Not sure what you mean by "flippable". If you mean that it has a definite top and bottom, you are corrrect. But it has a ship-lap profile that makes it easy to fit together, and you don't have to glue or tie successive courses together.

Flip-able or reversable is almost a requirment these days. There are a lot of good blocks out there and you will have a hard time selling me on one that is non-reversable, odd dimensioned which will make it hard to bid with typical rebar schedules, easily racks front to back and side to side, all rebar must be tied due to a lack of rebar locks, no factory corners available which WILL create extra work, and heavy metal ties will be hard to cut. Not having vertical ties is the only thing I can see that is good about it.

Yes, they are completely reversable; rebar chairs are built into cross ties and that means rebar can easily be placed on 8", 12", 16", or 24" centers. Forms are fully 8 feet long, steel reinforcement means they don't rack at all, and less bracing is required than traditional forms. Once they're braced up every 5', the wall is SOLID.

For corners, you just cut the inside panels back 8-1/8 with a circular saw and then butt them together. Put a 12 foot tall 8" x 8" aluminum corner brace on the outside, plumb it up and you have perfect corners. Carbide tipped blade in the circular saw cuts it like butter. Actually installs in .05 man hours per square fot, or twice as fast as traditional ICFs.

I should know better than to try to clarifiy something here as i can see where this is going. However, I feel i must jump in to clarify something. I will stay away from discussions about making corners and etc. but one thing needs a bit of clarification as it is vague here and off and on in the forum ---- If a block has a male top or a female bottom like a LEGO or from above ---- "If you mean that is has a definate top and bottom, you are correct" ---- the block is by definition not reversable. There is really nothing wrong with non-reversable blocks ---- as someone said above --- it's still a superior construction method -- however, a fully reversable block (on a project of even minimal complexiity) will always have some advantage.

BTW the guys i work with install at 20 square feet per man hour all the time (which as you know is the same so 0.05 man hours per square foot). This common terminology (although 100% correct has always bothered me) because how many of you travel on the highway at 0.016 hours per mile (also known as 60 miles per hour). Regards.

I like that, .016 hours per mile! .05 is the average speed of a newly trained crew. Of course as they become more experienced, they move faster. There is a Polycrete school project running in PA right now, and I am anxious to see the stats. It is a case of a GC self-performing because as the project manager said, "This looks so easy we can do it ourselves." So they did.
We completed a job last winter at .034 man hours per sf, including placing concrete and clean up, all in winter conditions in Quebec. Also, please bear in mind that Polycrete Big Block is primarily designed for commercial construction. A single family residence with a lot of little cuts and bump-outs may not be the best application for a big form like this.

Bruce,
The last two sentences of your last post is right on the mark.
I have looked at their website, and followed this thread for the last few days. I cannot see using this form for residential work. There are way too many negative factors and very little positive. This block does not lend itself to the modifications that would be necessary for most residential work. I suspect that laying up a 2000 sf residence with typical corners, bumps, door and window openings would actually take quite a bit longer to do with these blocks.

Wes

I agree. I would also like to add that several  large comercial  projects like hotels,  dorms, military centers, and such do have several corners and openings that complicate and cut things up as well. No matter the size of the block you still have to make it work with the design. If you are going after warehouses and such I wish you luck.