Hello!

We've been looking at an unfinished ICF home which is for sale (all ICF work is done, as well as exterior finishes).

After all of the reading I've done on ICFs (mostly on this forum) I have gathered that openings are usually cut into the "sill" of vinyl window bucks to allow concrete to be poured into the blocks under the window.

However, in this particular house, the bottom surface of the vinyl bucks are intact, with no openings, as far as I can determine. So, I'm wondering how the builder got concrete in the area under the windows.

Is it possible that he placed all of the blocks & rebar up to the level of the lower level of the windows, poured up to that point, then placed bucks and remaining blocks and continued pour?


I want to make sure that there is concrete in the areas under the windows. I wondered if I could use a pointy instrument (such as an ice pick or awl)  to make some test probes into the foam from inside house to make sure that I hit concrete.  (Drywall is not up in all rooms, and in others, drywall is installed, but seams are not taped and mudded, so that I could possibly probe at seams under windows.)

Any thoughts?

Drill a hole through the top of the V Buck and see if you hit concrete or use a coat hanger and probe the wall below the windows.

It is possible depending on slump and vibration techniques to get the mud to flow under the forms completely.

A small (3' window) is really simple to do, a larger (say 6') one is more difficult

If you do find an issue, check the areas to the left and right of the headers to make sure nothing got hung up there either.

Thanks for the reply, Chris, I'll check 'em out when I get the chance!