Switched to ICF blocks on my last build in Denver and the difference was night and day

I did a custom home last year with traditional stick framing, then another one this spring with ICF blocks from the same architect. The big difference was soundproofing - the ICF house cut out almost all the street noise from Colfax Avenue. It added about $8,000 to the material cost but the homeowners said their heating bill dropped 30% in the first winter. Has anyone else tried ICF on a project and seen similar results?

3 comments

3 Comments

tessa39413d ago

Read a case study from a builder association that tracked ICF homes over five winters and the energy savings held steady at around 25 percent. The thick foam and concrete do an amazing job keeping the indoor temp stable without the HVAC cycling constantly. Did you notice any issues with moisture management in that Denver climate?

spencer_moore3913d agoMost Upvoted

Yeah, I used to be skeptical about ICF but this kind of sold me.

white.alex13d ago

I was totally in the same boat honestly. I remember reading about ICF a couple years back and thinking it was just another fad that builders pushed to make more money. But after talking to a neighbor who built with it in Wisconsin and seeing their utility bills stay flat during those brutal polar vortex weeks, I started coming around. The way it holds steady without the furnace kicking on every fifteen minutes is pretty wild, especially in a dry climate like Denver where swings can be huge.