Hello, we will be building an ICF home in Eastern Tennessee soon. I have chosen BuildBlock and have gone over all their videos as well as numerous other youtube vidoes. I am a DIY/Prepper. Our current house in Florida had the orange peal sewer pipe collapse shortly after we moved in. With help we installed a new sewer line, connecting it to the main and converted the rest of the house to CPVC. I also upgraded the old electrical service and ran all new wire throughout the house. So I think I can understand the ins and outs of building with ICF but am still apprehensive about doing it myself which is why I am asking for any advice, especially from DIYer that has built their own home. I am sure there are things that you have discovered that I will not find in the videos. I have asked if there is a project that I could help on but no luck. Anyhow thank you for reading and if you can offer any help please send it my way.

Find a local vender to rent the braces and have them on site for the pour. String line all around the top and bottom if needed. If the walls aren't straight when the concrete hardens they will never be straight. Have the vender there with a couple guys the day of the pour.

Look up and know the rebar schedule. We used a thing they called blocklock. It is a wire ladder that is usually used when laying cement block. It really helps to make the layers straight and snaps in place. My guy also had some costume made wire hangers that pulled and held the block layers together as you went. IM me and I can give you his number if you want to by some off him. They can be easily shipped.

My whole wall ended up only 1/2 inch out of level around the whole thing.....Each floor is 3700 SQFT and some walls were 100 feet apart.

newbostonconst thank you for responding. My thought was to have the footing, slab, walls and roof professionally poured as I think those need to be perfect but I hoped to do the rest. I am just starting this, who prepares the rebar schedule? As for the Blocklock I saw something similar but they called it form lock, maybe same. I was going to ask BuildBlock if that could be used on the entire wall. Do you use that only at the top, every course, every other course?? Do the wire hangers keep the blocks together at the vertical or horizontal seams (or both)? Wow that is an awesome house (any pictures)? How did you hang the first floor?

Here is the build pictures.

https://goo.gl/photos/ATo7Lc5yrR4EVwCt8

Most code books now have the rebar schedules in them. What they called Block lock was used on like top and bottom and every ~3 courses if I remember right. It can be purchased locally if you fine the right size.

The hangers grab the webbing of two blocks and pull them together. They are really nice, are made of spring steel and are angled great to snap really tight.

Contact several (not just build block) local ICF suppliers to give you references to the local ICF contractors and talk to them. You can go to their job sites and see how they do it. 

I think those are a good idea and plan to incorporate them in my build.

Posted By OhhhMy on 14 Aug 2017 12:35 AM
I think those are a good idea and plan to incorporate them in my build.

I was pretty much lazer focused on just one maker but I guess they are all basically the same as far as the actual building. Thank you I will contact some others on Monday.

How often is Helix used in ICF? I would think it would reduce labor. I know you still need to use rebar around openings.


http://www.bing.com/search?q=helix+rebar&qs=AS&pq=helix+rebar&sc=8-11&cvid=04FFC4EDF11F4142B703F34909990D8F&FORM=QBRE&sp=1

Has anyone used Plastilock electrical boxes with embedded pvc. Seems this would be the way to go especially looking forward to upgrades. Seems like it would take more planning up front but once it is set up then it would mostly be a matter of stringing the wire or cable?

We just got through our rough electrical inspection and wiring was not that hard. We used a Ryobi pole saw to cut all the runs. Worked great, it is basically a chain saw on a extendable pole that is normally used to trim trees. We tapcon'd the boxes to the concrete with a spacer.

This system you are showing (can't get their videos to work) looks like it will work but there isn't a way to add a circuit to the box later. There are not side knockouts that I can see on the box. Also I don't see how to transition form ICF to stud for interior walls. I am guessing you just leave the conduit hanging out the ICF where the wall will go. Thus, you better not plan on moving any walls later. Most of your walls are going to be interior and that is where most of the wiring will be. I am guessing you would use this for outlets only?

Don't see a great advantage. But is a nice product and would have like to use it but not sure if the ICF guy would have waited for me to run all the boxes. Also can't see how it can be used for exterior outlets and light boxes on the outside walls.

Could not agree more. Find some companies that sell block and contact their installers. Go visit their sites and ask them. Some guys won’t help but others will. I would never recommend a dyi to do their own pour. Pay for a professional to come do a pre-pour inspection and pour with the right equipment. Only get one shot....Most blowouts and errors are just human errors that get missed being excited or in a rush. Be prepared for the worse on pour day and hope for the best. Even the best of us have had issues, you just learn and be proactive.