People like you scare me. At first I was wondering what you could have known that they did wrong. I’m always looking for knowledge and ways to improve something. But then you say something so dumb it’s staggeringz He literally actually said (in case your fucking deaf) that there’s another row of rebar to go in the top, but it’s set aside now to not get in the way of filling the concrete from the pump truck into the cavity. They are putting the rebar at the top on the opposite side in after filling the forms up mostly to the top. So “it should go on the tension side not compression side” well hey ya big dummy, it’s on both. So actually what they did is stronger than what you suggested. Just wow.

Unlike Europe, in North America we have vast forests and wood is a renewable and so more eco friendly and less expensive than concrete. This allows more people to own there own home than Europe where renting seems to be more common. Wood structures do not necessarily blow away in the wind if done right. As a child, I personally rode out Category 5 Hurricane Camille in 1969 in the wood frame house that my father buillt. The eye went over our house which was only one block off the beach and we experienced 200mph (320kph) winds. Many wood structures were leveled but so were many concrete ones. 30 years later, Hurricane Katrina flooded the house to the ceiling and it still stands today. Google "Pass Christian, Mississippi" and you can see pictures of our 1850's era wooden mansions that have survived. Also, I believe the Scandinavian countries build wood homes also. They have forests and the thermal mass of concrete works against you in cold climates. All that said, I plan on building a retirement home with ICF walls to the roof. Easier to get an airtight house than having to deal with sealing and insulating a wooden house.

The tornadoes in US are strong enough to seriously damage even the ICF buildings. Not sure if you noticed, but only the wall are made of poured concrete (within the forms). The ceiling is still made of plywood sheeting over wood joists. In Europe the ceilings are generally concrete. Indeed, concrete deck ceiling can also be done using ICF products, but almost nobody does that.

In Southern Florida the code was changed, now the first floor must be made out of concrete blocks or ICF, and the garage doors must be specially rated fro hurricane-strong winds.

@@bkucinschi Interesting! I didn't know this.

@@bkucinschi Concrete ceilings are a no-brainer IMHO. I don't even hear my neighbors.

Yes, I've seen videos where they forgot to set the anchor bolts.