Hi can anyone help?
I am about to build a house in Cyprus which gets to 40 degrees in the summer and down to about 2 in the winter.  I was leaning toward timber frame construction but I am worried it is going to be very hot in the summer , and I will need to use the air con a lot, plus it will affect my ability to sell in the future as the locals are a bit behind and are still building in concrete without any insulation at all!

Am I right in thinking that ICF will be cooler in summer and warm in the winter?

You're correct, why do you think the resale ability would be affected if your home would be energy efficient versus other buildings in the area? I would think that would make it more valuable.

thanks for the reply.

Attitudes here are about 30 years behind the rest of the world as far as I know there are no timber frame houses at all in my area. We are currently renting an uninsulated concrete home which is great in the summer, we use no air con at all but freezing in the winter. I am thinking ICF could tick all the boxes (except for cost) if I can find a builder to do it......

I was also worried that there would be a lot of movement/cracking with a timber stick house, does anyone have any experience with this in a hot climate?

I think you are right Bruce, bucking the trend could end up an expensive disaster.

Hi,
It's hard to imagine constructing a timber frame house in Cyprus, where there is little or no timber.  ICF would be great, but finding someone to do it in a place without ICF builders, experienced concrete suppliers, or American-style dimensioned lumber seems equally improbable.  Me, I used to live in Greece and think often of returning.  If I were doing it, I'd either use local time-honored building techniques or use a product that is seen all over Europe: Ytong AAC (autoclaved aerated concrete) blocks.  There are people in both Greece and Turkey who sell it and build with it.  Just Google "Ytong" and you'll see how popular it is.

Gordon