Hi, I am in the planning stages of our new ICF home. We are not in a hurricane or tornado zone but would like to explore the possibility of an all concrete home. We are at the point where we can meet with ICF builders and ask intelligent questions about the walls and floors that we want built. On the roof we are grasping at straws

So far I have seen the litedeck & insulspan solutions. To be honest the information available on the web is a little lite on details when it comes to building a roof.

I have also searched the forums and come across solutions by speedfloor and Artform. Finally I went to icfbuilders blog site and looked at the all concrete house. Very impressive and hopefully what we'll end up with.

I haven't been able to find any information on artform. Can anyone steer me to a website or vendor that could provide some information?  More generally can anyone steer me twoard technical in formation  on how roofs are constructed using speedfloor or litedeck,  insulspan, etc...?

This is not a DIY project. We are interviewing ICF contractors and trying to get comfortable with one. There are a few in our area (Conneticut) but none have done any concrete roofing. This will be a shared learning experience for us and our contractor. 

Leslie, The ART form system is actually quite simple. Bevel cut the top of the icf forms to match icf roof. After the wall pour, hand trowel concrete to near the top of icf exterior form. Leaving beam pockets to recieve speed floor joist. A center Red steel beam or icf ridge beam is built. next drop in speed floor joist insert lock bars. Set icf forms on top of lock bars and insert appropriate re-bar as you go. Apply a durabond stucco " bandaid if you will" on the eve side . Leave the ridge foam open and pour and consolidate from the top. A few inspection holes are a good idea. Plywood is just screwed to the icf studs.

There is also the Amvic system at http://www.amvicsystem.com/amdeckfloorandroofsystem.aspx and Hurricane Proof Roofs at http://www.hprscorp.com/

Eldon,

Thanks for the reply.

Seems very straightforward. Having a little trouble visualizing the eve. Does the speedfloor rest on the ICF wall and extend out to make an eve? Or is the eve built after the fact out of some other material?

Artform refers to a construction process, not a product?

Last question, have you built hip roofs this way? I would guess its a matter of locating enough beams to support the speedfloor.

I'm also interested in concrete roof but haven't found a great deal of information. You might look at what icf-tilt-up does and possibly get idea/advice. http://www.icf-tilt-up.com/page/page/1395662.htm Good luck. Jon

Eldon,

We have poured some concrete roofs. We have used different systems and they all have their pros and cons, there is not a perfect system that I have found. I have used Insul-Deck, Lite-Deck, prestressed concrete panels, and Metwood. I have taken a class on the Amvic system but I have never used it. Logix is currently devoloping a system but have not OKed if for use on roofs yet. What I have found is that the Insul-Deck and Lite-Deck are the more pominient systems that I have seen used, they both have pretty good customer service and have many success stories. Prestressed concrete panels are fast and easy to install but there is the issue of insulation in my opinion if your are doing a green roof it is an excellent choice. Metwood is a steel pandeck system that gives great clear spans but can be expensive. The current four story home we are doing is using the metwood system for all of the floors and the roof. This is a shed style roof that has a 1/2 inch fall per foot. Hambro is another system that uses plywood as a decking system that can be removed and used later.

One thing I really like to tell everyone is don't let a sales person make the decision for you, make the decision with yourself and your contractor. The World of Concrete in Las Vegas is an excellent place to see all of these sytems and more. If you have any other questions feel free to contact me at [email protected]

ICF Contractor

Leslie,

Sorry the last post was supposed to be addressed to you not Eldon. My mistake

ICF Contractor

Leslie, The tail or hanger of the speed floor joist rest directly on the concrete inside of the icf wall. The joist does'nt extend beyond the icf foam. This way it is totally isolated and not a thermal bridge. Rather the plywood or steel roofing overhangs and standard "boxed in" over hangs are installed. One option a little outside of he box would be,to glue large pieces of eps foam cut to the shape of the overhang and just stucco it. And yes you are correct steel beams would be used for hip construction. Icf contractor, We are sales folk and builders. But more importantly we are R & D folk as well. Our systems or products exist for only a few reasons . First health to those who live within. Second long term structural strength and simple quality components, hence the Total Concrete Structure. And third efficiency.

Eldon,
Thanks for the clarification. Do you also use speedfloor as the ceiling joists where a cathedral ceiling is not required? That would seem like overkill.

Also is it possible to contact you directly either as a salesperson or a paid consultant on this project. We are in CT which is probably outside of your sales area.

That's correct again, Leslie. . Use either wood or steel framing for other than vaulted ceilings underneath ARTForm roofs. . Our services are available anywhere. We currently have 3 of our crew on a 16,000 sq ft. project assisting the icf contractor on site in Louisiana. We will soon be starting the concrete roof with A.R.T inc.. . My e-mail is [email protected]

Eldon,

I am interested in seeing the system you use.  Where might I find a web site or will there be a booth at the World of Concrete next week in Vegas?

 

ICF Contractor

I will not be at world of concrete this year, but I will be next year . We will have a Speed floor booth at WOC then. However Mark Ross and Nick Ruebel will be floating around the IntegraSpec booth. Of course you could make a trip to michigan and have a look at our Total Concrete Home at no cost to you. other than Air fare etc. However I would not talk to Mark or Nick unless you are ready to start building in manner . Total Concrete Homes are a one way ticket. Theres just no going back.

Leslie
I'm in CT and a design/build contractor. I missed this thread completly but if you still need some help contact direct.