Oregon Coast GreenBlock®  Insulating Forms for
ICF Residential and Commercial Construction 

GreenBlock®  ICFs  provide a lightweight, high-strength alternative to using steel or wood frame for any of your commericial or residential building construction needs.  There are a few significant reasons why I prefer GreenBlock®  ICF over other types of ICF.  They are more user friendly.  There are fewer blow-outs in the concrete pour due to closer bonding joints. They have more rebar per square foot making it a stronger build. 

With the 6" instead of 8" spacing to the center, I can testify that I have found far fewer problems with cement blowouts, bulges and wavy walls (as the GreenBlock® website claims www.GreenBlock.com) because the foam is better supported with that spacing. 

 
What are ICFs? 

Insulating Concrete Forms: Picture Legos of many sizes and shapes.  Now think of these "legos" as large, white, hollow foam blocks braced together with horizontal plastic webbing reinforcement.  Once these "legos" are stacked together at appropriate heights, lengths, and depths according to the building perimeter specs and reinforced with rebar (steel bars used to strengthen concrete structures), they are filled in with concrete.  So you end up with styrofoam  (specifically Expanded Polystyrene) or the inside and out (creating continuous excellent insuallation) and steel and concrete in the middle (creating supherb strength)... altogether creating a structure that is more air-tight than any wood frame house could ever be.  The picture to the left was taken from GreenBlock.com.

Let Troyer Construction, LLC. help you figure out the parts and pieces of your ICF GreenBlock home.                                 With many years of experience in this material, it would be our pleasure to figure out the details and place your order for your energy efficient dream home.                            503-377-2013

The Perks: 

EnergyEfficient


Energy efficiency is what we at Troyer Construction, LLC really brag about when dealing with ICF block homes...and with the statistics we'll show you it's obvious why.

Homes built with ICF require an estimated 44% less energy to heat and 32% less energy to cool than comparable wood frame houses.* And structures built with the proper of windows, doors, HVAC systems, and methods, generally accomplish at least a 50% savings in heating and cooling. And in some cases, depending on the area and climate, homeowners experience as much as an 80% decrease in energy use and costs.*Portland Cement Association, Technology Brief 1

How would you like to spend a little bit more up front to save a lot in the long run?  So many people don't think about the little details that can save them tremendously for years to come.  With the costs of energy rising, you as a home builder customer would be wise to consider these things.  That you are even visiting this site shows that you are thinking ahead and I wholeheartedly applaud your efforts.  It is a decision that you won't regret as you see from month to month your energy savings and as you feel the comfort of your nicely sealed home.  The picture above and the picture just below are also taken from GreenBlock.com.



  Comfort

With ICFs the temperature of your home remains noticeably more stable than a traditional stick-frame home. The windows you choose could have an impact on that, but when you are clever enough to choose ICF, you are clever enough to choose good windows as well.  These types of homes are great for everyone.  No more awful drafts for the grandparents, less noise even in the city, less exhorbitant heat and cooling bills for the monthly budget, less mold and fungus and airborne allergenics for those with allergies.  Can you imagine the health benefits?  There is so much that people don't think about when designing their home.  They don't always realize that the same "look" can be achieved with a much better "feel" when dealing with an ICF home.  The black webbing that you can see on the picture at the top of this page allows for different materials to be attached to the block without fear of damaging or breaking the styrofoam.  Again, the picture to the right was taken from, you guessed it, GreenBlock.com.   Troyer Construction is a qualified distributer and would love to help you get all the answers you need for this amazing product.  Give us a call at 503-812-0460.

Air Quality

ICF walls reduce air infiltration by 75%: The effects of airborne allergies can be minimized as a direct result of the air-tight features that ICF offers- blocking airflow from the walls that would normally bring all kinds of airborne pollutants.  Allergies seem to be becoming more and more prevelant as air pollution rises.  Why not make your home as safe an environment for family and friends as possible?  Why not enjoy the benefits available?

ICF walls are non-toxic  -in case you were wondering. The measurement of air contents of actual ICF houses shows an almost complete absence of any emissions. Think about it- airtight, non-toxic... GreenBlock is even made with recycled material.  It's a great product for our planet and a great product for you!    
      

  Quieter

ICF homes provide unparallelled noise reduction. Do the research and you'll find that ICF walls allow less than one-third as much sound to pass through than regular frame walls. That's a huge difference, and my family as well as my customers will all testify to the truth of it.  Of course we can't personally say "Oh, only 1/3 of the noise comes through."  That'd be ridiculous.  What we can say is that there is an extremely obvious difference and that it is so much quieter than it used to be and that experts in energy auditing have actually tested it and can attest to the truth of it.  Living on a busy street is not near as bothersome... it's barely noticeable.  How luxurious is that?  In a world full of noise, you can come home to a safe haven where you can just rest.  

You also don't have to worry about an obnoxious neighbor playing the stereo too loud at night and waking the baby or the light sleeper.  Well, let's not exagerate... some neighbors are just that obnoxious.  With ICF block homes, they won't nearly be as obnoxiously obnoxious.  You may even stay on friendly relations.  Something else you could consider is that YOU won't be as obnoxiously obnoxious to your neighbors if YOU like playing your music loud.


 Affordable
Building with Insulating concrete forms cost a little more up front — about 3-5% on average — than stick-frame construction, but there is huge savings in energy, interest, insurance, and maintenance costs.  When you add to that your resell value, you are in such a great position financially.  In that sense, ICF homes are actually more affordable than wood construction.

How much does an ICF house cost?*
Typical new U.S. homes cost $80-130 per square foot. Building walls of ICFs adds between $1.00-$4.00 to this figure. But since ICF houses are more energy-efficient, the heating and cooling equipment can be smaller than in a frame house. This can cut the cost of the final house by an estimated $.75 per square foot. So the net extra up front cost is about $.25-$3.25 per square foot.
 

Increased Home Value
Even if you are not planning on staying in your home for more a than few years, a recent study conducted for the EPA Energy Star Homes Program concludes that home value increases by about $20 for every $1 reduction in annual utility bills. This means you can profit by investing in energy efficient homes even if you're uncertain about how long you might stay in the home. Visit the Residential Energy Service Network (Resnet) website for more details.

Insurance Savings
Because ICFs are included in the masonry construction class, they qualify for a lower premium than a home in the traditional wood frame class.  Think about it- lower chances of fire damage in concrete vrs wood.  Lower chance of rot damage and all kinds of "natural" disasters. (Check with local agents for availability and awareness of ICF structure discounts in your area.)

Mortgage Qualification
Because of the proven energy savings, certain mortgage companies offer "Energy Efficient Mortgages" which are home mortgages which take into consideration what the buyer saves in energy costs. This allows you to qualify for a higher quality home for your mortgage payment. It is better explained on "Resnet"s website, but hopefully you get the idea.