FieldNotes, Technical

BuildBlock FieldNotes – 006 ICF Safe Rooms

We’ve all seen what happens on the news when disaster strikes: shattered homes and lives after the tornado or hurricane, smoking ash after the wildfire, and collapsed rubble after the earthquake. Disasters happen when we least expect them,but are something we need to be prepared for. We wear seat belts and have airbags because we have car accidents.  Our buildings have smoke alarms and sprinkler systems because we have fire.  We keep weather radios and have radar to keep us aware of severe weather.

The majority of residential homes in the US are built out of wood.  There is a better way to build your home: BuildBlock Insulating Concrete Forms (ICFs)  ICFs are two 2.5” foam panels joined together by embedded plastic webs that provide attachment points and furring for the wall. Reinforced with steel rebar horizontally and vertically, they are filled with concrete. The foam stays in place providing highly efficient insulating and the solid concrete mass regulates temperature and provides protection. Many are now building a safe rooms as a part of their home for added protection in an emergency.
Not only can you build a safe room in your home, but you can affordably build your entire home to resist the worst Mother Nature has to offer. 

Insulating Concrete Forms (ICFs) technology is the most affordable way to build a disaster resistant home today. And has the added benefit of extreme energy efficiency. ICFs can be just to build a safe room or for the most energy savings and safety, as the entire exterior structure of your entire home. ICF safe rooms have an independent steel-reinforced footing that ties into a steel reinforced BuildBlock ICF concrete wall, and is enclosed with a reinforced BuildDeck concrete roof. Adequate venting is maintained on the roof and a FEMA certified steel door with a 3-point lock keeps you and your family safe in the event of an emergency.

On the inside the walls and ceiling are finished with drywall, or plaster, and can use the room as a fully functional part of your home. ICF safe rooms can be any sort of room, a pantry, closet, interior bathroom, media room or storage. Using an existing room means that your safe room isn’t wasted space, but something that gives you practical value all year round.
ICF safe room are above ground on the same level of your home which makes it easier to get family members of all ages and mobilities inside quickly.

During the construction process in a new home or an addition to an existing home, adding a safe room is both easy and practical. ICF safe rooms can protect you from an F5 tornado, provide safety and peace of mind during extreme weather, and protect your valuables from wildfire. ICF safe rooms and homes are one of the most comfortable and safest places for you and your family to be in during a tornado or other disaster.

Don’t let anyone talk you out of building your home and safe room out of the most affordable energy-efficient and disaster resistance technology available today: BuildBlock ICFs.