1. I'm here in Washington on a shoreline and was recently told that there may be some regs put in place by FEMA regarding Tsunamis.  The problem with this, from what I hear, is that my home would need to be 6 ft above the Mean High water and be placed on pilings/stilts?  Is this correct and does anybody have a link to the regs?

2. I have an ARXX builder ready to go, but for my own information I was curious about how a 2nd course/story floor is attached to the ICF.  Are there mounts that are placed into the ICF before the pour?  Any vids on this?  I've been trying to find some info but feel that my vocabulary on the subject may be what is misleading me.

Thanks for all the help!

On your second story question, you may want to head over to www.quadlock.com I think they have some vids and some cad drawings that will answer your question. Different ICF, but same concept. They also have a special tie that can support the outer foam when their isn't a corresponding inner foam as you transition from one story to the next. Of course, you will have rebar linking the first and second story.

Thank you for the info! I'll head over to that site and take a look.

I don't know about question #1, but with question two there are a variety of options. The simplest is a ledger that goes around the inside edge of the ICF and is anchored to the concrete with either anchor bolts embedded in the concrete or through the use of ICFVL's from Simpson.

http://www.strongtie.com/products/connectors/icfvl.asp

There are joist hangers that you can embed into the concrete before the pour, but if your spacing is off or the plans changed, it can be a pain to fix.

Some put a brick ledge facing the inside of the building and rest the second floor on it. I don't know if this would meet seismic req. Plus, I do know that some ICF manufacturers don't recommended the brick ledge method because it's not typically engineered to hold a floor system and deal with possible lateral loading.

1. I'm here in Washington on a shoreline and was recently told that there may be some regs put in place by FEMA regarding Tsunamis.

So, does FEMA actually have a study showing the possibility of a tsunami coming down the Strait of Georgia, or are you just in a catchall category?

The regs were introduced within the last 12 months, so I can imagine it was an overreaction to the tsunami on the other side of the Pacific. I'm still trying to figure things out, but it sounds like I may have lucked out and am just out of the flood plain and on the correct side (East facing) of the point.

I find it funny, though, as you'd think having an ICF home which is virtually nothing but a concrete wall that could withstand a tsunami at a much better rate than a stick frame.

I need to get my land surveyed, and hopefully the surveyor has seen a slight height increase in areas on my lot. haha But in all honesty, my lot looks off on the map the county provided me... showing a low point (flood area) that is actually higher than other areas that are dry.

Fun time!