Used the Foothold ICF footing system for a footing/4' ICF stem wall monopour. Used metal stakes to hold the Foothold down/prevent lift. Maybe non-conventional, but built it all in one go, rebar and all. Then at the top of the ICF stem wall I used 2x6 forms vertically at the edges and horizontal on top of those and laser leveled it all at the top. Didn't have to worry about a perfectly level footing then, didn't have to worry about sag or lift or anything. And at the end? Was able to screed using normal sized tools and then removed the 2x6 forms. Top of the ICF is covered by the concrete and everything is super level. Couldn't be happier with the Foothold system, as I did this all solo.
I really like this concept. You get an insulated footer with no forms to remove afterward. Almost all of the work can be done at table height so you're not on your hands and knees for the "hard" part. I'm not a huge fan of foam board insulation with direct ground contact or rising damp from ground water soaking a footer but those problems should be solvable, mostly with off the shelf products but some with a bit of sweat equity. Beside the foam, it doesn't seem terribly expensive to me but if you need an insulated footer it's hard to see a way around that expense. I think this concept with some of my creativity added will do everything I need to make a 3-400 year footer under my 3-400 year ICCF walls. Building with that kind of timeframe excuses just about any material choice because the alternatives will be remodeled or torn down and replaced several times during the lifespan of my home. If I add solar and enough insulation to net-zero my energy usage I'll be doing more than 99% of the fake environmentalists out there but only because I like AC, I don't like electric bills and I want something to leave to my family...
I used this system to build my insulated garage with a thermal break between the slab and dwarf wall. An inexperienced crew to create , install and pour the footing and wall all at once. The only error that we encountered , we were vibrating the lift pours to intensely and experienced a little lifting of the formwork. It went so well . Going to use this system again. Challenge now is to create a curved footing and ICF wall for my grain bin house design.
Okay I just used these on a build. Some cons, the forms take longer to cut and make than up you’d think. It was a real pain and time consuming. I wouldn’t pour them in conjunction with your icf wall, I only had two small blowouts and they were both at the small top foam strip that is only a couple inches thick, if you’re pump operator is putting out any decent pressure these are a weak point. Luckily you can just move on and come back to that area as it isn’t a show stopper, but still a concern when pouring. The webbing is very strong and well made, but only comes in cases of 24 I think. I only needed two from the last box. Other than that it was a decent system
@@IkeCoblentz I partially backfilled with gravel per the instructions. But you can’t fully backfill on top of the forms before you pour ,which is where the small blowouts happened
This is a great system that should give you a much more water resistant foundation. Also, it's a simple enough procedure for the average DIYer to tackle, which can save you thousands on labor. I will definitely keep this system in mind for when I build my home in a few years.
Wait! Why not use the ICF block itself as the footer form? You can set the wet block into the footer as it is poured. The minimum width footer I’ve ever poured was 16” wide. So using a 6” ICF block with an outside measurement of 9-3/4” leaves you 3-5/8” of foundation/footing exposed to set your exterior or interior materials on. I have not built in an area that demanded insulation beneath the footer (residential construction), but if I should, I’’d simply line the footing trench with insulation. The labor costs, and material costs alone would be saved doing it my way. Incidentally, I first built this way in 1994, and have NEVER had one single foundation problem doing it my way.
@@1982nsu You’re right about that. But, do not forget that the icf block is a “form.” I’ve used styrofoam sheeting in 10’ lengths as a form material, thus providing the necessary frost protection required with some footers. And as a moisture barrier, TYVEK is an excellent moisture barrier material to use at the bottom of the footing. Horizontal re-bar holds the 2 sides of the form in place (just insert the rebar into the form on each side. Then pour your footer. After the pour is set in place, and while it’s still wet, you can insert the ICF wall forms down into the wet footer, and with vertical rebars as required pour I/2 the first tier of ICF blocks. Further, to insure a consistent concrete pour, simply insert 4” PVC pipe down into the footer with a vertical rebar inside it, before your initial pour (Do NOT pour inside the pipe, and make sure the pipe does not extend through the footing concrete). Then after the concrete sets, you pull the PVC sections out. When you make your next wall pour, this “keyway” will provide a bonding between the 2 pours. Keyway pours are common place in the concrete world, assuring a consistent bond between pours. Good luck!
Great, now to decide between this foundation system and Form-A-Drain 😂 Have you considered making the spreader forms to fit thicker ICF blocks? Admittedly you could trim off one or both of the holders for the "capping" foam blocks and come close to fitting 10 or 12" ICF.
A year ago I would have said 2X10's would be cheaper. With today's lumber prices I think this system would be far less expensive. Besides, I will seek alternatives to lumber just on the grounds of the unjustified sky high lumber prices today.
$93 per 25 count pack of ties, plus the cost of whatever foamboard you decide to use. The cost of the foamboard would be at least partially offset by the fact you wouldn't need the labor expense of removing the forms afterward.
You forgot to vibrate it! Without vibration, it will surely be filled with honeycomb holes but you cant see it behind the insulation so you get away with a scabby job that appears ok. All pours in insulated concrete forms need vibration to ensure consistent solid concrete.
Poor concrete on the open dirt is not efficient, the water from the concrete will be sucked by the dirt and would not cure properly. FastFoot or any other material to hold the concrete and don't allow water from it to sip to the ground is much better, which this system does not address it. I think a footing framed with stakes and 2 x 6 with Fastfoot and probably less expensive, the wood can be recycled for other uses on the project. $75.00 cost just for 25 pieces of the composite ties, to that you have to add the foam and the labor. I am not an expert but the fastfoot method is less expensive and less labor-intensive.
No reason unless in an unstable ground like sand, as you can alter the concrete water content to suit, and saves a pile of excavation & stone. Casting pieces of plastic into the concrete as shown will weaken it, and placing rebar on the ground instead of using 50mm spacer blocks invites corrosion. And if you use those wall forms, there’s no way to properly compact the concrete to remove air pockets. Plus it seems there’s no vertical rebar in the walls which will presumably have to resist tensile forces in which mode concrete is v.weak.
@@Benzknees The HDP plastic has no adverse effect on the concrete. The rebar does not lay on the ground. Go to 7:55 in the video. The rebar is lifted off the ground and secured in the "Foot Hold" webbing. The vertical rebar install was not shown in the video but the installation manual describes the vertical rebar. thefootholdicf.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/ICF-DETAILS-2016-03-26-p1.pdf Concrete is vibrated (also not shown) with a bladeless reciprocating saw, concrete vibrator, tapping the form with light mallet or any number of other methods.
@@danbiss87 But if you need to be 4-5' down for frost you would excavate whatever depth you need minus the height of the footer. Then dig the footer into the dirt. Companies around here (Wisconsin) do it all of the time. Doesn't work for every situation but it works for a lot of them.
The video is showing the mono-pour use I got 10 inch ICF. What do you use when you have 8 inch ICF blocks. Then the square for the 2 1/2 inch foam is too small to meet the Icf block?
The only advantage I've seen from this system having used it to build town homes and condominiums extensively in Snowshoe WV is it's insulation value. It's time consuming and extremely expensive, plus you lose the ability to reuse material for the next building forms.
This system is suitable for shallow frost-protected footings where you need to have the insulation wrapping the concrete and keep it in place forever. It also allows for avoiding digging 5 feet to reach below the frost line. This way you only need to dig 18 inches deep. If you are on bedrock it will save you thousands of dollars. If you pour footings with reusable planks you still need to install insulation to the concrete footing which is almost as time-consuming as making the forms. Basically what you suggest is almost double the work.
Why would you want to reuse the foam insulation. The whole point is that it insulates the footing and creates the form in one step, which saves time and money. It would make absolutely no sense to remove the insulation.
hi, my project require footings 20"x6" by engineer plans, and then i planning to put foundation using 6" core icf 4' high and home on top, can i still use your system for footings? do you have brackets for 6" high? ty, victor
this will give you an 8" thick footing when doing a mono pour they are made for 8" ICFs so if you are using 6" you need to attach a 2" strip of foam to the bottom side of the first course of ICF
This guy has never used concrete forms. Bracing, grade line, stakes,etc. are more difficult to work around. This guy needs to use the old system for 20 years. Then comment!
Styrofoam is a number 6 plastic, making it a challenge to recycle. Polystyrene takes 500 years to decompose. Restrictions around recycling Styrofoam mean it often ends up in a landfill. This trash can pollute water supplies for humans and marine life. Choosing an Eco-friendly alternative is a good option.
Duh, people using ICF are trying to build homes to last CENTURIES / generations (just like in Europe) and the foam isn't recycled, it's a permanent part. It's a feature, not a bug
