Energy-Efficient Bonobo Winery Built with BuildBlock ICFs

On December 3, 2015   /   BuildBlock News, BuildBlock Projects, Video  
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Bonobo Winery Outdoors

The Oosterhouse brothers, Todd and Carter are Traverse City natives who decided to satisfy a life-long dream building a winery of their own. The energy-efficient Bonobo Winery built with BuildBlock ICFs combines many systems and technologies to deliver a commercial success. This project is located in Traverse City Michigan, a tourist destination and regional area of commerce. People flock to the area in the spring, summer, and fall to see the lakes, sunsets, cherry trees and vineyards. This winery has a high traffic volume will help educate more people about the advantages of energy efficient construction and BuildBlock ICF technology, especially in

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BuildBlock ICFs Showcases Old French Country Style Design

On December 1, 2015   /   BuildBlock News, BuildBlock Projects  
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BuildBlock ICFs Showcases French Country Style Design in this lovely home. It is a classic example of the old french country style design from the multiple platform walkway to the arched front entrance. You appreciate the stone and brick work, the turret, the copper finials, as well as the 30+ windows on the house that provide a view of the beautiful nature surrounding the house. Upon entry, you will notice the stairs leading to the turret room, and then further to the piano balcony and upstairs floor which features a mother-in-law suite, a game room, and a small kitchenette and bar leading to

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Nestledown B&B Uses BuildBlock ICFs To Create Energy-efficient Lodging

On November 30, 2015   /   BuildBlock News, BuildBlock Projects  
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Discover how Nestledown B&B uses BuildBlock ICFs to create energy-efficient lodging as a leader in energy conservation & providing comfort for their guests on the shores of Lake Superior. The Schauland’s, Ken and Sue, set out to create their dream job, owning a bed and breakfast even though neither of them had ever worked in hospitality or specialized in construction. Ken is a drywall contractor and his wife Sue is a pediatric nurse at St. Vincent’s hospital in Wisconsin. Nestledown B&B uses BuildBlock ICFs to create efficient lodging for themselves and their guests. When deciding to build this project they chose BuildBlock ICFs because of their comfort level with

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Table in the Wilderness Ministry Camp chose BuildBlock ICFs

On November 25, 2015   /   BuildBlock News, BuildBlock Projects  
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Table in the Wilderness Ministry Camp chose BuildBlock ICFs

The Table in the Wilderness Ministry above Centennial, Wyoming is nestled at the base of the Snowy Range of the Medicine Bow Mountains in southeast Wyoming was built using BuildBlock ICFs. Table in the Wilderness Ministries (twmcamp.net) is a year-round camping, conference and retreat ministry center. The Table in the Wilderness Ministry Camp chose BuildBlock ICFs for their energy-efficient project, the main lodge building, and their first ICF project. The Table in the Wilderness Ministry Camp needed a highly-insulated structure that could withstand the rapid temperature changes associated with high elevation. The ministry camp also needed to meet budget restraints, be a

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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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Asked & Answered: Why don’t walls with corners layout in even foot dimensions?

On October 12, 2015   /   Asked & Answered  
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Asked-&-Answered

Why don’t walls with corners layout in even foot dimensions? This is an interesting question we receive occasionally from designers, engineers, and builders. It is possible to create a building that will have even foot dimensions. This is typically achieved by shortening blocks at some other point in the wall away from the corners since corners are one of the greatest challenges in any type of construction. A number of factors, from a product design perspective come into play when creating modular products that will be used in multiple ways and scale. A few challenges include: molding constraints (limitations on

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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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The Puddingstone Cottage

On July 23, 2015   /   BuildBlock News  
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The Puddingstone Cottage is a 1,200 square foot all ICF earth bermed home. Even the retaining walls utilize ICFs for their toughness. Puddingstone Cottage is an all ICF home that utilizes full height earth berms on three sides of the house to achieve its ultra-high energy performance and added protection from Mother Nature. This hybrid home is an all-electric house built among 50+ year-old cottages near a lake in southwest Michigan and blends in handsomely with its surroundings. Puddingstone Cottage was designed and built by National Award winning designer/builder Adam Bearup of Hybrid Homes, LLC. Using the research gathered from Bearup’s

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