I found a couple of videos on YouTube of concrete being poured into the forms. For those interested in seeing this, they're located here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMeNlHyQxmQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wFuzOkIQoA

OK... someone, please humor me as an ICF homeowner...

Wouldn't those 'mikey blocks' in the 2nd video very much negate the thermal mass benefit of ICF? I mean, they are nothing but EPS with vertical concrete "poured pipes" in them.

Also, what about consolidating those narrow pipes -- seems to me it would be a lot more complicated than a typical ICF wall consolidation.

Thanks!

Mikey Block is a "post and beam" block, as they call them.

 But as far as whether they negate what ICF's were meant for; of course they do. I don't know hard number differences between monolithic walls and post and beam except that you use about half the concrete.

As far as consolidation, I would hate to have the punishment, I mean the job of consolidating a "post and beam" wall. I can only imagine there would have to be some voids on the upper side of each "beam", but I guess that doesn't matter a whole lot when there are even bigger voids caused by the massive chunks of EPS all the way through.

But thinking about what my concrete home would look like without all that foam, etc. I would think I was a mouse living inside a big piece of swiss cheese.

Jesse
ICF Pro Builders
Southern Oregon

Thanks... that's what I thought! ;-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IN9QOGpPFw  pouring footers

Humor me as an some one new to ICF.  Assuming concrete is poured accurately, this seems plenty strong for a one story house.  A wood frame equivalent would be  6 x 6's 12 inches on center, blocked every 12 inches.  Except these are  concrete which I assume is stronger.  Not sure of the thermal mass factor.

John