My wife and I have been planning on building a new home for several years. After many hours of research we decided to go with icf. From almost all the information I have read we expected the costs to be higher, but double? The initial bids we have got for 2×6 construction with spray foam insulation and roof with decking range in the 30-40k range. For icf, no roof and only the walls the 2 quotes I have recieved are 98k and 68k. The reality is the cost is almost double. I live in north Louisiana, finding an icf sub is next to impossible. Im actually ok with the 68k bid....but I will still take 20 years to recoup those extra costs through energy savings. So my question is how on earth can icf web sites say the cost is 4-6% more than conventional building when in reality its about 50% more? Any info will be appreciated!

How big is the house?  I ask because your 2x6 number seems low to me.  Does that include foundation?  Or is it just the framers cost?  I don't think you can build a house with roof and spray foam for 40K, unless it is a really small house.

Framers cost with lumber. No foundation. House is 3000a sf. 20 ft walls. Icf quote is walls only. On top of that cost for structural engineer, deeper footings, thicker slab, etc. So basically I am looking at 100kur for slab and walls only on 3000 sf house. Does that sound correct?

The 4-5% premium is for the entire project, not just the exterior walls, if your 2x4 budget is $300k ICF should be $315k +/-

Well right out of the gate its already 30k more.....that's what im saying. And cost for electrical, foundation, and everything else is more, aside from hvac system which will be less. So far a side by side comparison for icf vs stick built is about 280k vs 350k. That is wayyyy more than 4-5 percent

jess.....what are the ICF folks charging per sf  of wall?

If you only have two quotes and they are that widespread ($98k and $68K), I think you need to get a few more. A home with 3000 sf on two floors is going to have a perimeter of about 160 feet. WIth 20 ft walls, you will have about 3000 sf of ICF. That means your two bids come in between $20/sf and $30/sf of ICF wall. That's way too high. It should be more like $15 or thereabouts.

And, I second what NFC said; it's hard to believe you can do 3000 sf of 2X6, spray foam and roof for what is essentially $10 - $15/sf.

Well the 90k bid was just way off. The problem is the number of icf subs in Louisiana. I have one more bid coming in from Texas and the cc and I are trying to find more....its just difficult. As far as the framing goes I don't know why it is so low. Several quotes have come in in that range. They charge around $6 a square foot plus lumber. I really wanna go icf, just difficult to justify that much more of an expense. Thanks for replies

Maybe you should take advantage of the low wood framing costs and build a house that will have better thermal performance than ICFs.

The problem is the number of icf subs in Louisiana

Contact the block distributors to get names of ICF builders who do the most work.

I did not read your whole post jesswus but just the first line....

When you begin construction talk with "My wife and " you are bound to be ripped off. I'm not sexist but the world is. It tells the guys out there that you are not a "man enough" and that you need the help of your wife... And you should use the help of your wife... but if you walk into a bikers' diner are you going to let your wife pay for the dinner?

When it comes to interior design let your wife spearhead the process... When it comes to selecting the best school for your children let your wife do the talking, when it comes to concrete and rebar - you have to step up and run with the big dogs...

I do not mean to argue here but i simply giving you a tip.

Just an fyi, my wife has not talked to a single person regarding the construction process. Because I am a man and she cooks and cleans however, she was involved in the design process, and it was designed using icf. Oh, and yeah I would let her get the tab in a biker bar. A bunch of dudes in leather that ride bikes don't intimidate me....guess that's a man thing so you wouldn't understand.

jess....the $6/sf is way too high for  framing your area!! It's only around $4.50/sf for labor in this area. Should be less in your area! Everything I've read here over the years the ICF 'should' be in the $13/sf range for the walls. How many sf of walls do you have?

Posted By jesswus on 13 Oct 2011 11:23 PM
As far as the framing goes I don't know why it is so low. Several quotes have come in in that range. They charge around $6 a square foot plus lumber.

Lot more competition between them and in this market they're probably all hungry.

In my area, the framers do not pay for the nails.  Years ago when their square foot cost included nails, you did not see many nails laying on the ground.  Nail wastage has certainly increased since the framer does not pay for them.

You will be around $10 per sqft of floor area more than stick construction. $10-14 per sq ft of wall. Take the linear ft of wall multiply by the height. My home is 3300sqft and forms are about 18K, Labor is around 17K, rebar 3K, concrete 90yds @$95. The foundation itself comes in at 80yds of concrete. I work for a GC and have run the numbers dozens of times. LA usually has higher rates for redi-mix depending were you are at, that could be part of the issue.
Sure you can build cheaper with stick, but there are other factors mentioned by others you should look at for yourself. I live about a mile from I-20, and at night you hear the 18 wheelers and their jake brakes coupled with the roar of tires all through the night. Last weekend we had an airshow and there was this huey chopper that flew over the house every 25 min. as I was working on the computer. I sat there and watched the pictures rattle on the wall. Ive decided I need a little more quality building, the same reason I dont drive a kia to work everyday.

Next you will have to talk with all the other trades, and hopefully you will find people willing to work/quote on ICF's at a fair price.

jesswus, you are right... i think i got carried away a little... but still i would be careful... just a friendly tip...

dhough, you got it! ICF all way!