I just found at Nudura website some ICF installation training courses and I was thinking to attend just to have a feel if I can build my own house or not. Do you have any feedback about this course? It's worth, or you can find all the info on youtube, forums..etc. Thx.

I train for Fox block. It has some value but the best way I have found is to do research and find the ICF you want to use, then go out and visit some sites using that product. Most are willing to let you get your hands dirty. Also the place you buy your ICF should have the where with all to guide you thru the process.

Training courses put on a manufacturer should give you a good idea of what is involved with using their system. I know some products are more of a technical training course, while others are a day-long sales pitch, but this is the best way for you to have an introductory overview of ICF construction. After the course, you should be able to decide if you feel comfortable building yourself (really depends on your own building experience), if you want to hire an ICF installer that would let you work with him/her with the hopes of saving a bit of cost with your sweat equity (this may not be an arrangement you can find, depending where you are, but you can ask your local ICF distributor if they can recommend a retired contractor, etc), or simply hire the job to a professional installer.

I believe there are certain areas that do not allow DIY home-building. An ICF course would still likely be worthwhile if you want to keep an eye on construction and have an insight into the building process of you home.

If you are not sure if you can do it or not, I would recommend hiring a professional. Setting up ICF blocks is not difficult, but getting a wall that is straight, plumb, properly reinforced and consolidated, etc. requires some expertise. DON'T go strictly by price of the installer (poor installers will have to buy jobs, since they can't win contracts based on their work). Get 2-3 prices to make sure they are priced to the market and ask for references from previous customers.

What ICFBldr said. Nailed it.

Agree with ICFBdr, don't go on price alone. Do your homework. I tell people to call the pump companies and ask them who vibrates and who does not. The concrete companies won't tell typically but the pump, that's another story. Good operators get on the scaffolds and some can do from below depending upon experience. Dyi is ok for an experienced or retired contractor. The easy part is stacking. The hard part for a dyi (unless they have carpentry skills) is knowing How to figure header heights, block openings past the bucks to leave enough room for the gun foam , steel schedule, concrete cover requirements, bracing, concrete placement and consolidation. I've lost jobs because of price to only have the pump guy (line pump now, no boom) call me over for lunch. We sit and watch them put 100 gal of water in the regular concrete mix (no pump mix or 3/8") in a 4" core block at 8 slump and walk away. No bracing, no strings just fill it slowly (like 7 hours) and the stucco guy will make it straight. Same house I did a field inspection on 2 days before (manufacture called heard it wasn't pretty) and it was white block and at pour height. No corner bars, no lintel steel, most was #3 rebar, bailing wire and wood, only straight #3 12" pieces dropped in above garage door lintel, no stirrups. Yup you get what you pay for.... Check references and job site cleanliness. It means a lot if the contractor took time to cleanup and get it ready for the framer.

I attended the Quadlock seminar which clarified a lot of thing for me. It also made the bank feel more comfortable with me have a piece of paper saying that i did it. I know several people including myself who have had successful DIY builds but bad things can happen to anyone if not careful.

Anyone who tries a DIY ICF should at the minimum go to a job site and see the product used. All ICF suppliers should be very willing to set up a potential client to see a job in progress, even if you don't hire the contractor on that job. Those of us who are distributors have an incentive to showcase our jobs, and also, welcome visitors, because it promotes what we do. I would be very afraid of a contractor who doesn't want anyone to see their work in progress, or with caution, allow a potential client the opportunity to observe on a job site, including the pour.

A word of caution: Vibrating is a delicate process with ICF, and can have disastrous results when done improperly. It is one thing to discuss the merits of vibrating and techniques, especially among those of us who do this for a living, but a few seconds too long or poor technique can cause a wall to blow out, or kick out of plumb, or other issues...and concrete is not forgiving. You cannot push a log chain and you cannot "un-pour" a wall.

I always tell potential customers who want to buy block and DIY the job, that it is worth paying an experienced contractor to do a site visit once, and be there on the day you pour. At least when you pour....there is no substitute for experience.

I'm with joasis on this one. I get homeowners in all the time that want to do DIY. I always try to get there at least once before the pour and always there when they pour. One bad job or blowout gives us all a bad rep. No one is going to say it was their fault, the blame will fall to the product. I always pour with them.