Building ICF house in the Tenn MTNS!

beenthere · September 09, 2009, 06:01:58 PM

Lookin great
Thanks for the pics. And da pickemup needs a wash, bad.

Raider Bill · September 10, 2009, 08:55:24 AM

That's my fun truck! ;D
I spent a bunch of time working in the woods clearing brush this past trip. Getting burned out building.
I've still got a lot of building to do but..................

The 2 guys with horses are locals that stop by for a beverage every once and awhile. The guy on the left doesn't own a car just 2 horses and some mules. He thinks nothing of a 30 mile trip on his wagon.
Here he is again out visiting.

My mud pit. The very lowest point of the property. This is all rain run off.

scgargoyle · September 11, 2009, 03:32:33 PM

The faux rock looks great! Is it expensive? I need to figure out what I'd cover my foundation with if I go ICF. Glad to see that the progress is continuing!

breederman · September 11, 2009, 03:50:09 PM

It ain't cheap, but it comes in several kinds and configurations of "rock"

Raider Bill · September 11, 2009, 03:55:08 PM

It was around $4.00 a sqft i think. Corners were a tad more pricey. Not sure if I'd do it again as the color is really just "painted" on can't preseure wash or use chemicals on it.

I probaley would do stucco

Ah hind site

breederman · September 11, 2009, 04:49:11 PM

I think the stuff I looked at was closer to $10 a foot.

Raider Bill · September 11, 2009, 04:52:36 PM

There was a huge differance in price. Eldorado for instance was very pricey. Mine not so much actually it was the cheapest I could find.

scgargoyle · September 12, 2009, 08:26:13 AM

It occurred to me that at least half of my walk-out basement will be above grade, so I need to cover at least 800 square feet of ICF. I could do a framed wall for the walk-out side, like they do with poured concrete basements, but I think all ICF would be stronger and better insulated. The short exposure of the ICF will be in the front, so I could just do the stone there. Few people would see the rest. Since my place is supposed to look like an old farm house, I was thinking of just doing a protective coat over the ICF, then cover it with PT lattice, with faux piers every so many feet, to make it look like it was built on piers, like the old days. The stucco behind the lattice could be black, then paint the lattice to match the house. The tricky part would be spraying the lattice without spraying the stucco. I guess the lattice could be removable panels, and taken off to be painted. Don't mind me while I sort out my problems in someone else's thread...... :D

breederman · September 12, 2009, 10:15:50 AM

Eldorado was what a I looked at. It is the brand they sell at wifeys store, Even at her cost it is pricey, but it looks nice.

Raider Bill · September 12, 2009, 10:24:26 AM

Breeder man,

There is a place in Syracuse that had a decent price on rock. Still a tad far for you though I suspect?

breederman · September 12, 2009, 09:58:28 PM

2 hours. We actually were up there last night to pick up our daughter at the airport. Had supper at the Dinosaur.

SwampDonkey · September 13, 2009, 06:36:25 AM

Raider, I've been half expecting a man in blue leotards with an S painted on the front to jump out in one of those pictures any time. ;D I know some fellows around here that have been building piece meal for 20 years and still ain't done with the house. Remarkable!

Don_Papenburg · September 13, 2009, 08:35:27 PM

I used real limestone on my foundation . I cut the used foundation stones into 4 1/2 to 6" thickness . Laid up the walls and put a concrete water table on that then bricked up to the eaves. The limestone was cheap as it was salvage and what was around the farm . It is getting harder to obtain as all the contractors lawyers want them to dispose of it in the dump .

Raider Bill · September 14, 2009, 08:22:06 AM

No leotards for me :D skinny legs, big gut

What you don't see are the not done parts and many mistakes I made due to not knowing what I was doing and hurrying. I even have a poured wall that's not plumb

I have found several things that will need to be fixed due to my either not knowing what I was doing not having the skill or, going too fast. Luckily it's been nothing too major.

The design if you can call it that is very simple, no plans just build the easiest way I could, nothing fancy.

This has been going on since may of 07 just over 2 years. I've been lucky having 2 friends that moved to the property and was able to help me most of the time. Because it is 700 miles away time spent on it was important when there. tried to do the sun up to sun down everyday schedule. HAven't got to enjoy my woods like I want but there will be time. Just wait, you guys think I have had some dumb questions while building just wait till I start asking about the 65 acres of trees I have and everything that goes with owning them.

I'm sort of like the guy that catches a live bear, and says now what do I do with it :-\ I had big plans of moving up there and making a life change. Economic times have dictated that will not be happening anytime soon.

SwampDonkey · September 15, 2009, 03:57:42 AM

I've actually been in your neighborhood, but it's been 8 years now. Yup, it was on Bowater ground and we were looking at pine beetle damage. My friend worked at V-Tech in Blacksburgh back then in entomology. He's a forester to, and did a lot of traveling between Virginia and TN, GA, and NC areas.

Raider Bill · September 15, 2009, 08:26:01 AM

My land is old bowater land. Sure hope them critters leave me alone

Fairchance · September 15, 2009, 11:01:23 PM

ICF homes are great! They are so energy efficient that it is easy to over do the HVAC on them. This can be bad due to the lack of air circulation. Also if you stucco the outside watch the weedeater. They tend to eat the stucco and it will look like crap!

Raider Bill · September 16, 2009, 08:18:25 AM

Quote from: Fairchance on September 15, 2009, 11:01:23 PM
ICF homes are great! They are so energy efficient that it is easy to over do the HVAC on them. This can be bad due to the lack of air circulation. Also if you stucco the outside watch the weedeater. They tend to eat the stucco and it will look like crap!

From what I've read, over doing the A/C is a easy thing to do. I've heard that a normal rule of thumb is for every 500 sqft you need 1 ton in a normal house. With ICF you need to cut that back although I don't know to what. That's for a/c. I'm sure the heat side differs as you go north to colder climates.
I've got 1800 sqft so thinking around 3 ton.

Raider Bill · September 17, 2009, 07:55:15 AM

Also.......... I'm not sure if a heat pump is needed. I may go with a straight cool unit and put in some heat strips for backup heat to the woodstove. I think that will be cheaper as far as the intial cost but not sure about long term savings.
I plan on running all the ducts in the downstairs garage and up through the floors. I'm thinking the return should be near the woodstove?

Ideally because the basement is ICF and it keeps pretty cool during the summer I'd like to figure out a way to use that coolness. I think I'll need a system dehumidifier though as it does seem to be a bit damp there due to lack of air circulation when the overhead doors are closed.

scgargoyle · September 17, 2009, 03:09:17 PM

I've done a lot of research on basements, and it seems that pretty much all basements are humid, and for good reason. Basically, the warm, humid air outside meets the relatively cool air inside, and the moisture condenses out like the outside of a glass of ice water. A good dehumidifier will help a lot. I have a friend in SC that recently had A/C put in his basement, despite the fact that it's only 75 degrees down there in the heat of summer. It seems like if you could remove the humidity, 75 degrees should be just fine.

I may look into mini-split systems when we build. I think I could save a ton of money by only having A/C in the bedroom. I don't care how hot the rest of the house is.

logman · September 17, 2009, 03:20:02 PM

I'm a timber framer in Fleetwood,NC. I would be interested in talking to you about your frame.

logman · September 17, 2009, 03:22:29 PM

I guess I jumped the gun before seeing how old your first post was.

Raider Bill · September 17, 2009, 03:53:32 PM

Not to worry I keep kicking this over.

John,

Sure would be nice to harness that cool air!

I spent most of august up there with no a/c, days were tolerable. I have a nice cross breeze and ceiling fans. Nights I just put a box fan in the bedroom slider, in a few hours it got cool enough to shut it off.

Those mini splits are real nice and convienant but I'm thinking I can find a straight cool system down here for cheap. I see many newer ones on craigs list. Next trip should either be nothing needed or woodstove.

scgargoyle · September 17, 2009, 06:33:16 PM

Bill- When's your next trip? We're going to SC at the end of October- should be peak fall foliage season at our property. Of all of our trips there, we've never been there in the fall.