Does anyone use Zont bracing? What do you think?

Haven't used it, but after viewing the numerous videos of contractor using it, I'm considering using the system for my upcoming house. I like the idea of the waler setup when adjusting the wall to plumb.

I've used their Fastfoot material for footings and their Fast Tube for columns. Both worked as advertised.

I watched Zont movies a lot then I designed my own devices and I built them with a welder, some steel and a 5/8 turnbuckels from www.princessauto.com.

Result is good. I spent almost $2.000 for 50 braces and lots of time.

But. The wood that is used is really a problem. I spent lots of time to find stright lumbers. Walls are 10ft. I used presure treated 2by6s. The lumber was curving to the sun. I was installing the bracing. It was a problem if it stays more than 2 days under sun.

They were heavy with lumber.

It was time consuming process.

The only thing that is usefull was they can be used in very narrov areas.

If I do it again I will definitlly use real bracing things.

@th Invincible

Same thing I was thinking, the wood would twist and turn on you, screwing your walls up. Might would be fine for 4' walls but no way would I use them for 8' or higher walls!

Hasn't anyone used these?

I used 10' kiln dried SPF 2x4s for my ICF wall bracing and only had bowing issues with 2 out of approximately 40 vertical uprights. And they only bowed inward ~1/4", but I replaced them with true 2x4s prior to the pour. I wouldn't use pressure treated pine though. That is just asking for a crooked piece of lumber as it dries out.

This thread has some photos of my wall bracing: http://www.greenbuildingweb.com/Forums/tabid/53/aff/4/aft/78488/afv/topic/Default.aspx

Not saying your walls are wavy ..... But no pics showing the flatness of walls after the pour.

Keep in mind I work for Fab-Form who manufacture the Zont bracing.
We have sold 15,000 braces over the last two years. We have never had a customer mention wavy walls due to dimensional lumber.
We recommend using the straightest wood possible. However if the wood develops a warp in it, you use the Zuckle wall aligner to straighten the wall. No different than straightening a plywood wall.

Green treated will warp big time, I can't imagine building bracing with it. SPF is much better, I can't see that being an issue.

One concern I have is bracing a horizontal ICF with a horizontal brace. Things in construction are perpendicular to each other, right?

It is too bad a scaffolding bracket is not built in. But I have seen poured wall guys walk the 2x4 walers to work on and pour. Nevertheless I want to try them, if they work like claimed they could do for traditional bracing what ICFs have done for removable wall forms.

I didn't have any waviness in my ICF walls before or afer the pour using my 2x4 bracing.  My basement framing crew commented on how straight and true the walls were.  Below are a couple of pictures of the NE corner of my basement before and after the pour (it is hard to get a decent picture on here due to the forum file size limitations).  My garage slab abuts the E side of basement and the front porch slab abuts the N side of basement is the reason for the protruding rebar.

 

What type of decking did you use? Why is it gray?

Could you show a cross section at joist tie-in at ICF?

1-1/8" Advantech decking. Solid as a rock.

The grey is oil based porch paint. You can see the empty cans sitting by the opening for my stairwell. I knew it was going to take me a while to finish the upper level ICF and get it in the dry, so I painted the decking to help protect it from the elements.

The computer I'm on tonight doesn't have the house photos on it. I'll see if I can find one tomorrow.

My floor trusses are 18" deep 4x2 open web plated trusses on 24" centers. The trusses are top hung and rest on a treated 2x4 that sits directly on the inside edge of the concrete of my basement wall. I made my own taper top forms such that the concrete is flush with the inside edge of the foam at the top of the wall. The treated 2x4 plate is attached to the concrete via 1/2" anchor bolts every 4' and a couple 3/8" beads of construction adhesive. The top chord of the trusses where they rest on the 2x4 plate is a double 2x4. After the trusses were set in place, we came back and filled in between the trusses with 2x4 blocking on top of the treated 2x4 plate so that the floor decking would have continuous support around the outside edges. The voids in the blocking are where the anchor bolts are for the treated plate. I later came back and filled those with canned foam. You will also notice that the floor decking is set back from the end of the trusses and blocking by 1-1/2". After this photo was taken, I came back and installed a layer of 1" thick x 4-1/2" high Type IX EPS foam outside of the trusses and blocking. This was to insulate and keep the trusses and wood blocking from contacting the concrete for the upper wall pour. The 1-1/2" floor decking setback plus the 1" foam provided a step for my upper level ICF forms to set on.

Great idea on the porch paint .... will have to do the same when it comes time for mine.

I take it you did the top hung chord to keep from having to buy expensive LVL rim boards?

Why not use joist hangers like these http://www.lavannicfhangers.ca/simple-installation.htm

http://www.lavannicfhangers.ca/...ochure.pdf

I looked at all of the embedded joist hangers back when I was designing this project. When I changed from 6" core basement wall to 8" core basement wall (due to backfill height concerns on a long 60' wall) and then transitioned to a 6" core wall for the upper floor is when I decided to go with the 2x4 plate and top hung trusses. It just seemed to fit better with the wall thickness transition and allowed the most flexibility in truss location after the pour.

Here are some previous threads on truss/joist hangers that we have had here including one with photos of the top of my basement wall:

http://www.greenbuildingweb.com/Forums/tabid/53/aff/4/aft/44904/afv/topic/Default.aspx

http://www.greenbuildingweb.com/For...fault.aspx

http://www.greenbuildingweb.com/Forums/tabid/53/afv/topic/aff/4/aft/79638/afpg/1/Default.aspx

http://www.greenbuildingweb.com/For...fault.aspx

Posted By ricky_005 on 26 Feb 2014 02:54 PM

Could you show a cross section at joist tie-in at ICF?

Here are a couple of photos.  The the inside of the treated 2x4 plate is flush with the inside of the wall.








The next photo shows after the floor decking was installed, painted, and the 1" EPS foam installed over the ends of the trusses and blocking.  I covered the ends of the truss chords with pieces of flexible flashing and then cut out the foam at this point to insure the concrete abuts the end of each truss top chord for restraint.

May I ask how much your trusses cost per?

@arkie6 What are the horizontal pieces of rebar for that are sticking out of the sides of the ICF wall at the top?

Posted By newbostonconst on 04 Mar 2014 03:33 PM
@arkie6 What are the horizontal pieces of rebar for that are sticking out of the sides of the ICF wall at the top?

I was wondering that too. The rebar with the OSHA approved caps?

Posted By newbostonconst on 04 Mar 2014 03:33 PM
@arkie6 What are the horizontal pieces of rebar for that are sticking out of the sides of the ICF wall at the top?

Those horizontal 2' long pieces of rebar on 16" centers tie in with the rebar and mesh in my garage and front porch slabs.  The other end of those pieces of rebar have a 6" L bend over the horizontal rebar inside the 8" core ICF basement wall.  I wanted to insure that my garage and porch slabs were tied solid to the ICF wall.  The footings for my garage and porch slabs where they abut the ICF wall rest on the same footing as the ICF wall and are also anchored to the ICF wall.  It has been over a year since the garage and porch slabs were poured and I have no cracks or separation of the slabs from the ICF wall.

The following shows the garage and front porch slabs shortly after being poured and more recently after framing was completed:

Posted By ICFconstruction on 04 Mar 2014 03:58 PM


The rebar with the OSHA approved caps?

Yeah, I doubt those would pass inspection.  Fortunately, this is a DIY job out in the sticks where no permits or inspections of any kind are required.  I stuck those plastic water bottles on that horizontal rebar after I hit my head on them when I was back filling under the porch and garage slabs.