Has anyone personally used BuildBlock ICF? I don’t want a discussion about other ICF being better and such. I only want the details about your experience dealing with this company and your actual experience installing it. Thank you!

i have used them in Potomac Md., the owner purchased them directly, no support from BuildBlock but cheap pricing, they work ok, same as Fox Block as far as i can tell.

This is a good chart which shows the specs on ICF manufacturers

SPEC CHART

I used them to build my house in 2008 but they're probably still the same now as then. I liked the reverse feature, especially for the corner blocks. I believe this is not unique to BB. I also liked the reinforced segments of the webs. They gave me full confidence in having spiral nails hold up Hardiplank siding. One problem was oversized corner blocks. There was something on the order of 1/8" variation in the height of the corner blocks from the corner to the end of the block. This caused a tilting in the wall at the corner. This however was a molder quality control problem more so than a BB problem. BB did swap out the unused corner blocks but would not give me any compensation for time lost in correcting wall height and plumb problems caused by the off size corners.

Using them now.

Reversible feature is very nice at stated above.
The blocks can be moved in relation to each other in one inch increments which most are over 2 inches. Helps in fine tuning a wall with brick ledge and corners.
Web is every 6 inches so that makes for a very strong block. You can literally walk on them and they don't break.
Markings on sides of block make for easy measurements.

Thank you for the positive feedback on your personal experience. Thanks Lbear, I had not seen that chart before. Nudura has been our "go to" block for several years and we have used TF for some special projects too. We were impressed with the quote we got from BuildBlock and we will give it a try soon.

You said you used TF and Nudura. Is the price the only reason you are considering a switch

No, we have a client who specifically requested that we use BuildBlock. We never used this block before, we were surprised by the cost savings, and we just wanted confirmation that others have successfully used it.

I used BB when they first came on the market. The advantage is the 1" repeat of the interlock. The disadvantage is also the interlock. You have to be careful in handling the blocks. If you bend over one of the 196 nubs on the block the block won't lock together. You just have to be careful. A lot of blocks need wire ties to lock the vertical joints together. not BB. If you want to get an eye opening price. Get one from a Canadian Icf co that manufactures their product up North. $.70 to the dollar

We use more BuildBlock than anything, but not exclusively. We are dealers. Great price and availability in MN. As previously stated the 1" repeat of the interlock is their advantage and disadvantage. If we got any bent ones, we just break them off. Also we can do more staggered seams and less common seams. We call it a staged seam when our courses interlock if the ties don't, that helps save time and our dimensions. We like that the ties are at 6" instead of 8", stronger and a less waste. The ties also have an extra thick spot, good for things that need extra screw strength like upper cabinets.

The BuildBlock corner sections have a long length of 32” and short length of 22”. So the best building outside dimensions (best in the sense of minimum required cutting and waste) are the number of straight sections times 48” plus 54” (i.e., 32” + 22”). For example, 52’ 7” x 28’ 7” would not require any wall cutting or have any waste. Given that this block has more vertical webs than other ICF and every 6”, I guess I am concerned that just placing the doors/windows on the plans at an outside dimension that is an exact multiple of 6” might result in the cuts being directly at a web locations. Is there an offset or best outside dimension besides the aforementioned (e.g., some integer times 6" plus 3" etc.) to locate the doors/windows using BuildBlock? Thank you!

Posted By sailawayrb on 17 Jan 2016 09:25 PM
The BuildBlock corner sections have a long length of 32” and short length of 22”. So the best building outside dimensions (best in the sense of minimum required cutting and waste) are the number of straight sections times 48” plus 54” (i.e., 32” + 22”). For example, 52’ 7” x 28’ 7” would not require any wall cutting or have any waste. Given that this block has more vertical webs than other ICF and every 6”, I guess I am concerned that just placing the doors/windows on the plans at an outside dimension that is an exact multiple of 6” might result in the cuts being directly at a web locations. Is there an offset or best outside dimension besides the aforementioned (e.g., some integer times 6" plus 3" etc.) to locate the doors/windows using BuildBlock? Thank you!

I think your math is off. The 6" corner returns are 33" and 21", which is 54" or 4.5'. So any building dimension divisible by 4' plus 6" will have no cutting and of course no waste. Any dimension divisible by 6" will have no waste. But I like to put the long returns facing each other. I think trying to read anything into window placement is too much. Most often the centers of openings are shown on the plan, and an even window size will result in an odd measurement from the center. Then different bucks result in different cutting locations in the ICFs. I just get permission to move a doors or window an inch one way or another.

Thank you ICFconstuction, you solved my mystery! The BuildBlock Technical & Installation Manual has a 90 degree corner illustration on page 2 that shows the short external dimension as 22” and the long external dimension as 33”. The illustration also shows the short internal dimension as 10” and the long internal dimension as 21”. This would imply that the block is 12” thick which didn’t make any sense since it is 11” thick.

However, the actual specification for the 90 degree corner on page 9 shows the short external dimension as 21” and the long external dimension as 33”. The actual specification also shows the short internal dimension as 10” and the long internal dimension as 22”. This would correctly imply that the block is 11” thick.

So, as you indicated, the best building outside dimensions (best in the sense of minimum required cutting and waste) are the number of straight sections times 48” (4’) plus 54” (4’ 6”) or simply any dimension divisible by 48” (4’) plus 6”. That was the answer I was expecting, but I couldn’t quite get the BuildBlock Technical & Installation Manual to confirm it because of the erroneous illustration. Thank you!

So why do you like to put the long returns facing each other?

For years I had all the long returns going the same way, clockwise for example. And shorts toward shorts. Then I saw the following video and it made sense. Because then from one course to the next there is 4 web difference, instead of 2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gh3qvSPjW48
But unlike the guy in the video I avoid have a 1 web leftover, even if it means cutting two full blocks.

Makes perfect sense...thank you! Since we are doing the construction drawings using Chief Architect for this client, we have some flexibility with regard to the dimensions. So we wanted use BuildBlock ICF friendly dimensions wherever possible.

Not to complicate things but....keep in mind that EPS shrinks as it ages. The one example that we did that was drawn for full blocks had a couple walls 48.5', which is 11 straights and two corners, right? It came out to 48'5", we lost an 1" which is 1/12" per ICF. Not a problem it the truss manufacturer does a field visit.

A good point, but we are quite familiar with this shrinkage effect from using Nudura. We always take intermediate measurements when laying the courses and we always take final measurement prior to placing the truss order. The vertical TF system does not have this issue since there is some tolerance in the vertical channels.

Although this is a few months old, I will add a few cents: BB is a 2lb density and in close to 150 ICF projects, we have had one, (1), block failure resulting in a blowout on an 8 inch block. An integral web broke, which was a manufacturing defect. Also, the BuildBlock utilizes a thickened web section, seen on the blocks as the BB point, and it is about twice as thick, and thus, screw pull out/spin out is less if you are careful, and this point is where we attach braces and reinforcement to walls. Also great for cabinet installs after rocking. Measuring up from the floor, the first point is 4 inches, and then every 8 inches on center, 6 inches on center moving left or right.

One tip about BB corners: We have found that using a long zip tie in the corners as we go up will prevent the possible lift of a block, and the potential of kicking a corner out of square during pours. That said, I have never had a corner failure and have never had to scab a corner with plywood as I see others do where the blocks are not as rigid.

Good point. Most ICF block systems require or recommend using clips or ties because of block float issues. BB does not recommend clips or ties which saves some block assembly time. BB has been by far the strongest block we have experienced thus far. The closer 6" web spacing also makes for much more confident fiber cement siding installation. The BB points are indeed the best place to fasten the bracing. We prefer real steel bracing (we use the Nudura bracing system) in lieu of 2x bracing systems like Zont & Zonkles to achieve perfectly straight and plumb walls. We also like having sturdy scaffolding and safety railing. Of course, Zont & Zonkles has a way cheaper acquisition cost and is an okay compromise if you can subsequently reuse all the required 2x lumber. On the other hand, one can also purchase real steel bracing and then resell it if one is only doing one job. Anyhow, that's our 2 cents on BB now that we have tasted it!

It was 2 months ago, but Smartwall mentions the $CDN exchange rate in this thread. I'm building in Montana (south of Missoula) and we have been working with Quadlock. Their quote was lower than Nudura(also made in Canada).
All of Quadlocks pricing has been in USD, even though the blocks are coming from Vancouver, BC.
Can those of you experienced in this help me understand whether my quote is fair? My quote is $8.20 for a pair of 12 X 48 panels(making a 4 ft-sq block) and $1.00 per tie. So, overall I am at $12.20 for 4 square feet, or $3.05 per square foot.
Sailaway, maybe you can chime in on the BB estimate you got.