Planning an ICF home in northwest indiana. Wanting some input on which is the most cost effctive way to install radiant floor heat on the main level above the basement. Standard wood floor with gypcrete/ or concrete. ICF floor with tubing in concrete. Standard wood floor with sand between layers. Or any other suggestions.

aluminum plates, warmboard or similar.

through all my research i like the warmboard setup the best. Anyone use this recently as i am looking at a cost per sq. ft before i call and talk to them.

Sand is for sand boxes and the beach.

Warmboard work for new construction or extensive renovation but I would ask for the heat loads up front and calculate design temperatures for each type of floor before choosing heat sources and controls.

Hello, fellow Hoosier here, I grew up in NW Indiana, Hobart.
Hot humid summers & some pretty cold winter weather.
4" standard concrete can weigh about 50# / ft2
For my neighbors house here in Colorado, we put down 2x4 sleepers 12" OC & light weight concrete. 2 loops 1/2" pex / 8.5" concrete section, #2 Hickory flooring over.
Looks & works pretty good.
He has to run a little bit higher water temp. than tile over slab, but he wanted hickory.
Higher water temps. will make a MODCON boiler a bit less efficient. Floor seems to output about 25BTU/ft2 at safe wood temp of 85*
Keep your 1/2" O2 barrier pex loops at 200' max. spaced 6-12" depending on your thermal envelope. This will reduce pumping head = $ saved.
I have very limited experience with boilers/radiant, designed & installed 3 systems.
My next house will be using a small Burnham RV-3 cast iron boiler. Modcons don't condense much at 8,800' altitude where I live now.
For NW In. I would look hard at Triangle Tube Solo boilers. At your altitude, with low return water temps. It will condense & self clean its vertical fire-tube type of heat exchanger, a very good thing. Great price/performance.
Of course, as Badger always points out, hire a profesional (like him) to do heat loss & design system correctly the 1st time. Good Idea, but most heating/AC companies don't know Krap! So beware & good luck.
BBP