ICF homes create an air-tight environment with build-in sound protection. Enjoy healthier air and a peaceful environment using ICFs!
When planning a new house, consider the greater well-being that comes from living with more even temperatures, sharply reduced drafts, noticeably more quiet, and healthier air. No matter the environment, ICF homes remain quiet and comfortable.
ICFs Create Quiet & Comfortable Homes
More than 80% of ICF homeowners mentioned the great comfort of their home, compared with just 22% of wood-frame homeowners.
See ICFs in action & learn more about building with icfs!
Healthier Air
Indoor air quality is often something that people don’t think about until it goes bad. Maintaining a healthy and comfortable environment is essential in any indoor space and ICFs provide a wall system that greatly assists in this effort.
BuildBlock ICF walls provide a tight exterior building envelope. Walls that are “tight” (meaning they have low air infiltration) is the first step in controlling the indoor air environment. Due to the dense foam insulation that makes up ICFs, BuildBlock buildings have high R-values and low air infiltration rates. The solid concrete core provides superior thermal mass, meaning a lot of energy is required to change its temperature and eliminates the potential for outside air leakage. Now, compare that to a traditional wood-framed home with loose cellulose or fiberglass insulation. Despite best practices and skilled labor, a wood home will almost always have voids in the wall especially around doors, windows, plumbing, and electrical outlets.
Lasting Results
- ICF walls reduce air infiltration by 75%.
- Eliminate dust mites.
- Prevent dangerous and costly mold.
- The effects of hay fever, asthma, and other airborne allergies can be greatly alleviated as a direct result of the reduced leakage of outside air, which brings dust, pollen, and other pollutants.
- Indoor air pollution is a great health concern today. ICF walls are non-toxic. The measurement of air contents of actual ICF houses shows an almost complete absence of any emissions.
Peace and Quiet
The STC rating of a wall assembly refers to its resistance to sound transmission. Sound is measured in decibels, (db) and is on a logarithmic scale. This means that the values are not linear in nature, and a 50db sound is not twice as loud as a 25db sound. A doubling of volume would correspond approximately to a 10db change.
In construction, it is important to limit noise and sound transmission through walls. This is especially important in certain venues, such as movie theaters, concert halls, and hotels. Airports and other areas may also benefit from substantial noise reduction. Homes built on noisy streets or near interstate highways can also benefit from the reduced sound transmission. With the advent of more home theatre rooms, many builders are turning to complicated assemblies to achieve the soundproofing that their customers desire.
Insulating Concrete Forms, (ICFs) can be used to construct nearly any type of building, and offer a wealth of benefits to the builder and the buyer. ICFs offer a substantial reduction in sound transmission and can quiet the noisiest environments. BuildBlock forms, with 5/8” drywall on both sides, can exhibit an STC rating of 54. The list below describes the sound abatement capacities of various STC ratings. These values, like R-values can vary due to the number of openings and the efficiency of windows and doors at mitigating sound transmission.
