well said kody. This is so much better than the bs marketing they put out on their product. I think they need to hire you! Sometimes the big block leads to more cuts on short returns, but long walls its a winner. Best block i think.
BB Build Block is a competitor. They are the top of the heap when it comes to assisting customers. They provide videos from a-z on their products and how to use them. They basically teach you to be the installer and contractor. No other icf manufacturer does this to the extent BB does for free. I believe there are better products out there at the same price point, but none of those manufactures have spent money producing free customer product assistance like BB does. They willingly have taken less profit in order to assist their customers through the use of self help resources. No other icf company has done this in America. Nudura's new website is lots better now. Glad to see that. They definitely are the product to use if shipping cost is an issue and their product is quality.
I believe Nudura also sells foam inserts with variable thickness in order to add inside the core and increase the overall R value. I don't know whether other manufacturers provide a similar option.
How high can you stack nudura before pouring? Without blowing out. Also for windows, do you nail the wood directly onto the foam?? And design custom windows or base it on already available windows
Have you ever done a 4 inch block? Looking to build a slab on grade building and thought a 4 inch would be all I need. All I see online is 6+inch blocks. Love the videos thanks.
Kody I have switched to Nudura over Logix and will never look back. I did a similar video last year just starting my RU-vid channel. Check it out. Yours is much better though. LOL Bondo
When pouring, do you have to use a concrete pumper truck? I'm bldg a small cabin with ICF foundation ICF walls, build is up in the Colorado Mountains. Any options???
What if you’re a DIY’er and don’t have access to a concrete pump truck, can you do it 15 inches at a time. Like pouring concrete on previously cure concrete blocks, one row of blocks at a time until you reach your desired height?
Hi Kody, can you please give me some information about how, and if I can have it shipped to Europe? I would greatly appreciate it. Regards from Rhodes Greece 😀
ICF will not readily ignite. Yes, during the pour. For laser straight walls and security you can put on the decking before the pour. This way everything is locked it and you use the dynamic bracing for micro adjustments. Any exterior finish but no you have to prepare the wall for stucco.
Yes you can screw drywall directly to the foam on the inside. It’s a vapour barrier so no additional steps. And the plastic ties are every 8” so there’s tons of “studs” to attach to. Same goes for plywood or exterior products. For electrical they simply cut a groove with an electric chainsaw, stuff the wire and done. For boxes the foam is thick enough that they cut the foam out and install a plastic box. Most of the plumbing that goes into an ICF wall is venting for a sink. Same goes, notch out the foam and install the pipe.
How does it compare price wise? I mean in the end it’s always about the dollar. Roughly speaking do you have a number you use when estimating your ICF ?
It shouldn't be about the dollars...Build a little less house and use superior products, you'll NEVER go wrong...Start cutting costs, you usually end up burned.
Do you build a leave in place LSL buck with sill gasket? cut to width of course. Do you use ring shank nails to secure the buck to the concrete? I'm an owner builder, first time building a house. I'm using 8'' fox blocks and fox buck around windows but I have a couple of large doors - 14' by 9' sliding and was thinking about going with an lsl or lvl for a stronger buck.
Yes I leave the LSL in place. I typically “porcupine” the buck with #10 screws as to bond the buck to the concrete. Screws are much easier than nails and I don’t expect a crazy amount of shear otherwise nails are better. Let me know if you have other questions. Email is more likely that I’ll see it vs. A comment here. kody@uptokode.com
Hi, You have a lot of ICF videos and wondering if you can answer this: If you need to build two story house+ basement out of ICF (so basically three level of ICF), the how big the footing should be?
The webs (molded plastic) have notches in them to accept rebar of different sizes. They are spaced in a way to drop a vertical rebar down later in between offset rows so the vertical doesn’t hit the foam during the pour. Hope that helps.
@@uptokode thank you kody for your prompt response . In Asia we run plastic pvc pipes inside walls at the time of construction for electrical wires . So when walls construction is done electricians would just simply run wires through those pipes . In your experience - can we do that in ICF construction ?
We do not. We use an electric chainsaw with a bolt through the end. This makes a perfect slot to push the wire in and the bolt makes sure we don’t cut too deep and wreck the blade.
I'm not Cody, but I can take a stab at telling you how that corner window section can carry the roof load. 1st, Concrete has excellent compressive strength, but low and even unpredictable tensile (pulling) strength. On the other hand, steel (rebar) has both, good compressive strength and good tensile strength. If you think of how that corner would tear if it were cardboard, with weight placed on top: the outside corners would tear (pull apart = tensil) starting at the top. But, the inside corner would tear (pull apart = tensile) starting at the bottom. So, the areas that would need the most rebar would be, the top of the outside corners and the bottom of the inside corner. It wouldn't hurt to just rebar the hell out it, but the those are the areas that need it the most.
ICF blocks are priced way to much, today is Friday October 14th 2022. With today’s technology and industry a ICF block should cost $15.00 - $18.00 a block. Greed is why the prices are so high and Pride will be this industry’s downfall. The market of customers are extremely limited and the tradesmen suffer due to this happening.
You could be right, I don’t know the costs. But I do know the engineering, patents and facilities cost a fortune. An enormous amount of money is put out, up front, to develop a block. It likely takes a good 10 years to get your investment back as one of these companies.
Yes another builder told me about this brand and they are both in the USA and UK also do they do the same type as Build Blocks make for a poured concrete floor ?? As in this link buildblock.com/products/builddeck-floor-roofing/ Thank you for the video.
