I am in n/w NC mountains and am considering using Superior pre-cast wall system with the Sips system. I am familiar with Superior Walls as I used to be in the foundation water proofing business and was/am impressed with them. There is a Sips home being built close by at the moment that has used the styro-formed concrete wall system. It seems like a good choice but I cant get my mind around the plastic that goes through ------ side to side for lateral support. It seems to me that this would be a great place for moisture to penetrate, maybe not but as I said I just cant get around that yet. My question is,, which system has the most praise by builders not only for speed but also for quality? I plan on finishing my basement and do not want any moisture problems. Seems almost every basement in my area leaks (mainly because of out of date building practises and poor performance of sub-contractors). I appreciate any help or advise on the subject. Thank you in advance and I see this (Site) is going to be an awesome tool in this building process.

B-Edwards
There are many systems out there which are great but it mostly boils down to the installer and how well he does his job.
One of the systems to look at would be www.hobbsbuildingsystems.com.

No doubt, B-Edwards, you WILL be getting all of the advice, and material recommendations that you can handle.

I think that I can safely say that you will not have leakage problems with virtually any PROPERLY INSTALLED ICF system. "Proper installation" obviously includes an effective exterior waterproofing product.

In regard to brands, you might want to check out TF the original "Vertical" ICF system. It, like most "block" ICF systems, provides you with a well insulated concrete wall, of uniform thickness throughout. It also offers, as do some "blocks", the option of having various thicknesses of foam, both on the inside and the outside of the wall, along with some other unique benefits.

Also, SIPs can be a great choice for roof systems with ICF walls, depending upon the complexity of the design, and whether or not vaulted ceilings or conditioned attic spaces are desirable. However, it sounds like you're only considering using ICF's for your basement, with SIPs for above grade walls, and that works well also.

In any event, good luck with your project, whatever building approach, and products, that you decide on.

I have used Superior walls on two projects, and while the product appears to OK, I would not recommend it over ICFs for a couple reasons. First, I worry about the fact that the individual panels are only with a single bead of 'caulking', which is supposed to be waterproof for the lifetime of the product. And secondly, I was instructed by the mfgr/installer that the concrete exterior skin is 'waterproof' by itself, and required no waterproofing/drainage other than the drain tile that they installed in the stone base that the walls set on. Being something of a belt and suspenders type, I went ahead and used my normal below grade waterproofing techniques on their walls, which really irrated the Superior people, who said I didn't trust their engineering and warranty. They were right. Needless to say, my opinion is somewhat tainted by the suppliers' attitudes and actions. However, I still believe the ICF system is superior to Superior. BTW, in the 15 years I have been building ICF basements, not one leak.

Thanks for the replies guys. When I had my foundation water proofing business the first wall I water proofed was a Superior wall. We sprayed tuff-n-dry and used 3/4 fiberglass board with it. I made a deal with the fellow I sold out to that I would be able to use the system myself when I build. Whatever system I use it will get a coat of tuff-n-dry and atleast 1 inch board. The icf is new to me and one thing that bugs me is the plastic that goes Through  the concrete to hold the forms in place. Could water not penetrate this? How do you apply a water proofing to an ICF? Isn't the foam in the way? I am going to try and get down to Lake Norman and look at Brawlers basement. Also the house that being built close to me has also used icf so I can take a closer look at it. I think the reason I am sold on Superior is I have it to compare to the horrible block work done in my area. There are a few masons who do great work but they are now the exception in my area. I really appreciate you fellows giving advice about this. There are so many ways to judge a product and it is very hard without other perspectives. Thanks again.

Wes I wanted to ask if you know a fellow named Joe Ward. I met him a few years ago at a 75th id ww2 re-union. My son and myself took our neighbor who had never been and we meet this fellow from Murry KY. Seems like he was in banking before he retired. One very ,very ,very nice fellow who we all owe for his service in the Bulge.

Wes,
I have Superior Walls in my own home and when it was being installed, they used sealant in the middle of the panels where 2 panels join, also on the outside and on the inside of the seam. I'm surprised that your installation only had 1 bead of sealant total. Also their literature mentions that the foundation is dampproof, not waterproof.

I found this right out of some info. that they had given me, because I was questioning it too. "Such procedures as specifying a minimum compressive strength of 5000 pounds per square inch on the concrete, keeping the water to cement ratio at or below 0.40, the use of a superplasticizer (high range water reducer), 6% air-entrainment, the use of steel and fibrous reinforcement to reduce cracking, and controlling the temperature and humidity during initial curing all contributes to these dampproofing qualities."

Additional waterproofing is always a good idea no matter what foundation system you go with... better safe than sorry. I didn't do any additional waterproofing on the exterior of my foundation, but had the excavator backfill with sand and he also ran a drain tile that auto drains (sump pump doesn't have to run) to a creek behind the house... I have a daylight basement and the grade naturally slopes down towards the creek.

With a properly waterproofed ICF wall, the water should never get to the concrete or plastic ties. The standard ICF waterproofing practice around here is to apply a 60 mil thick peel-n-stick ruberized membrane over the outer ICF foam and apply a compatible mastic material at all seams and edges of the membrane. This membrane extends from above grade to over the top edge of the footing. Then either a backfill protection board or dimpled membrane is applied over that to protect the waterproof coating and provide a drainage path to the footing drains so that hydrostatic pressure doesn't build up against the waterproof coating. Other options I've seen around here are spray on waterproof coatings that go directly on the foam. I will be using the 60 mil thick peel-n-stick myself.