My wife and I (mid-60's) stated an ICF house 2 years ago. It's half done and we are living in it. I've been in construction all my life and have built several framed houses. We love our ICF house. I would never go back. Plus, at our age, I will never build again anyway. This is our forever house. Cheers, from Canada.

We built an ICF house 17 years ago and just love it. Our heating cost as less than half of our old house built in the late 60's. Four years ago we put in solar energy, electric bill has been running around $18.00 per month. Back to the house, we built every wall in the house with no experience in building an ICF home. I had some some wiring before and found it easier in the ICF home. The only thing I think you are missing in cost , is the cost of rebar in your concrete.

Great video buddy ! I have installed ICF's since 1996. I have personally experienced or heard directly from my many customers (now friends) everything you talk about here.

Another thing to add is the chemicals - and how materials used in today’s construction is almost like hazard waste vs old way of stone and timber buildings .. we fill out homes with so much unhealthy “stuff” - not realizing how it may be impacting our homes. I am learning more about natural & healthier ways of building homes - and when driving around you see homes so cheaply made - especially with the lumber prices going up - and demand for homes - people are cutting corners.. thank you for a great video ! Numbers were great for an overall point - somethings may have been missed like rebar etc but the main point is VERY informative - I hope we can look back and understand how old way of building homes started with picking the right spot - energetically - avoiding geopathic& grid crossings etc .. then specific materials used to leverage and spread the positive energies.. thank you again for a great video !!

I love seeing the difference in production values between older channels and newer ones like yours. I love how you've used absolutely simple side by side comparison to do the talking.

Excellent video..thank you! Even if an ICF home costs more to build, look at what you're ending up with...A SOLID CONCRETE HOME with great r values all the way around! It's a MUCH STRONGER house with a much greater chance of surviving really bad storms with high winds. Everyone has their thoughts and opinions on ICF but I'm with you...for ME...it's a NO BRAINER! Great video!❤️🎉

Just commencing our house build, first intended to commence last summer, permitting delays prevented a start before winter, then materials cost hit. We just made the decision to switch to ICF construction 2 weeks ago. I could still build conventional framing for a little less, but I refuse to build with OSB at $50/ sheet.

Excellent video. Thank you for the detailed and clear explanation. Definitely going ICF for my next and final house. Subscribed.

Agree with most of your points. 👍🏻 A closer to apples to apples comparison would use the same thickness and type of insulation outside of the sheathing. That was my plan for my personal build, but I’ve gone to ICF.

Wow!!! What a great video!!! $187 vs. $192. And less labor with ICF, better insulation, stronger house, and lower insurance.

No brainer. Thank you for putting real pricing on this analysis, hardly anyone does that. Also because when you call or email an ICF supplier, you have to beg them to get pricing based on the amount of material you need, they always want to see plans... I get that every state has different costs, but at least your viewers can get a ballpark and a proper comparison. Here in NY costs are a little higher than what you mentioned and an ICF crew is more difficult to find than everywhere else, but the comparison between the two systems is still valid. Cheers.

Brilliant, good job, very informative

Nicely done! Well thought out video, thanks.

Cool and timely video. Putting up a small in-law house on our property. Got my bid for lumber back and freaked out at $50 for 7/16 OSB. Strongly considering ICF at this point.

I like the cost breakdown of the different 4' x 8' walls. Thanks for the analysis; it was informative.

I have to say again that this is the best ICF video ever made. Super job, and you are so humble about it! Thank you from my wife Pernille and I both. She loves thick walls with wide window sills. Liked and subscribed!

You forgot the pumping of the concrete, rebar, wider footings and temporary bracing on an ICF wall. I still favor ICF and have built a State Museum out of ICF about a decade ago. Also even though I'm an old 67 year old Construction Worker I'd rather deal with light ICF and the rebar than standing another wood framed wall.

VERY well done!!! Great work

BRAVO - A NATURAL PRESENTER. WELL DONE FROM ALL THE WAY FROM IRELAND.

This was great - thank you.

Excellent information!

This video answered my question. Thank you!

I'm an Electrician living in Eastern Oregon. I am pursuing an ICF Build for my Wife and I.. Thanks for the Video

Awesome explanation. I can see why you’re passionate about it. It really should be adopted in the construction industry as a standard. If that were to happen prices for icf would drop and the cost could be a non issue.

Great informative video that so many are looking for without a whole bunch of unnecessary chatter. Wish we had someone to do that up here in Canada.

Well done video! Thanks

Great video and analysis Thank you

Thank you so much for making this video!!!. I am an architect/builder and I have been saying this for years for the long-term costs of the traditional stick-frame home versus the quality and performance of ICF. Now with the scandalous rise in the cost of milled soft lumber, you are showing that the initial up-front costs are about the same. IMO, construction lumber costs are NOT coming down significantly for some time, if ever. What commercial product, especially one that is actually the end product of a global supply chain ( most construction lumber does NOT come from the US), has EVER come down? I have subscribed, liked, and shared!

I can't imagine that folks are still building when the lumber cost are through the roof. A wise man would delay building untill the cost normalized, or search for an alternative material, and ICF does indeed look a lot more attractive at this time. By the way, you did a great job showing the difference!

Gr8 Video Brother, I built ICF 6yrs ago and I love it. My biggest concern today is ... what is the latest regarding how BEST to handle bug and termite control these days. We are designing our retirement home now for Charlotte, NC area and I'm looking for the very best mitigation of bugs crawling inside between foam and concrete! I PERSONALLY removed all traces of wood on the property and foundation... and spent a great deal with Permatreat to soak soil before pouring concrete ... and I pay for regular treatments of soil and home for bugs. I want ICF for the new design but am looking for the VERY BEST practice!

Fantastic video!

This video was very much needed! I found out about ICF a while ago and had long set my mind up on wanting it for my home. I dont see myself paying for a wood framed home because the locations my family and I "plan" to settle down in have either hurricanes or tornadoes. So we'll be needing both the strength and efficiency of ICF.

thank you for the info really helps.

Greatings Aaron, great video👍. In the video, it missing a material, Steel Rod to support that interior wall. That will make the cost much higher. By the time of the video and end of the year, prices will raise even more. Also, there are few house plans for that material type, which will increase the cost to update plans. Thank you, keep videos coming. Sincerely, 😎Mr. Villalba 🇵🇷

I totally agree with everything you said here and I am very happy you made this video as I just had this argument with a friend about this exact thing.. As far as lumber costs going down, I am truly wondering if it ever will. When concrete more than doubled in cost almost 20 years ago, it was all about the cost of fuel, (THEY SAID)... Fuel came way down and the cost of crete never did. Right now I see bog box has little lumber and prices are INSANE!! BUT,, there is a mill in Tampa that I pass once a month or so and they have a huge yard FULL of PT. (They specialize in treating lumber). 2 by and stockade fencing. Before this I NEVER saw anywhere near the amount of lumber in their yard. EVER!!! If you ask me, this is more of the BIG BOX screwing us to the wall.... For prices to come down it is going to take builders to shut down or we are going to have to come together with a buyers union. This is exactly why I HATE (BIG BOX)..... They set the prices on everything in their stores.

Thank you; my wife & I just bought a lot in the Huntsville,TX area, & looking to build our forever home in a few years. I grew up living in cinder block houses in Jamaica where there’s multiple hurricanes every year, & they withstood it all. While TX my not see so many hurricanes…it’s prone to other natural disasters too. Other areas of concern are fire, high summer temps, humidity , & flooding. Cinder block or ICF has a higher thermal mass than a wood structure; with higher energy efficiency our overall utility cost will be much lower

here in aus,started in sweden,ish,60 yrs ago,,we use hebel panels. in place of brick,fixed to steel or timber frames,, its sound proof,& insulation. & damn quik to build. also good for floors,lower or upper..

Thank you for that information, great vid

One more huge benefit is longevity - these walls may last twice as long. A woodframe home wall structure is very roughly designed to last about 50 years, whereas the concrete in an ICF structure would last much longer - I would say 100 years is a reasonable assumption. And, the foam itself should last well as it is not subject to rot on insect damage, and next to the concrete, and covered under ext and int. walls - I will say it will last similar to the concrete - say 100 years. Additionally, being more resistent to fire and wind damage also suggests and longer possible longevity. Note that the many other building systems will be similar in longevity to a frame home.

Great video!

ICF more often than not has a slightly higher initial cost, however it is probably the most energy efficient system going. For several reasons. The main reason in my opinion because of the concrete pouring, although it is normally done a floor at a time, it becomes a monolithic structure eliminating any draughts through the walls, the joints between the windows and walls can very easily be super sealed against air flow, making the structure super air tight even after years of settling.

Thanks for this info. My build is starting next year and I think ICF is what I want to do. You are right, right now it is a no-brainer. I am trying to figure out a lumber cost to where it makes sense to go that route.

Excellent!! Thank you!!

I'm a big ICF fan. I ran the numbers like you and ICF was not a huge premium even with lumber prices from two years ago. Rather than looking at reduced HVAC costs, I look at it like less solar required to be grid independent because my goal is to build a house with minimum expense after it's built. In my desert location, water is the only utility bill I can't really eliminate, property tax is my only exposure to Uncle Sam and a broadband connection is the only luxury I want to maintain. I'm pretty sure I can skip homeowners insurance because high winds, asteroids and planes falling out of the sky are about the only things that can damage it so liability is my main risk. If I can get a cheaper umbrella policy, I'll go with that. I think the idea of ICF only adding a few percent to the resale value is underestimating it. I plan to live in the house I build pretty much until I die, hopefully for 40-50 years. A stick built home at 50 years is going to be showing its age, probably ready for it's third roof and maintenance will be a fairly regular thing. An ICF house with a standing seam steel roof might be ready for it's second roof at 50 years depending on how humid and wet the environment is. Plumbing and electrical might be ready for a re-do or maybe not if you planned well and used quality materials but the structure below the roof is going to be solid for 200+ years if the roof and exterior envelope are maintained fairly well. At the 50 year mark, the ICF home is just breaking in while some people see a wood framed house as near end of life. That has to translate in to value. One thing I'm considering is galvanized rebar so the reinforcement won't rust away as quickly. That might turn a 2-300 year house in to a 500+ year house. I have to weigh the extra centuries against the chance that someone will want to cut up and remodel my house at some point but I don't think people will be so different in 500 years that what I need now won't work for them. Looking at the environmental aspect of building a house, amortizing the impact over 500 years of use makes things like the "carbon footprint" look miniscule compared to other building methods and will create a nice legacy for me. One thing I don't see in a lot of houses (and ICF houses are no exception) is optimizing the space inside the house so every cubic foot is utilized, access panels and mechanical plenums to allow repair or wholesale replacement of plumbing and wiring without disturbing the interior finishes too much. Nobody seems to design their plumbing and electric to work with their structure, it's all afterthought and drilling holes through structural members. Not even pre-fab panelized buildings get it right. Doing all of it right will result in a smaller building that lives bigger, with HVAC expenses reduced even more than an average design built with outstanding materials. The exterior finish (stucco for me) will last longer because the monolithic concrete structure underneath will be so stiff that the building walls will never move. Ultimately it should be so low maintenance that time between major repairs/maintenance should be measured in decades. How do you put a price on that?

great video! you might consider redoing this video once a year as prices change

I have a 3400 square foot ICF house in North Carolina with a gas tankless hot water heater. I've been in the house for 8 years and love it. My power bill this month is $102. Needless to say I love it.

Appreciate the comparison but you did not include the price of rebar and lumber for window/door bucks, or seem reinforcement. That does not add a huge cost but still appreciable. Love your channel content! Keep the great videos coming. 👍

Also please do a comparison on dimensional lumber, vs, i-beam and poured floor construction

Thank you 🙏🏻

We built a Blue Maxx ICF home in 1998, still living here. LOVE IT.... Will never live in a NON ICF again. There's no comparison. Even if it was 2X the cost it's worth it.

u great man, thats what we want to know: price first, than options according to budget...or we go back to cob buildings...

Excellent video. Just a heads up, I think you missed the cost of rebar and bracing.

Greetings from Europe! Would be amazing if you could do a long video comparing ALL the main construction methods for houses like stone, brick, steel, timber frame, sip, icf, concrete (pre cast, cast on site), various panelling,aerated concrete et etc. Imagine you’re someone that doesn’t know anything about building houses, having a video explaining all these methods would be so valuable to so many people. Right now I have to piece everything together myself…there is NO KZfaq video explaining this. Like why is it that most houses in U.K. are made of brick, US houses made of wood frame and developing countries from hideous looking massive concrete blocks. Never understood this, have to piece all this myself. If you do a well researched video on all main house construction methods in the world, explaining geographic differences for example, I think it would become the most watched construction video on KZfaq!

clear story, thanks

Subbing for the great info on price. Tried to contact a local supplier and he wouldn't tell me anything. Wanted to get blueprints before he'd tell me the cost of the blocks. I oversaw an ICF build after the pour and it was easy to work with. Drywalling was a breeze.

I love my icf cabin. Only way to go

Could you make a video giving a cost analysis of the difference in price for a traditional formed Foundation vs icf foundation

Loved this - really good insights. Question: did you include rebar - or is that not used in your market? Also - is there additional waterproof costs involved with the ICF to consider?

Wow. I First Over Looked ICF Because It's Substantially More Expensive Then Cheap 2x4 Construction... But Then I Started Learning About R Valves And Efficiency etc. Then It Changed To 2x6 Construction With Closed Cell Foam Cavity Insulation And Exterior Insulation etc. That Narrows The Price Between ICF Even Before The Lumber Spike. Now It's Like The Same Price For Near Passive House Performance.

Gotta put some rebar in that crete. It won't add much to the cost for that 4x8 section but overall that bar will add up

We are doing an DIY ICF build and my wife and I are not young. Even with her arthritis she can pick and stack ICF blocks and the fiberglass rebar we are using. We stacked the walls and hired them filled. Now we have to buy the floor joist and decking before we stack the next level.

You're pretty sharp man

great content, & i'll be watching for more from ya. about elec... a few others i've been learning from noted that an electrician familiar with ICF installs should actually be slightly less expensive, cause they know how much faster & easier the job is when they don't need to pre-drill holes everywhere, manage wire kinks, etc. ...not that it's much % of overall cost savings on the build, as you mentioned, but it's somethin.

You did forget the cost of the rebar, and also the cost of the closed-cell foam. 3" of closed-cell will be R21 + the R 3.6 of the Zip board which is R 0.6 more than the R24 of the ICF On studies when the outside temperature is 30 dg. it takes about two to three hours to penetrate a framed wall; an ICF wall takes about TWO DAYS thanks to the thermal mass of the concrete. Also with ICF, besides all the good things you said, there is no rot, no air leakage, no noise, no bugs, and if a car hits your house, most likely would not enter the living room. ICF, and for me is NUDURA; more options, more support, and 1/3 of the cost on shipping. In my project, Foxblock will require a 53' container, Nudura, a 16' box truck.

Great video. Loved seeing the comparison. I am planning on building ICF in the future. Are you planning a video explaining roofing options?

Im a retired custom Design Build Contractor that also built ICF. My experience was that if the house was it least 1800 sqft of living area the cost was the same. at thats building to the square (edge of roof).

Just my thoughts here. I’m building a Fox Block ICF just west of Springfield 30 miles. I have a lot of corners, over 30. Some other cost are rebar or Helix which is what I used. Clips, foam and screws. My basement has 8” blocks (more concrete) and the main floor is 6” blocks. Joist hangers, I used Watkins. Waterproofing has a cost, I used Rub R Wall. Wall bracing rental, and walk boards, you must finish with a plumb wall. I wish concrete was that cheap, in Aurora, 3500 psi with pebble rock cost me $140/yd, Kay Concrete. A big cost is a pumper truck which is a must have, I use Bundage Bone which I am very pleased with but they cost money. All the windows and doors need rebar around them even when using Helix. I think your correct that the cost of ICF is good vs wood. I’m building the walls myself which is a huge savings. Since the home is so airtight you need fresh air, an ERV is a must have I’m going with Zehnder but there are some cheaper systems.

I live on the fringe of Tornado Alley in Arkansas. We’re looking for good land to invest in to build a custom home eventually. We know we want high R values, Solar/Battery backup so the smaller HVAC needs, durability, quietness means ICF is my personal favorite. Just need to find a builder comfortable with building with ICF.

I'm in the process of planning a ICF home. I intend on going from the foundation (8" concrete core wall below grade) to the roof (6" concrete core wall above ground). I also want to use Lite Deck in my garage & stoop to utilize the space below. I'm interested in the your input on the transition details of these 3 components (8" wall, Lite Deck & 6" wall). I would like to use Lite Deck for my back deck also & skip the wood. A video on this subject would be great.

I'd love to see an update on this based on current conditions

Great video. Covers ICF vs frame lumber material cost and touches on labor and long term cost of ownership. Nailed it! Gotta say my WTF moment was glancing at your electrical breaker set up 🧐

I may have missed it but I think you forgot to include rebar in the cost for the ICF build. Regardless, I think I would still prefer ICF.

ICF looks like the way to go. I'd go with that and probably brick on the outside just for that extra layer of durability. Stucco looks good as well, but I'm just not sure about long term care and maintenance of it. With ICF and really good windows, you can have an extremely energy efficient house. My next question would be "what about the roof?" Does anyone have any recommendations on a roof concept that doesn't make it the glaring weakness in the design? Is a high angle roof less prone to storm damage? I've seen a product that looks like Spanish tile but it is an engineered product and designed to withstand strikes from large hail. It also has a significant warranty. Does having the roof lined with solar panels help reduce the heating of the roof due to the solar panels taking the direct hit from the sun instead of the shingles/tile? Any recommendations for preventing heat buildup in upper floors and vaulted ceilings? Trying to figure out how to close that one gap.

What about the labor to frame up and insulate a wood wall versus stacking blocks and trimming. It probably wouldn't add up to too much difference but seems like it would favor ICF.

Great info. Glad you covered rebar in comments. If we build a single storey would 4 inch blocks suffice?

You ought to speak to the DIY'ability of each system as well. With construction labor costs so high and labor in such high demand, I suspect there is a growing segment that is looking at building the house themselves.

Two quick questions don't you need a moisture barrier on the outside and the inside of this and you can attach most siding to it I'm assuming wood or vinyl or stucco

Good information ... but ... If you add the ZIP tape into the calculation, please add the rebars into the calculation also. Thank you for the information.

Bracing, scaffolding, and plywood to protect from blow out,

Thank you for your video. I see people talk about termite issues with ICF homes. Can you tell me where wood is used in an ICF home (apart from the roof).

You also need to add rebar to the price

ICF prices are also going up ! I am still going to use ICF for my shooting and home as I think it is better for what I am building.

Thanks for the effort and creating this video. I just new in this and was wondering why did you miss three cost of the ICF: 1-cost of the steel rebar which you need. 2- cost of delivering concrete which could be quite expensive. Cost of concrete per yard is around $110 and then they charge $60 for delivering and pumping would be extra. 3- cost of braces whether making or renting.

Great video! What would you estimate all-in price to build a 2000sqft home with this?

For the "shell" of a home build, I'd like to find a "pre-cast" concrete product for residential use. Obviously, there'd need to be metal work for roof, etc. as well. Those buildings seem to be extremely strong, go up fast and need little maintenance! Basically, a building constructed like huge warehouses, but smaller - for living in! The big companies that make those warehouse-building products probably don't bother with the smaller, one-off residential possibilities!

Great video. What’s up with that panel over there?

Great video! I think you missed the rebar. Depending on your seismic zone that wall section will have at least one stick per course, so 24’ horizontal, probably #4 and perhaps 2 or 3 vertical, either #4 or #5. 20’ sticks of #4 are $6-7? So perhaps another $15-20 for a 4X8 wall section... helix(steel micro rebar re-enforcement) mixed in with the CC might also be an option if the local code allows it, but I am not sure of the cost added to the CC. I think the long term heating and cooling are probably it’s biggest advantage. We just moved into ours and it is perhaps the most thermally stable structure I have ever occupied.

Brah is straight up savage! No rebar in ICF!

You left out the cost of rebar for the ICF. I do like building with it! I haven't used Fox blocks. Mostly Integraspec. What height of lift can you pour concrete at with the Fox ? I can do 10' lifts with the Integraspec easily. Do the fox blocks come with pre formed corners?

What about the steel rods inside the concrete you didn't mention them

Also need to add rebar costs into the ICF wall

Killer channel. Great comparison. After foundation installed, how long should I expect a competent crew to erect and pour 2 (22x50) rectangular buildings with 16ft walls. Will need joist hangers as well as roughly 8 windows and 2 sliding doors bucked per building.

You left out rebar and what about the ability to get a termite bond in a southern area?

Great video, thank you. I like that ICF idea , makes sense . Is there a way to get contact s to who can put up a ICF building In Springfield MO area please

You can add a pump truck cost to your ICF pour

You have to look at life cycle costs, not just i itial outlay

Just curious…does the drywall attach directly to the form on the inside and does the siding attach directly to the form on the outside? Or is there another step needed?

Thank you sir for this information! It was very helpful to me! 🙌🏻

very nice cost break down, all asian country use concrete only usa crispy wood

Yes, he forgot to add in the rebar. We are building ICF now and you can’t leave that out of the cost. We are using Nudura which we like better than the ICF blocks he is showing in the video. Nudura has better reinforcements than most all of the other blocks on the market.