The power of ICF construction

By Emma Peterson. 

From storm protection to fire resistance and energy efficiency, learn about the benefits of working with insulated concrete forms. 

Over the years, we’ve seen a variety of changes in the roofing and construction industries as products and technology advance. One big example of this is the move away from traditional wood framing and towards Insulated Concrete Forms (ICFs). To learn more about this transition, Karen Edwards sat down with Dave Marrs, co-host of HGTV’s Fixer to Fabulous, for an episode of Roofing Road Trips® all about Tremco’s ICF product, Nudura. 

Dave talked about how he got introduced to this new way of framing buildings. He explained, “I've got a friend that works for Tremco, that has been telling me for years, ‘Hey Dave, you got to try ICF construction. You've got to try it.’ And so I dabbled on a small scale.” The turning point for Dave was when nine tornadoes hit his home state of Arkansas in a single night last year.  

For Dave, that night connected the dots between the tradition of building concrete safe rooms in case of storms and using ICFs. He explained, “For years we’ve built little concrete safe rooms that you have to get up and run to in a serious weather event. And I got to researching them and just looking at what Tremco, what Nudura, can offer as far as weather resistance. And I got thinking, 'if you're building new, why not build a safe house instead of a safe room?’” 

When Dave dove further into the logistics of building with ICFs, he realized that the benefits extend beyond the performance of the final product. He shared, “As far as timeliness goes, we put the entire exterior structure of a 2,000 square foot house up in a day and a half. Working with Nudura, it's like stacking eight foot long, 18 inch tall Lego blocks. Once you get that first foundation row down, it goes really, really quickly.” And once you have the blocks in place, he added, you just have to go around filling the forms with rebar and concrete.  

And the benefits don’t stop there. ICFs not only create more durable spaces, but they also create more energy efficient spaces. Dave elaborated, “Nudura has a two- or two-and-a-half-inch rigid foam on both the exterior and the interior that make up the block. So, when you use it on a frame, you automatically get around an R-30 for your R-value on the exterior of the home. And that foam is fire retardant so it won’t burn like lumber or traditional insulation will in forest fires.” 

At the end of the day, Dave has found that Nudura greatly improves on traditional wood framing. He put it simply, “Nudura create a home that can withstand a couple hundred miles an hour of wind. So, in a storm, instead of racing where you have seconds or maybe minutes at most to get into a safe room, my kids are now in a safe house. Honestly, after seeing it get tested, I won't go back to building that traditional way.” 

Read the transcript or Listen to the full episode for more information about Tremco’s Nudura ICFs.