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Project Spotlight: Building an ICF Castle Part 4

 Micheal and Sue Drew are building an ICF castle to last, but wish they would have done ICFs all the way up to the gables.

Micheal and Sue Drew are building an ICF castle in eastern Michigan. Being the last video of the series, we learn why they initially chose to use ICFs and what they would have done differently. Mike says,

” The framing is never as good, is never as tight and is never as strong as ICFs, it just isn’t. That’s the one thing I regret is not doing the gables in ICF”.

He demonstrates how the quality of  ICFs and OSB are very different, especially in the gables comparing sheer strength and where the framing and masonry didn’t line up creating large gaps in the attic. If he would have used ICFs there wouldn’t be any gaps at all. 

Throughout this episode see the elevator four-story learn about the 90 ft steel beam that shrank from the extreme cold Michigan winter!

ICFs to Mike mean an act of permanence in a disposable society, that’s why he chose ICFs for his dream castle.They carefully designed their dream home to last for generations, traditional wood-frame construction can’t compare to the safety, permanence, and energy efficiency of walls built with insulating concrete forms.

Join us again next summer as we tour the completed castle.

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