Is there an easy way to do this without an Architect?? I've looked at a bunch of ICF plans on the net and they seem to be all butt ugly. 

Use a house designer familiar with ICF. In most jurisdictions house plans can be drawn by most anyone as long as the design meets all the code requirements. It's only for the more complicated designs where you'll need an architect, the ones where the Building Official can't match everything to a code book example.

You will also want to make sure, as much as practical, that all exterior wall dimensions are compatible with the spacing of the webs in the ICF blocks. When I first drew my house plans I sized it so the inside dimensions would be in even feet. The result was the outside dimension was short of an even foot by two inches, which would have caused me to have a 2" vertical misalignment in the webs somewhere in the wall. That would have played havoc with both siding and drywall screw patterns.

If you're looking to buy a set of house plans from some plan company, maybe they can provide an ICF compatible set, for more $$ of course, but maybe less than having a designer or architect revise them. Also, be careful not to run afoul of copyright issues if you buy and modify a set of plans.

Dmaceld touched on one very important issue. That is to look at resizing the plan to fit the forms you are using. I've seen this works with ICFs, SIPS, or 2x4's for that matter.
Architects and designers come up with some of the oddest dimensions. Most times, if designing for SIPS or stickframed, the idea numbers for outside walls are divisible by 4 feet. If your ICF forms are 48" long, then the 4' rule applies here, also. I can recall more than one occasion when I was able to add 50 sf or more to a home without increasing materials cost at all by following this simple rule. PM me if you have specific questions about your plan.
BTW, most of your butt ugly ICF plans found on the web, were butt ugly stickframed plans that have been converted. Usually without any thought to the practical aspects of building those houses.

If you have a plan you really like and want to realize for your home you can make the changes yourself. Make sure you know what building material the plan has been drawn for etc: 2x4, 2x6.

Bump out the difference!

Forget about dividing you walls into 4' and such. ICF is a material that can adapt to any size and form. Most likely you will have odd joints in the walls. In such case you would start your first course of ICF to put these joints underneath a window or a door and continue on with the joint pattern above the window/door in a staggered arrangement.

If you think that odd web arrangement are a problem for your siding/drywall guys, you just simply get their attention to those areas with a marker. No biggy. Communication and understanding is paramount in the construction process. To make ICF more difficult than what it is, is a diservice to the product.

Rob
I have a ICF designer in Charlotte if you decide you want to go that route.

Manfred,
Your post is very short sighted in the overall scheme of constructing a house. That is the very attitude taken by so many designers that cause problems for all concerned the actual construction process. "Bump out the difference" can cost thousands of wasted dollars because it doesn't take into account all the other subsystems that much be changed, also.
ICFs are a forgiving product, but what about all the other products that may not be so forgiving.
This is the same attitude I see coming from the big 'blue print mills' who will sell a plan with a major structural flaw time and again, even though they know of the flaw, because they don't want to invest the manhours necessary to make the corrections. And, yes, I have experienced this very situation not once, but twice in the last 20 years. And that is why I charge a substantial fee to evaluate a boxed plan before I attempt to build it.

Wes;

I respectfully disagree (in part) concerning your above post. It has been always our mandate that Client, Designer, Structural Engineer as well as the General Contractor/ICF installer (who is the most important entity - for he must build what is designed on paper) review and contribute their input prior to any start. Paper is very patient - it doesn't talk back or object to whatever is written on it. Failure to plan is planning to fail! In the end; it is indeed the final responsibility of the professional GC (ICF installer) such as Manfred - which are at "ground 0"; and don't have the luxury of so-called "errors and omissions". "Shortsightedness" should not be confused with innovation!

In more cases than not; "shortsightedness" occurs during the design phase - when others (structural engineer/G.C./ ICF installer etc.) are not consulted. Your fee is justified if it includes the input of all professionals involved.

Donner,
I think you may have misinterpreted my last tirade. I was speaking from the builder's point of view. My point is that it is shortsighted to say that since ICFs are easy to alter, then 'bumping out the difference' is also easy to do. It is not easy to do if you do not take into account the effects on the rest of the project.
You are right, most of the time the 'shortsightedness' does occur during the design phase. Unfortunately, when a client purchases a boxed plan from a blueprint mill, there is almost never any interaction between designer and builder.
Much of my distrust of such groups comes from standing in ankle deep mud on a jobsite trying to reconsile the dimensions between the foundation plans and the first floor plans.

wes, thank you for your caution flags. My take on this is that RobinNC is no new-comer to this forum. He obviously has a plan designed not for ICF. Apart from actually having build with ICF Robin has taken an active part in all kinds of discussions. So, my response was tailored to him, sorry that I stepped on your foot.

I still believe (know!) that ICF is adaptable to any kind of plan, whether you shrink the plan or expand the plan. Nowhere in any manual, nowhere in the world will you find people that "will not" build a house, structure or building because it is not divisable by 4. Come on....

Everybody understands that bumping out the walls will grow the exterior dimensions and hence change the roof. What else? in the big sceme of things we need to be ambassadors of the ICF, whether they are metric, imperial or capitalistic.

Please keep things simple and honest and make not a bigger elephant than it needs to be!

At what point does the manufacturer/distributor enter into the equation?  A good distributor should be able to review the plans and make suggestions to maximize the benefits of their product.

"At what point does the manufacturer/distributor enter into the equation? A good distributor should be able to review the plans and make suggestions to maximize the benefits of their product."

highperformance;

My deepest apologies in neglecting the mention of the manufacturers as well as most distributors in my last post (all our license partners here in the U.S. including myself; as well as worldwide, are manufacturer/distributors). We indeed play a most important role; especially since we; as manufacturers of the various ICF systems; know our products best.

"Much of my distrust of such groups comes from standing in ankle deep mud on a jobsite trying to reconcile the dimensions between the foundation plans and the first floor plans."

Wes;

I do indeed understand where you are coming from here. Been there a few times myself. Sorry that I assumed that you were "Just a Designer/architect". Was not aware that you come also come in blue jeans. Should have done my homework a little better - please accept my apologies

I converted my house from a stick plan, flipped it too. It's not a square box either, at least a dozen corners, bump outs you name it. Point is most any house can be converted, but you really have to think it through. You should get it drawn by a professional just to get all the different dimensions straight.

It is also important to know the block you are using to try to avoid odd dimensions that can cause the zig-zag ties and common seams. If you get them it is not the end of the world, but it can make construction alot harder. most times it only requires a inch or two one way or another.

Robinnc,

I was my own house designer. The appraisers killed my project. At any rate, any design can be converted, however, I found it best to draw from the top down. The ICF walls do not like over hangs and must be supported by another ICF wall. Inside the house this could be a door or opening with a lintel design, other than that I did not find the process difficult. Good software is a must. I am partial to Envisioneer.

Best,

LK

I found my ICF plans from the Polysteel website.

Your ICF supplier should have names of people that can provide this service as well. Every system has little nuances that when taken into consideration at the design phase will make the construction process easier.

I appreciate all of the responses.

Usually the standard operating procedure is to pick out a set of plans that appeals to you and then give them to an architect that has experience drafting ICF houses. If your architect doesn't have experience drafting an ICF home then your ICF distributor should meet with him/her and discuss the dimensional design of the home and how it can be altered to maximize building efficiency. Then depending on the complexity of the plan you may or may not have to have the plans stamped with engineering by either your architect or a 3rd party engineering firm (someone other then the building department if the house plan is too complex to be referenced to the code books.).

PLANNING is key to a successful ICF job. It is all up to the architect in making good conscientious building dimension decisions in the implementation of the building design to maximize efficiency and productivity and ultimately cut wasteful spending. There are some homes (of which i have built) where this hasn't been taken into consideration. I know from first hand experience how much slower and tedious it can be to have to conform a 4' dimensional product to a wall that is called out to be 7' 6 1/2". Its just plain silly and wasteful. All the hassles and tediousness of having to communicate with drywall/siding subs that this walls stud layout isn't true to their conventional way of installing their product is annoying and expensive especially when the whole problem could have been addressed in the design phase. This is where having an architect that actually has building experience with ICFs pays off.

I wish you luck on your endeavor into building an ICF home.

- Pete jr

Its no big deal to change the plans. A good draftsmen will deal with the circumstances as he comes to them. There's no need to make an ordeal out of it.