The Secret is Out About Green Building Contractors

May 11, 2011 - PRLog -- For some reason, this has been a well kept secret.  An increasingly growing contingent of builders have been constructing homes and commercial buildings for several years using a building product that is reported to be the a heavy weight strong reinforced concrete that is encased in a strong light weight expanded polystyrene insulating material.

With the current big "Green Revolution," the material called "Insulating Concrete Forms," (ICFs), has made a phenomenal difference in the quest to build better green and sustainable buildings.  Contractors have introduced building with ICFs into their residential and commercial construction projects.  

SECRET?  Did you know that...

1.  ICFs are like the "underwear" of a building.  The exterior and interior walls are covered as any other construction except that these buildings have an "inner structure" of polystyrene material filled with reinforced concrete.  You cannot tell these ICF built homes or commercial buildings from any other just by looking at the exteriors.

2.  ICF buildings when built correctly withstand severe weather conditions such as severe storms, hurricanes, and tornadoes  There have been entire communities where hurricanes or tornadoes have devastated all buildings but the ICF built homes or commercial buildings are left standing.

3.  If you cannot build new or are not in the market for an entirely new home, you can have an ICF addition, separate ICF exterior building or an ICF safe room built into the basement to keep you and your family safe from severe weather.

4. The federal government has stringent tests that manufacturers of ICF materials have met and/or surpassed. These tests are noise abatement, fire burn time, high wind speed missile and other tests.

5.  Many ICF builders have constructed projects that have received LEED ratings from the U.S. Green Building Council, Energy Star, and other professional rating organizations.  Likewise, many ICF product manufacturers meet or exceed domestic and international building code specifications.

6. Within the ICF industry is a huge area available for contracting for green jobs.

7.  ICFs are an excellent fit for President Obama's introduction of "Race for the Green" plan for building green.  http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/02/03/winning-future-...

8.  Building with ICFs is not detrimental to the environment.  There is very little waste and most of the product is used in the actual construction of the building.  An ICF construction site is normally white glove clean of construction debris!

9.  Construction time is much faster than traditional building that can take years to complete where building with ICFs can be done in weeks to months depending on the project.  ICFs can be installed from foundation and walls and be up in as short a time as 2 weeks or less in some cases.  Blocks are laid - concrete is poured into the blocks - floors, interior and exterior walls are completed.  Roofing and windows installed - most of the major work has been completed!

10. Energy efficiency is at its highest when utilizing ICFs.  Some manufacturers actually give a written guarantee of a minimum high energy savings.

11. ICF buildings are quieter from the inside because the insulation encasing the concrete keeps the noise levels from outside way down.  

12. The cost of building with ICF is not necessarily "too expensive."  With careful planning working with your contractors, your costs can often be much less than you have imagined.  Life cycle costs can be much faster paybacks using ICFs considering that the time for building is much lower, tax incentives are at an all time high for building green, insurance companies may offer lower rates, resale values of ICF residential and commercial buildings should be very competitive with non-ICF built buildings.

13. Buildings are meant to be shelters and places of comfort.  ICFs can provide that security and peace.

If you are interested in learning more about building better buildings with ICFs, contact your builder, architect or Tee Davis of PolyGreen Buildings.  

Contractors/Builders wanting to become certified installers of ICFs now is the time to sign up for upcoming hands-on training.

Registration:  http:// www.arxx.com/Content/Contractors/Training-Registration.html  

Course includes:

•8 hours of detailed training to let you start building with ICFs
•AIA /CES Credits
•Installer certificate and wallet card to show inspectors
•Take-home project workbooks
•Tips on how to win new business
•Free folding saw (a $19.95 value!)

The training fee is $125 per person, refundable with an order of 300 ARXX blocks.

Registration:  http:// www.arxx.com/Content/Contractors/Training-Registration.html

Course location:

Clarion Hotel Richmond Central
3207 N Boulevard
Richmond, VA  23230
804-359-9441

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About PolyGreen Buildings: PolyGreen Buildings established since 2004 is a distributor of construction materials for building green, energy efficient and sustainable projects. The main product is insulating concrete forms for foundations and walls. Also offered are concrete floors, decks, roofing with inlaid solar panels and finally, energy efficient and nearly indestructible windows and doors used by US military projects. Distributor for energy efficient and green products to commercial, institutional and residential developers. Working closely with top architectural firms, builders, contractors and engineers, PolyGreen Buildings is helping America to Build Better Buildings.