WolfCandy3x
New Member
Posts:56
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| 29 Nov 2007 04:19 PM |
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Hi all,
Been planning my new house for the last 3 years, from the actual house, to the Geothermal System,
Speedfloor for the garage slab, Electrical, plumbing, form-a-drain footing, ICF block Selection, Concrete type etc etc...
and the Only place where i'm still struggling is the plan ! Lemme Elaborate ...
Being a DIYer with friends in all trades to help out ( plus 1 hockey team and wives for the stacking ) the work
is not an issue.. Figuring out how to have the least problems in cuts and waste Is. It would be so easier for
the regular Joe to plan and figure out the kinks if a scaled down version of a block would be available...
One would be able to bult is house to scale, know how many blocks he would need, change design is needed
and once completed, bring it all to the Architect for teh final plan.... hey I'd gladly pay 150$ for a set of 2000 blocks !
N'way Dave Jackson ( Fox Blocks ) if your reading this, I'm your first client if Airlite Plastics Co. comes out with a product
like this... Your Client want a house.. Here's 2000 Blocks show me what you want.. We'll build it !
Francis |
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Quantum
Basic Member
Posts:255
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| 29 Nov 2007 05:35 PM |
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I don't know how technical you are, but we do this very thing with 3D CAD and BIM. It ain't no walk in the park though, unless you want to spend $4,250 for ArchiCAD.
Alternatively you could download Google SketchUp for free. Catch is, you'll need about three months of intensive study and help from the forums before you become proficient enough to build. You will have to manually draw every single line and make every component. If you like, I can provide a recent model I did of an ICF building (stepped footings, bent rebar, block-by-block with internal webbing, complete buck detail, etc), but it's 7mb, you'll need a powerful computer to rotate smoothly, and it's doubtful you'd want to go this route anyway. Think: learning another language -- once you'd made it though, you forget how hard it was to learn and just use it.
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JConR
New Member
Posts:17
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| 29 Nov 2007 06:10 PM |
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My opinion is design the house that you want. Cutting and a reasonable amount of waste are just part of the process and should not trump the architectural features.
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WolfCandy3x
New Member
Posts:56
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| 29 Nov 2007 07:08 PM |
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HI guy's
Well my plans are all draw up in AutoCad, the house is ready to be built according to those plans. But since I'll be
assuming all the work, the arch wall in the back is a problem, so I want to replace it with 45 degrees, but then again I want to
minimize the cuts, Same thing for the checks in the plans, The 90degrees give to much of check for my taste etc etc..
As for Software, I have ChiefArchitect, AutoCad and ArchiCad. So it's not about the software but rather the time to learn them.
Too bad you can't just import the autocad directly in ChiefArchiect.. that Software is hot !
Francis |
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walltech
Basic Member
Posts:390
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| 29 Nov 2007 07:31 PM |
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Francis, why eliminate the arched wall? They are simple! A ICF professional might charge 1000.00 extra to cover the labor because he can, but the cost to you as the DIY is negligent.
Dave |
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WolfCandy3x
New Member
Posts:56
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| 29 Nov 2007 07:42 PM |
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.....
It may be simple yes, but if the back walls were to be made with 45° the buks would be simpler and
so would the windows installation.... Like you can see on the plans the last part of the garage calls for tight
checks so I 'll be replacing those with double 45°... It's just that it's a big house.. ( Basement + 2 floors )
and ill have 4 weeks this summer plus all weekends and weekday night... so the minimum problems or time
consuming items..
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 Attachment: Rsidence Francis Perrault-1b.jpg
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Quantum
Basic Member
Posts:255
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| 29 Nov 2007 08:08 PM |
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ArchiCAD is the only one of those that's true 3D. (not to mention BIM) Almost no architects have graduated to 3D, and it drives me up a wall because then I have to do the model for more complex projects. Good news is though I can reduce waste by 60%, and have an exact materials take-off.
Does he mean an arched wall, or a radius wall? Agree it sounds like radius. Ya, with a few simple principles this isn't hard, but maybe you want to put in standard windows?
Edit: DOH! There's the plan. |
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DaveJackson6
New Member
Posts:13
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| 30 Nov 2007 03:47 PM |
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Hi Francis,
When you told me about your idea, I didn't laugh. It is just that I have given it some thought beyond what we are planning. It seems you would like a modleing exercise with miniatures. What we have in mind is software designed around our Fox Blocks system which will take all of your wall dimensions, and show you a 1D section of the walls with cuts n all. This would tell even the most experienced installer where and when to make his cuts. The next phase would be to evolve to 3D, but this a ways off for us. With all this said, most here will agree plans are good, but field building is vitally important as well. More to come... |
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| Dave Jackson<br>Fox Blocks - The Clever ICF<br>[email protected] |
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Ted S.
New Member
Posts:4
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| 07 Dec 2007 10:21 PM |
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Revit is a 3D CAD program from AutoDesk which is BIM. |
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mckinlay
New Member
Posts:19
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| 07 Dec 2007 11:16 PM |
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No laughter. I've wondered for sometime why ICF vendors didn't produce Google SketchUp components... they do dwg files! Seriously this would really help in planning a project and to first vendor who gets the components posted I'm sure a boat load of people would think that the company is truly an innovator in the industry!
So easy to do as well!
Cheers,
BTW my first post! |
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eco-hammer
New Member
Posts:37
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| 08 Dec 2007 12:04 AM |
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I imported DWGs of Buildblocks details into Chief Architect then made them into CAD blocks and copy/paste them into the shape of my walls. It's 2D but gives me an accurate count and cut list, it also helps me visualize the building of each wall. I'm working on a way to make it 3D. |
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wincky
New Member
Posts:2
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| 09 Dec 2007 12:26 AM |
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I had to laugh at myself. I have an extensive background in wood framing and could frame up those radii in no time flat but using ICF is another story. With so many systems out there all having their own benefits and drawbacks it is seems really important to know your system. I personally prefer a radius to a 45 any day but it is probably because I know what goes into them and its not just nights and weekends. Put a Lego set on your Christmas list! |
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ContractorPete
Basic Member
Posts:115
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| 11 Dec 2007 12:04 AM |
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Eco-Hammer - I use Chief Architect and I am able to get pretty accurate block counts in my materials list. In my wall definitions I designate the outer and inner wall layer as a 16" x 48" cement block and then give the inside and outside walls different colors. When I run my materials list it will give me a count on block. The only catch is it doesn't calculate corners. Since each straight and each corner is 5.33 sq ftI usually take a corner count and subtract the number of corners from the total number of blocks that is given in my materials list. Heres a picture of a chief 3d overview from a house I did:  This method obviously doesn't show the exact layout of the block or where you need to make your cuts exactly, but it gives you a nice overview of the project as a whole. In reality most homes aren't designed around block dimensions so worrying about a block 'cut-list' is very irrelevent, unless of course you are really into that sort of thing. In my opinion when it comes down to it anyone constructing with icf's should order a few extra blocks anyway for peace of mind, even if you have a few pieces left over (given that they are in ok shape) your supplier should take them back and reimburse you.
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| [email protected]<br> |
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WolfCandy3x
New Member
Posts:56
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| 11 Dec 2007 03:03 AM |
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pcoughlin ,
I have CA here and if i remember right the program already has ICF walls in it... Good looking comp by the way.. wish I had time to learn it. N'way will continue to play with it here and there :) |
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ContractorPete
Basic Member
Posts:115
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| 12 Dec 2007 12:23 AM |
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Well im not sure if the newer version of CA x1 already has icf walls predefined, but I know that my version (ca 10.01a) sure doesn't. Having a predefined icf wall is very cool but I like the idea of being able to predefine/modify the wall layer to the specific dimension of the block. For instance we use logix icf and since the concrete cavity is 6.25" im able to get an accurate concrete take-off on my generated materials lists. |
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| [email protected]<br> |
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WolfCandy3x
New Member
Posts:56
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| 12 Dec 2007 09:44 PM |
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Ca lets you customize the dimensions of the block also.... 90,45 straight etc etc Will PM you later with some
info's .... |
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irnivek
Basic Member
Posts:229
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| 12 Dec 2007 11:31 PM |
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I'm with JconR. ICF is extremely adaptable.
For some of you it may be an enjoyable extracurricular activity trying to get perfect block dimensions and cuts for each build. I am not trying to be sarcastic. If you enjoy it, go for it!
But having it printed out for those in the field quickly becomes a waste of time and paper. ICF is luckily "too" simple and the system doesn't need this kind of help (for the majority who do the work) Leave it to the draftsmen to do a 3d rendering, the ICF manufacturers can be more useful in other areas than "sketchup." Most of the manuals are plenty explicit already.
Kevin
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Quantum
Basic Member
Posts:255
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| 13 Dec 2007 09:14 AM |
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I know Sketchup is difficult to master irnivek, and I made this very clear.
But 3D modeling is very useful in more complex projects, not just to visualize beforehand,
but more importantly to confirm the site-rendered reality with the architect and sort out errors
which he may not see in 2D.
3D is not for everyone though.
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mckinlay
New Member
Posts:19
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| 24 Dec 2007 11:44 PM |
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Hey Quantum! I'd like to check out your 3D Schetchup model. I agree with you that 3D is useful, it can also help the GC or sub understand the project better. ArchiCad has a great BIM approach but I wish it was used by more architects as would really help to get better bids on complex or out-of-the-ordinary projects. How can I get a copy of your SchetchUp model?
Cheers |
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Quantum
Basic Member
Posts:255
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| 25 Dec 2007 10:57 AM |
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Gave my email. |
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