FBBP, glad you enjoyed the lighthearted video. I largely agree with all your thoughts on this subject. If we didn't do aggressive passive solar designs, we would continue to be perfectly happy with Logix.

I now see while Mr. Polycrete asks many questions, he hardly ever answers any asked of him including yours and mine. However, from your response on page 2 of this thread, I now also know the "rest of this story". I guess I should have figured this out much earlier, but I really don't have time to stay current with no-name products.

I also share your concern about wind and actually posted my thoughts about this on the forum previously:

More perspective on TF Systems

The above link also contains some additional perspective, photos, and takeoffs/prices on TF Systems vertical ICF products for those interested. Time will certainly determine how well vertical ICF performs in the market and it will be interesting to revisit this in the coming years.

BTW, my wife said to convey thanks to the person who pointed her to the hypertufa pot mix, whom I believe was you. We now have some very nice pots awaiting soil and plants.

Sailaway, the, words you generate are certainly breathtaking for their sheer volume. Those who prefer quantity over quality are doubtless impressed. Some think it’s fun to ramble in several directions at once. I’m a simple man, though and find brevity and directness more appealing.

If I missed answering any of your questions, I apologize, but I was unable to find them in the sea of your loquaciousness. In order to free up some space in my inbox, I am going to turn off the notifications for this thread now. So if you ever come across any of those ICC test results or code approvals for TF, drop me a message and I’ll gladly sign back on for the public Mea Culpas.

By the way, Polycrete’s been used to build energy efficient commercial structures that stand up to Mother Nature in sixteen countries on five continents since 1988. We have dedicated Polycrete factories in North America, Asia and Europe. Have a great summer!

I'm a newbie at all this, as I am in the final throws of our design stage for an ICF addition to a CMU beach house. I've been looking at a few different ICF systems, including TF. Frankly, I tend to agree with Bruce's comment about the possibility of a constant thermal bridge, with the TF System.

I like the way the TF panels slip into their forms, as my 'old timer' concrete guy can build his "rebar cage" and feel confident; and cleaning any forgotten debris or dropped items from the bottom of the cavity is easy - BUT all that metal - outside, through the concrete and into the inside of the house looks like a problem to me.

Constructing all that TF metal seems like a nightmare too. Lego is popular because it is easy.

Additionally, when I read that article on ICFMAG about the owners of the Pensmore house choosing that location because there are no building codes down there (How can that be - this isn't China!?), a BIG red flag went up for me. Maybe TF is still experimenting with their system, and maybe the Pensmore guy is buying into the factory, I don't know - but as a consumer, I'd like a 'tried & true' system. I'm not a guinea pig and I'm not a pioneer. Adding all that together turned me off, and turned my engineer off to the TF System. TF is possibly a good start to something that will be good in the future, but for right now, I have to pass on it.

Polycrete, Quad-Lock and ARXX are in our final choice list, Quad-Lock being the easiest for me to get. If Polycrete had good West Coast distribution, I'd jump on it in a minute but Quad-Lock is 100 miles from my job. I started a new thread/topic, to discuss the pro's & con's of Quad-Lock, and would enjoy reading feedback if you are familiar with Quad-Lock.