Featured Project: Stid Hill House

On February 13, 2020   /   BuildBlock Projects  
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ICFs in the Finger Lakes: Maximum Energy Savings, Minimum Maintenance, and Extra Protection Completed in May of 2019, this featured project is the Stid Hill House. Built by Victor Logan in the heart of the New York Finger Lakes region, and has been recognized at the 2020 ICF Builder Awards in the category of Small Residential. Designed by Logan’s wife and daughter, this house serves as a retirement home for his mother. The goal of this project was to build a house that can offer maximum energy savings with minimal maintenance and extra protection from the often-harsh environment. With energy

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BuildBlock Installation Video Series: Site Review

On August 8, 2016   /   Video  
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Site Review

The BuildBlock ICF Site Review gives you a great start in preparing for your ICF project. In this episode of our Installation Video Series we’ll cover one of the most important first steps for your project; site review.  This video talks about the building site and things you need to consider before building your ICF home. Topics include solar gain, aesthetics, water runoff and drainage, elevation footings and more. Knowing how much solar gain you will have on your structure is important when planning where to put your home. The amount of heat from the sun on your structure will help

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ICF Points to LEED

On May 6, 2016   /   Asked & Answered, BuildBlock News, White Papers & Research  
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ICF Points to LEED Several green building standards have been created over the past several years to focus on reducing the environmental footprint that buildings have on local communities. Fortunately, Insulating Concrete Forms (ICFs) are a clear choice for building designers to maximize points in many of these ratings. A quick review of the 69 possible points available in the US Green Building Council Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) for New Construction identifies energy savings as the most heavily weighted criteria, with up to 10 points achievable for buildings designed for energy savings over requirements set in code standards.

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BuildBlock IRC-IBC Code Compliance Research Report Updated

On March 3, 2016   /   BuildBlock News, Technical  
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BuildBlock's Compliance Codes

BuildBlock IRC-IBC code compliance research report updated from Intertek Research Report (IRR-1003) to the new Code Compliance Research Report CCRR-1003. After Intertek and ATI completed their corporate merger, the IRR and CCRR reports were also merged.  BuildBlock IRC-IBC Code Compliance Research Report updated to reflect compliance with new codes and standards. BuildBlock’s new code compliance research report number is CCRR-1003 and will now be displayed on all products labels. This new verification is one of the most trusted ETL marks in North America. The Code Compliance Research Report ensures that BuildBlock products comply with the 2015 International Residential Code and the International Building Code product standards. Currently BuildBlock has

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White Paper- ICF Energy Tax Provisions

On February 18, 2016   /   Asked & Answered, BuildBlock News, White Papers & Research  
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Energy Tax Provisions While energy savings of 10 – 15% can be achieved by improving appliances, lighting, and HVAC equipment, there is no doubt that more significant savings must start with improvements to the building envelope. Increasing the insulation values and tightening up the thermal envelope is the most effective and durable approach. This has been proven time and again with advanced building systems, such as Insulating Concrete Forms (ICFs). Yet builders are faced with the challenge of meeting homeowner demands for granite counter tops and luxury finishes. The obstacles to adopting new, more energy-efficient building methods are very real and require additional effort on the

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Press Release: BuildBlock ICFs Releases BuildShield Termite Protection

On December 1, 2015   /   BuildBlock Products, Press Releases  
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BuildShield Termite & Fire Stop Protection

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE BuildBlock ICFs Releases BuildShield Termite Protection Oklahoma City, OK – BuildBlock Building Systems is introducing BuildShield, a revolutionary solution for termite protection in an ICF wall. BuildShield combines an extruded vinyl membrane with an adhesive stainless steel material to form an impenetrable barrier to termites. When integrated into an ICF wall BuildShield solves a challenge to ICFs in termite prone areas. This product will be available in early January 2016. BuildShield combines an extruded PVC plastic track with an adhesive stainless steel material applied together between an above grade course when constructing an ICF wall. The track

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Texas Tripe Company Puts BuildBlock ICFs to the Test

On November 9, 2015   /   BuildBlock News  
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Texas Tripe Freezer Project

Texas Tripe Company Chooses BuildBlock ICFs for in Freezer Project in Detroit, Texas. The Texas Tripe project is a unique use of ICF products with sustainability at the heart of the design and purpose. Texas Tripe is a company that produces raw frozen pet food. Running tight on the freezer space shared with a sister company that processes meat and smoked sausage, the decision was made to build a new warehouse and freezer space with three critical requirements: The building needed to be energy efficient while maintaining a temperature below 0 degrees.  The building needed to be strong, disaster resistant,

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White Paper: The ICF Effect

On October 1, 2015   /   BuildBlock News, White Papers & Research  
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Continuous R-Value, reduced air infiltration and thermal mass all make up the ICF Effect New energy codes, higher fuel prices, and colder winters have all contributed to an increased awareness of energy efficient construction. For consumers and builders, this means a stronger focus on increased “R-value” of the building envelope. Understanding the history of code prescribed R-value will give perspective of this measurement as it is used today. Prior to the oil crisis in the 1970’s, energy was cheap and little focus was placed on insulation, as evidenced by the lack of any insulation in “midcentury” homes. The skyrocketing fuel prices triggered a

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NBC Bank Utilizes BuildBlocks ICF Disaster Resistance Capabilities

On August 19, 2015   /   BuildBlock News  
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NBC Bank Utilizes BuildBlock ICF’s Disaster Resistance Capabilities for security of important documents and equipment.  As far as banks go, this is one of the most energy-efficient banks in Oklahoma. Banks are high traffic, and considerations for foot traffic must be accounted for in the design. ICFs coupled with the spray foam roof insulation lower the utility costs by more than 40%. This project was designed to blend into the surrounding residential area. The owners chose ICF because this branch was outfitted with a data center housing networking and computing infrastructure utilized by the bank.  This room had to be protected from the

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DIY Plowman Home using BuildBlock ICFs

On August 12, 2015   /   BuildBlock News  
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The DIY Plowman Home using BuildBlock ICFs is a true do-it-yourself project from start to finish. Science Teacher, Phillip Plowman and his father are sharing their BuildBlock ICF project. They have been building an entire home themselves from top to bottom for the last year, using much of summer break and weekends as peak working hours.    Phillip is a science teacher in Virginia and has been working on this home for the past year with his father. Phillip mentions he is fortunate to have weekends and summers off to work on building his own home. Phillip and his father

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