The Concrete House: Building Solid, Safe & Efficient with Insulating Concrete Forms

by Pieter A. Vanderwerf

Prospective homeowners will welcome this introduction to a durable, energy-efficient new building insulating concrete forms (ICFs). Written by a top expert in the field, and organized in an accessible question-and-answer form, it will help homebuyers decide whether an ICF is right for them and how to get the most for their money. Every aspect of planning and construction is covered, from exactly what an ICF is to the intricacies of building a concrete house, from choosing a contractor to selecting a suitable design for the system. There’s crucial advice on how to make sure construction goes smoothly, diagrams and photos to illustrate every point, beautiful ICF homes on display, and explanations of how these homes differ from conventional ones and why they cost less to maintain.

176 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2007

Reviews

[Moran · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not finish this book.

Based on the cover and the title, I thought this would be a book about how to build bold and interesting concrete structures. Instead, it's about a method of construction called ICF (insulated concrete form) wherein the walls of a house are built using concrete (and rebar) that is set between two molds (interior and exterior). In order to install electrical and plumbing elements, the contractor carves into the interior insulation layer instead of the wall itself.

Here are the spoilers: a house built using ICF is more expensive to construct; however, it is better at withstanding disasters (such as hurricanes, tornados, and fires) and tends to be more energy efficient. Building a house using this method does not mean that you will have a modern-looking, concrete structure; you can make it look like any old house (which, in my case, is somewhat disappointing).

The book is written in an interesting format: the author asks a question that they anticipate is in the reader's mind and then answers it. This is a good format for this type of book since it allows people curious about the subject to hop around within the book and only read about the things that are most prescient in their minds. However, it also creates some redundancy for those attempting to read the book front to back.

All in all, the author is well-informed, provides good resources for those wanting to learn more about ICF, and writes in a style that is better than most books in this category. Unfortunately, the subject matter is not what I expected.