Find Insulated Concrete Form Contractors (ICF) for green home construction projects near Salem, Oregon

Why use experienced Insulated Concrete Forms Contractors for Green homes?

Insulated Concrete Forms or ICF foundation installers contribute to making a Green home that is durable and healthy. Preventing mold in basements is essential for energy efficient homes, as well as protecting indoor air quality and diverting building materials from landfills by preventing the need for basement renovations. ICF foundations lead to a more energy efficient and comfortable basement with cleaner air quality. Homes seeking Passive House, Net Zero Energy or LEED certification benefit from the increased durability of well-built basements. If building in areas of extreme temperature variations or in frequent weather extremes like tornados or hurricanes, an ICF concrete home can offer a more durable structure that is resistant to these natural disasters. Destructive hurricanes along the Atlantic Coast and Southern US have dramatically demonstrated to the conventional home building industry in North America that the technology for building houses according to contemporary codes and construction practices does not adequately protect such homes against the forces generated by hurricanes & tornadoes. Hurricanes' destructive nature continually poses a threat to and challengeshomeowners & building operators in Georgia, the Carolinas, Alabama, Florida and all the Southern states.Up to 85 percent of homes currently destroyed by tornados can be spared, according to experts at the University of Alabama - "If you are above ground and you get hit in a storm like that, ( The one in Moore, Oklahoma. May 20th 2013) no matter the type of construction unless it is a concrete-reinforced structure, you are probably not going to have anything left," Andrew Graettinger, Civil Engineer at the University of Alabama.

In North America builders and building code bodies largely ignore the relatively simple construction methods using concrete and ICF’s available that are capable of resisting EF-5 tornadoes. Even more surprizing and unfortunate, most homebuilders have tended to rebuild the destroyed houses with the same vulnerable technology with which they were built originally - due to a combination of inexperienced builders and misinformation regarding the cost of building a better, more resistant home with ICF & Reinforced Concrete. 

The International Residential Code (IRC) for "One and Two-Family Dwellings" does not provide for tornado-resistant home design and construction. After such disasters have occurred, several expert sources have publicly offered subjective explanations for failures and have proposed "disaster-resistant" solutions that have not been documented as being capable of resisting severe tornado winds. Most of them are based on trying to upgrade wood-framed technology that has consistently failed in major tornadoes and hurricanes over the years. To see actual tests conducted on wood frame constructed homes vs. fortified homes, visit the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) if building a Green home sustainably in any of these areas or for building the best basements that are resistant to mold and humidity.

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Before hiring an Insulated Concrete Forms ICF Contractor through our network of local Insulated Concrete Forms ICF Contractors read through customer reviews, check out their past projects and then request a quote from the Insulated Concrete Forms ICF Contractor near you. Finding Insulated Concrete Forms ICF Contractorswho are experienced in all areas is easy on The Ecohome Network.