction complete the first floor walls of the Lansing Island Custom Green Home using Insulated Concrete Forms (ICFs) made by Fox Blocks today. According to the ICF Association, the superior insulation, air tightness, and mass of the ICF walls can reduce the cost of operating HVAC in the home by up to 50%.

The high-mass walls of an ICF home not only give it a remarkably solid feel, but they also make it safer for the family. And make it a remarkably solid and secure investment, too. ICF built homes have a proven track record of withstanding the typical destruction of hurricanes, tornadoes and fires, when most other houses around them are in ruins.

However, the most amazing feature of an ICF built house is the speed at which it is constructed. A mason block house of this size would typically have taken a large crew over 3 weeks to lay one story, but by building with ICF the first story went up in just 10 days using just a two man crew. In the end, savings will be seen two fold by using ICF. First, during the construction phase where time, money, and resources were unspent; and second when the home is completed and energy is conserved through the superior insulation values ICF will offer against the severe Florida heat.