Why You Should Use Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF) for Basement Construction

ICF (Insulated Concrete Forms) are a fairly new concept to the general public and concrete contractors alike. Quite simply, they are stiff, hollow foam forms that fit together like a puzzle to create basement walls. Once they are fitted together, concrete is poured inside the foam forms. Although there are still contractors who know nothing about ICF, they hold many benefits over the use of the standard poured concrete, or masonry block basement walls.

Cost
The cost of ICF is fairly price competitive with poured concrete walls. Although ICF is initially a little more expensive, the amount of money saved on energy consumption is greatly reduced. Simply, ICF completely insulates the basement, which is where heat escapes most in a house. This keeps energy costs very low.

Comfort
ICF basements are surrounded on the inside and out with thick foam. These basements feel completely different from any standard poured concrete basement. With concrete alone, moisture is allowed to seep in and create a mildew and moldy smell over time. ICF basements will literally never have this problem. Moisture just cannot get through the foam walls. The added comfort of the ICF makes finishing a basement much more pleasant.

Energy Consumption
Some people only think of money when talking about the amount of energy ICF basements save. Other people realize the amount of energy and natural resources they will save by insulating their basement. When heat doesn’t escape, there is no need to run the furnace, heat pump, stove, or geothermal system. Saving electricity and natural resources is just one step you can take to help the earth live for your grand-children’s children.

Ease of Finishing
Now a days, finishing the basement is becoming more and more popular. When people need or want to add to the square footage of their house, finishing the basement is by far the most cost effective method. When using standard concrete poured basements, the only way to finish the walls and add drywall is to bolt studs to the concrete. Then you are able to screw the drywall to the studs. ICF basements are much different. You can screw drywall directly to the foam forms. This saves a lot of time, energy, and money. There is no need to buy extra lumber for studs and nail them to the walls. The foam acts like a stud all around the basement.

When researching ICF basement walls, I found them to be very beneficial compared to all other options. However, when I called various contractors, only a few knew what I was talking about. Actually, out of the 5 contractors I called: 3 had never heard of ICF, 1 said he thought he’d heard of it but didn’t think it was a good option, and only one quoted me a price. I found that either they had never heard of the product, wanted to discourage me since they didn’t offer the service, or raved about how wonderful it was. A word to the wise, when researching Insulated Concrete Forms, make sure to call several different contractors until you are sure you have an expert in the area. Insulated concrete forms are the next generation of basements.